God Demands Justice

                                                                Sunday School Lesson                                  

Lesson: Zechariah 7:8-14
                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “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” (Zehariah 7:9-10).
INTRODUCTION.  When we hear the word justice, it most often brings to mind making sure evildoers get what’s coming to them.  Of course, that’s part of it, but mainly, justice relates to moral rightness and fairness.  This is what God demanded of the returning exiles to their homeland in our text: that they “Execute true judgment” (see Zechariah 7:9).  In other words, we are to pursue and promote genuine justice by being fair in the way we treat each other.  This week’s lesson has to do with how the Jewish exiles had to live after they returned to Jerusalem, having finished their term of punishment from the Lord.  The period of punishment, discipline, and exile was not easy to bear, but they still had to be reminded of the errors of their ancestors so that they could avoid repeating them.  As Zechariah called God’s people back to Him, justice was at the forefront of his message.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.   After seventy years in captivity (see Jeremiah 29:18), the first return of the exiles took place in about 538 B.C. in the first year of the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia.  The Persians had defeated the Babylonians in 539 B.C. and Cyrus decreed that captives in exiles could return to their homelands (see Ezra 1:1-11).  Zechariah and Haggai were among the first group to leave.  Zechariah was both a priest and a prophet, and began to minister in Judah at the same time as Haggai between 520 and 518 B.C.  Both prophets encouraged the returning exiles to rebuild the temple.  In the fourth year of King Darius’ reign, a group of people were sent to the temple to pray about whether they should continue fasting as they had practiced it while in Captivity (see Zechariah 7:1-2).  They also consulted with the priests about this matter asking “Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?” (see Zechariah 7:3).  In other words, they asked the priests and prophets whether they must continue their traditional custom of fasting and mourning during the month of August each year, as they had been doing for so long.  For the previous 70 years of captivity, the people had been holding a fast in August to remember the destruction of Jerusalem (see II Kings 25:8-10).  The fast that they were referring to was wholly of their own will and was not commanded by the Law, or directly by God.  No doubt that when they began to recognize this fast each year while in captivity, there was sincere contrition.  However, since they had returned to their homeland, this fast had become simply a ritual.  So the people began to wonder if they needed to continue to keep it.  Then the Lord came to Zechariah again saying “Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?” (see Zechariah 7:5-6, The Living Bible Version).  Since returning home, the people had continued rituals which included fasting twice a year in the fifth and the seventh months (see Zechariah 7:5).  God had not ordained these fasts.  They were for their own benefit and had no spiritual meaning.  Therefore God continued to say “Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’” (see Zechariah 7:7, The NIV).  Then the Lord spoke again to Zechariah describing what He had said to His people through the earlier prophets.  This is where our lesson begins.         
III. AN OPPORTUNITY FROM GOD (Zechariah 7:8-10)
A. A word from God (Zechariah 7:8).  Our first verse says “And the word of the Lord came unto Zechariah, saying.”  This statement was to assure Zechariah that “the word” or message he was about to hear was coming directly from “the Lord.”  The message God was about to give to Zechariah was to remind this present generation who had returned to their homeland, what caused the previous generation to be carried into captivity, and what He expected these returning exiles to do to avoid it happening again.  Note:  Twice the prophet wrote that the word of the Lord had come to him, here and in verse 4.  That the word came from God is assurance that the Lord Himself sent the messages.  We have that same assurance of His messages to us in the knowledge that the Bible is God’s Word and was given by inspiration, intended for our understanding of doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (see II Timothy 3:16).  It’s our means of spiritual growth and maturity (see II Timothy 3:17). 
B. What God wanted from the previous generation (Zechariah 7:9-10).
1. (vs. 9).  This verse goes on to say “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother.”   Zechariah was to speak to God’s people beginning with “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying” so that the people would know that the prophet’s message was not his, but it came directly from “the Lord of hosts.”  The word “hosts” means armies and refers to His power.  God has armies of angels under His command ready to intervene on behalf of His people (see II Kings 6:15-17).  Like the previous generation, the people had been hypocritical in their worship that they had established while in captivity, so God wanted to remind them of what He really wanted.  The Lord was more concerned about their heart condition and how they treated others than He was about their formal religious activity.  Fasting was part of their religious activity, but God wanted external actions that demonstrated a heart that was right with Him.  Therefore, first God said that He wanted them to “Execute true judgment.”  The word “judgment” means “justice.”  God had commanded His people before the Captivity to perform genuine justice, and now He expected the same actions from the present generation.  He expected them to do what is right and fair.  Isaiah described this behavior when he wrote: “Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (see Isaiah 1:17).  All people deserve true justice.  God also expected His people to “shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother.”  This means that God requires us to demonstrate an inner attitude of loving kindness that replaces selfishness.  “Mercy” is giving others what they don’t deserve.  It’s demonstrated by a forgiving and loving spirit.  The Hebrew word translated “mercy” is chesed, a word that speaks of the loyal, covenant love that God has for His people.  The Lord had been merciful to His people time and time again, so mercy reflects the character of the true God (see Psalms 136:1-16).  He expects no less from us (see Luke 10:30-37).  The word “compassion” comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to have pity” (see Psalms 103:13; Micah 7:19).  It has the idea of relieving one from difficulty.  In scripture, it’s often used in place of the word “mercy.”  The Lord expected “mercy” and “compassions” to be demonstrated to “every man to his brother.”  In other words, no one was to be left out.  This is seen in the next verse.  This is basically the same message God gave to those who were in Judah just before the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and took the people captive (see Jeremiah 7:5).
2. (vs. 10).  In this verse, the Lord continued to describe what He expected from His people, and to identify those to whom mercy and compassion was to be shown.  He said “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.”  This was also another reminder to this new generation of what God had told those who were eventually taken captive (see Jeremiah 7:6).  Here the Lord declared that He expected His people to “oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor.”  These people were the disadvantaged and weak, so they needed justice, mercy and compassion.  God also said “and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.”  In other words, no evil was ever to be planned or carried out against the widow, the orphans, or the poor.  They were the disadvantaged and weak so God said to treat them as a “brother in your heart” meaning they were to be treated like members of their own families for whom they had special concern. 
IV.  A SCATTERING FROM GOD (Zechariah 7:11-14)
A.  What the previous generation did (Zechariah 7:11-12).  As we have already noted, in the context of this lesson God is describing the behavior of the former generations (see Zechariah 7:7).  God was reminding this new generation not to act like their ancestors. 
1. (vs. 11).  After telling this new generation what He had expected from their ancestors, in this verse God described what they did in response to Him.  He said “But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.”  The Lord commanded the previous generation to execute justice, show mercy and compassion, and care for the disadvantaged (see Zechariah 7:9-10), “But they refused to hearken.”  God didn’t want this new generation of Jews to repeat the behavior of those who ended up in captivity (see Jeremiah 11:10).  The Hebrew word for “hearken” is qashab and it literally means “to prick up, or raise up the ears” so as to pay attention to what is being said.  But they were not paying attention.  It’s quite possible to hear something being said without paying attention.  God’s people chose to ignore Him, thus being disobedient.  However, when “hearken” is used of the relationship of men to God as it is here, it means to hear and obey.  The former generation adamantly “refused” to obey God’s commands and He described their refusal to obey in graphic terms.  First, they “pulled away the shoulder.”  In other words, they turned a stubborn shoulder toward the Lord like an animal that fights against a yoke (see Nehemiah 9:29).  Today, we might see this as shrugging of the shoulders indicating a don’t care attitude.  Second, the people “stopped their ears, that they should not hear.”  This describes a person placing their hands intentionally over their ears so they won’t be able to hear what the prophets were saying.  This pictures God’s people doing everything they could to keep from hearing the warnings God gave through His prophets.
2. (vs. 12).  In this verse, God continued to say “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.”  The word “Yea” is used here to further confirm the people’s refusal to hear.  It means “yes.”  God said, yes, “they made their hearts as an adamant stone.”  This further indicates how hard their hearts had turned toward God.  The Lord said that they “made” their hearts like stone or hard rocks.  In other words, they intentionally hardened their hearts against God “lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets.”  They didn’t want to hear God’s “law” meaning His teachings, because it wasn’t what they wanted to hear.  They only wanted the prophets to prophesy good things (see Jeremiah 5:12-13, 31; 6:13-14) not judgment.  The phrase “the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets” refers to the many messages of warnings that had been given by the prophets of old.  These messages were given to the prophets by God’s spirit.  The Lord’s power to do this is expressed with the words “the Lord of hosts” or the Lord of armies.  God gave His people messages that if obeyed would allow them to remain in the land, but they refused to listen and ignored them (see Jeremiah 7:3).  Note:  This description of an unwilling to listen people no doubt is etched in the memory of every parent who at one time or another has seen the same behavior in his or her child, especially during the teenage years, or what I like to call “the stupid years, 13-19.”  There are those exasperating times when the child turns and walks away, shrugging their shoulders and saying that they don’t want to hear what the parent has to say.  The child has reached the point that he wants to run his own life and not be told what to do any longer.  But as every parent knows, this requires some type of disciplinary action.  Because of their unwillingness to hear and obey God’s law and words from the prophets, God said “therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts.”    Just as a parent must render some type of discipline to a disobedient child, God does the same thing.  The former generation of Jews had hardened their hearts against His words which had come through His Spirit ministering through the prophets.  God simply couldn’t stand by and let them get away with that, so the judgments He warned about came to pass.  Zechariah described God’s response as “a great wrath.”  Note:  It was a rage coming from God against those who dared to presume that He could be ignored.  The Bible is clear about the fact that God means what He says (see Numbers 11:23; 23:19; I Kings 8:56).  The Lord’s refusal to force His will on His people allowed them to make their own choice, but when the wrong choice was made, the consequences followed.  No less will happen to Christians today if we fail to obey God’s Word.  God’s anger was shown against His people by sending them into Babylonian Captivity for 70 years (see Jeremiah 25:11: Zechariah 7:5) as He had promised.  Even though it is given to Israel, the principle holds true for all of God’s people: blessings come with obedience and curses come with disobedience (see Deuteronomy 28:1-62).
B.  What God did (Zechariah 7:13-14).
1. (vs. 13).  In this verse the Lord said “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.”   Zechariah declared that as a result of the former generation’s disobedience, it came to pass “that as he (God) cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear.”  The pronoun “he” refers to God, “the Lord of hosts” who “cried” or yelled out to His people seeking to draw them back to Himself.  But they ignored Him “and they would not hear.”  Since they wouldn’t hear the “Lord of hosts,” God said “so they cried, and I would not hear.”  In other words, He refused to hear and deliver them.  After repeated warnings over a long period of time, their destruction came.  Then they cried to God, begging for deliverance, but because they had refused to listen to Him for so long, He had determined not to hear them, and that the time for punishment had come.  Truly, we are in a very bad situation when God refuses to hear us.  But if it happened to disobedient Israel, it will certainly happen to believers today (see Psalms 66:18).  Note:  There is a similar message for us today in Proverbs 1:20-23 where wisdom is personified as a woman calling to people to listen to her words of instruction.  She promises that if they respond she will help them understand.  But there are serious consequences when wisdom is ignored.  Proverbs 1:24-32 describes how wisdom will turn away when she is refused and then sought during desperate situations.  As we know, the words of God cannot be ignored without repercussion.  Wisdom speaks as if she were God offering divine counsel saying in Proverbs 1:24-30 “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.”    
2. (vs. 14).  In our final verse, God says “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.”  Instead of hearing the cries or prayers of the former generation, God said “But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not.”  The Lord was telling this new generation who had returned from captivity that their ancestors had reached the point that He would no longer respond to them.  Therefore, He scattered them as if it was done by a whirlwind among “nations whom they knew not” or never knew.  The northern kingdom of Israel was scattered by the Assyrians, and of course the southern kingdom of Judah was scattered by the Babylonians.  The result of this scattering or dispersion of Israel was “the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned.”  In other words, after God removed them from the land, it became “desolate” or abandoned so much so that the Lord didn’t allow anyone else to settle in their land.  The last phrase of this verse shows just how much God’s people gave up because they refused to listen and obey Him.  God said “for they laid the pleasant land desolate.”  As it should have been, God placed the blame for the land lying desolate where it belonged---on His people.  This wasn’t just any ole land.  God called it the “pleasant land.”  It was indeed a land flowing with milk and honey, thus a “pleasant” or good land (see Exodus 3:8; Jeremiah 11:5; Ezekiel 20:6).  Note:  The former generation had given up this good land that God gave only to them for an interrupted normal life by an invading army.  When that happened fear would overcome them as the enemy surrounded Jerusalem.  Once the enemy entered the city, they would wreak havoc causing the people to shout, scream, wail and cry while many were being killed.  All of this would be followed by the enemy taking the people away, marching them in brutal conditions to a distant and foreign land where everything would be strange.  Now tell me, is disobeying God’s Word worth the consequences?  I think not!  Just think how bad it will be for that person who dies without accepting Jesus as his or her personal Saviour.  In order to avoid the consequences of hell, salvation through Christ should be everyone’s priority.  Trust me, hell ain’t no joke!                  

                                

V. Conclusion.  This week’s lesson reminds us that God demands justice in our treatment of others and our response to Him.  He is the Judge before whom all of us will have to stand and answer for our conduct towards Him and one another.  The lesson was very clear for the people in Zechariah’s time.  God expected to see justice in the land.  He was expecting to hear the word of justice from His messengers and see acts of justice from His people.  God’s people could never quibble over the meaning of justice.  It simply means to treat all people fairly with honor and respect. 

A Call For Repentance

                                Sunday School Lesson

                                      

Lesson: Ezekiel 18:1-13, 31-32                                                                                                  
Golden Text: “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 18:31).
I.  INTRODUCTION.  From the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, humans have been blaming others for their wrong choices and excusing themselves.  This week’s text teaches us that God holds each person accountable for their individual choices.  It is most important that we own up to our mistakes and take responsibility for our actions.  Acknowledging our sins opens the way for a clean conscience and ultimately for a better relationship with both God and man.  Our lesson this week records God speaking to the people of Judah who were in exile in Babylon.  His words were intended to help them on the path of acknowledging their sins.  He encouraged them to turn back to Him for healing and to avoid the negative consequences of sin.  
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  Ezekiel was born and raised in the southern kingdom of Judah and was a priest in God’s temple when the Babylonians attacked a second time in 597 B.C. and carried him away along with 10,000 other captives (see II Kings 24:10-14).  The nation was on the brink of complete destruction.  There were three deportations and three invasions by Babylon (see II Kings 24:1; 24:10; 25:1).  The first was in 605 B.C. (see Jeremiah 52:28), the second in 597 B.C. when Ezekiel was taken captive, and the third and final time in 586 B.C. (see Jeremiah 52:29-30) completely destroying Jerusalem, burning the temple, and deporting the rest of the people (see II Kings chapter 25).  Four or five years after he arrived in Babylon about 593 B.C. (see Ezekiel 1:3), God called Ezekiel to be a prophet, and he gave his first prophecy to the exiles.  Ezekiel dates all of his messages from the year he was taken captive in 597 B.C.  Our lesson this week is part of Ezekiel’s first prophecy or message to the exiles in Babylon which covers Ezekiel 1:1-24:27.  In this first message, the prophet warned them that the punishment they were experiencing was because of their sins and that God was purifying his people.  However, the people of Judah believed that they were being punished for the sins of their ancestors, not their own.  They thought this way because of how they interpreted the law (see Exodus 20:5).  Ezekiel’s message was designed to correct that way of thinking.     
III. THE JUSTICE OF GOD (Ezekiel 18:1-9) 
A. A misunderstood proverb (Ezekiel 18:1-2). 
1. (vs. 1).  In our first verse Ezekiel says “The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying.”  This statement was to assure Ezekiel’s fellow exiles that “the word” or message he was about to give to them was not his own, but came directly from “the Lord.” 
2. (vs. 2).  In this verse, God begins His message to His people by asking a question.  He asked “What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?”  In other words, the Lord was asking “Why do you people use this proverb: ‘The parents ate the sour grapes, but the children got the sour taste’?”  This was a commonly quoted proverb in Israel.  The idea comes from a person going into a vineyard and eating “sour grapes” or unripe gripes which caused an unpleasant sensation in the teeth.  When the Jews quoted this proverb, they were claiming that their suffering was because of the sins of their “fathers” or ancestors.  The Jews no doubt justified this attitude because they misunderstood the law where God portrayed Himself as a jealous God “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (see Exodus 20:5).  However, this statement meant that the children as well as the parents would continue to hate the Lord and therefore suffer for their own sins (see Deuteronomy 7:10).  The Jews also may have been thinking about the prophecies of the prophets that Judah would be removed from Palestine because of Manasseh’s sins (see II Kings 24:3-4; Jeremiah 15:4).  If this is true, they also misunderstood what the prophets were saying regarding Manasseh.  The people admitted that their “fathers” had sinned, but complained that although they themselves were innocent, they had to bear their ancestor’s punishment.  But in reality, according to Ezekiel 8:1-18 they had added to their “fathers’” idolatries.  Like many people today, the Jews refused to take responsibility for their own actions.
B. A divine declaration (Ezekiel 18:3-4).
1. (vs. 3).  The Lord continued to say in this verse “As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.”  With the phrase “ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel,” God was saying that His people will not have any reason to use the sour grapes proverb anymore because He was about to explain what the proverb really meant: that every person, then and now is responsible for his or her own sins.  The blame game was now over!  Note:  The blame game originated in the Garden of Eden when God asked Adam and Eve what had caused them to hide from Him.  Adam immediately blamed Eve and Eve just as quickly blamed the serpent.  But God refused to accept that reasoning then and He won’t accept it now.  To emphasize the fact that the proverb would no longer be used in Israel, the Lord prefaced His statement with an oath saying “As I live, saith the Lord God.”  This proverb not only placed guilt upon their ancestors, but when they used it they were questioning God’s justice.  The Lord then proceeded to refute its use.
2. (vs. 4).   In this verse God went on to explain why this proverb will not be used in Israel anymore.  He said “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”  The Lord used the word “Behold” to get the people’s attention.  The phrase “all souls are mine” implies several things.  First, it implies that God owns everything He created.  He breathed into man “the breath of life” making him “a living soul” (see Genesis 2:7).  Therefore, everyone who breathes belongs to Him.  However, this does not imply that everyone belongs to God spiritually, or will have eternal life.  For that to happen, each person must go through Jesus Christ (see John 14:6).  A second implication for “all souls are mine” is that all men stand before their Creator on an equal moral basis.  God does not respect one generation, class, nation, race, or sex, above another (see Acts 10:34-35).  A third implication is that no one is beyond the bounds of God’s justice.  He keeps every human being under His judicial control.  So that there would be no misunderstanding, God stated that “as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine.”  Every individual “soul” or person belongs to God, including every father and every son.  This would also include every mother and every daughter.  The main thought here is that every individual “soul” or person must give a personal account of his or her activities to the One that owns us.  Believers will one day stand before Jesus and give an account of our own life, not the life of someone else (see II Corinthians 5:10).  Likewise, unbelievers will stand before God at the Great White Throne judgment (see Revelation 20:11-15).  To confirm individual responsibility, in the last part of this verse God emphatically declared “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”  The word “soul” does not refer to a disembodied or nonmaterial entity, for the Hebrew word used here refers to the entire person.  The Lord was declaring that the person who sins will die.  This death, according to the text, no doubt refers to physical death reserved for transgressors of the law (see Deuteronomy 30:15-20).  However, Scripture also teaches that sin brings spiritual death as well (see Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23). 

C. The just or godly man avoids defilement (Ezekiel 18:5-6).  The Lord now explained more fully how the principle of individual responsibility and punishment worked.  He called attention to three consecutive generations and the outcomes of their individual lives: a lawful or righteous man (see verses 5-9), his wicked son (see verses 10-13) and his righteous grandson in verses 14-18 which are not part of our printed lesson.

1. (vs. 5).  In this verse, God began by saying “But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right.”  The Lord began by giving an illustration of what happens to a hypothetical man who was “just,” meaning he did what was “lawful and right” before God.  No one stands before God absolutely perfect, but he or she can stand before Him spiritually mature and having dealt with sin.
2. (vs. 6).  This just man, God said “hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman.”  The righteousness of this just man was shown by his avoiding defilement.  First, God said that the just man “hath not eaten upon the mountains.”  This means that this just man didn’t participate in the observance of pagan festivals at shrines built on the hills (see Deuteronomy 12:2).  He avoided these centers of idol worship.  Second, God said “neither hath (he) lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel.”  Lifting up the eyes indicated an attitude of prayer.  He didn’t pray to idol gods.  The words “idols of the house of Israel” probably is a reference to the ten northern tribes and their idols which caused their downfall.  The northern kingdom had begun its existence under a cloud of apostasy as Jeroboam I introduced the worship of golden calves (see I Kings 12:28-30).  By the time of the Assyrian Captivity, pagan worship almost completely gripped the people of the northern kingdom of Israel (see II Kings 17:7-18).  Judah, the southern kingdom had also come to worship these “idols of the house of Israel” (see II Kings 16:2-4; 17:19).  Third, the just man kept himself from immorality. God said “neither hath (he) defiled his neighbour's wife” meaning the just man avoided committing adultery which was a crime punishable by death (see Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22).  Fourth, God said this just man “neither hath come near to a menstruous woman.”  This hypothetical just man in God’s illustration also avoided sexual relationship with his wife during her menstrual period, which caused her to be ceremoniously unclean (see Leviticus 15:19-24; 18:19-20; 20:18).  This man in God’s illustration maintained sexual purity in every way.  Although the subject of sexual activity with a woman on her period is not addressed in the New Testament, the subject of adultery is (see Matthew 5:27-28, 32; Romans 13:8-9; Galatians 5:19).
D. The just or godly man promotes justice (Ezekiel 18:7-8).
1. (vs. 7).  In this verse, God continues to say that this hypothetical just man “hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment.”  The fact that the just or righteous man “hath not oppressed any” meaning he was not an oppressor, was demonstrated in several aspects of his behavior.  First, it was demonstrated in that he “hath restored to the debtor his pledge.”  The Law imposed strict ethical standards on those who lent money.  A creditor was  allowed to receive from the debtor a pledge that he would repay the debt, but he was forbidden to take a millstone (one of a pair of stones used for grinding grain) as a pledge, because it was a man’s means of making a living (see Deuteronomy 24:6).  However, here the pledge is referring to a debtor’s garment.  If a poor man’s garment was given as a pledge for money he had borrowed, the debtor had to return it to him at the end of the day so that the poor man would have something warm to sleep in (see Deuteronomy 24:10-13).  Second, the just man “hath spoiled none by violence.”  The word “spoiled” means to take another’s property by force.  The just man had not robbed anyone by violent means.  The Law recognized the right to hold private property, but it condemned anyone who would take it from someone else (see Exodus 20:15, 17).  Third, the just man also “hath given his bread to the hungry.”  In other words, he shared what he had with the needy.  He was being obedient to Deuteronomy 15:11: “For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.”  But this just man went even further and “hath covered the naked with a garment” meaning he would provide clothing to those who needed it as well.
2. (vs. 8).  The Lord continues to describe the just man in this verse saying “He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man.”  The just or righteous man “hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase.”  The word “usury” comes from a verb meaning “to bite.”  It has the idea of inflicting injury on someone by demanding interest on money borrowed.  The word “increase” refers to excessive interest.  The Law stated that Israelites couldn’t charge interest to their fellow Israelites, but could charge interest to others (see Leviticus 25:35-37; Deuteronomy 23:19-20).  In addition, the just or godly man “hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man.”  In other words, the just or godly man maintained high standards of conduct in his actions, avoiding all “iniquity” or wrongs.  He also promoted true “judgment” or justice among all those around him.
E. The just or godly man is honored (Ezekiel 18:9).  The description of the just man concludes in this verse stating that he “Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.”  He is someone who “walked in” or followed God’s “statutes” or His commandments.  He had kept God’s “judgments” or His laws and dealt honestly with others.  Because this was the lifestyle of the godly man, Ezekiel declared “he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God.”  This is not a declaration of salvation by good deeds.  It refers primarily to one who, because he honored God, would not have his life cut short by personal or national judgment.  Even if the word “live” should refer to eternal life, it’s evident that the one who receives this promise is not a legalist, but truly loves God.  His works merely reveal the soundness of his soul.         
IV. THE MERCY OF GOD (Ezekiel 18:10-13, 31-32)
A.  The just man’s wicked son (Ezekiel 18:10-13).  To further establish the point that everyone must answer for his or her own sins, the Lord now introduced the wicked son of the just man.
1. (vs. 10).  In this verse, the Lord said “If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things.”  The word “he” refers to the hypothetical just man previously described.  God said that it was possible for this just man to “beget a son” or have a son who is “a robber, a shedder of blood.”  The Hebrew term translated “robber” means “oppressor” or “violent person.”  His lawlessness extended to shedding blood, meaning he was a murderer.  The phrase “and that doeth the like to any one of these things” means that the just man’s son didn’t do any of the good things his father did, but he did all the bad things his father didn’t do.  He was the complete opposite of his father.
2. (vs. 11).  In this verse the prophet went on to say “And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife.”  The phrase “And that doeth not any of those duties” still refers to the just man’s wicked son.  The word “duties” refers to the good deeds the just man had done.  But his son didn’t do any of those things his father did.  The wicked son, unlike his godly father disrespected and disobeyed the Mosaic Law.  Two examples of this are given here.  First, the wicked son “hath eaten upon the mountains” which means that he participated in pagan worship.  Second, he “defiled his neighbour's wife.”  In other words, the wicked son committed adultery with his neighbor’s wife.
3. (vs. 12).  Still talking about the wicked man, Ezekiel said in this verse that he “Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination.”  The prophet began to list all the things that the ungodly son did that his godly father never did (see Ezekiel 18:7).  First, Ezekiel said the wicked or ungodly son “Hath oppressed the poor and needy.”  He “hath spoiled by violence” or violently robbed others.  He “hath not restored the pledge” meaning that he didn’t return a person’s pledge to him at nighttime as the law demanded.  As a result, people suffered from being exposed to the cold.  He “hath lifted up his eyes to the idols” meaning he worshipped idols and participated in everything that was involved in such worship.  The wicked son also “hath committed abomination” which is a reference to other ungodly acts.
4. (vs. 13).  Ezekiel continued to say that this wicked son “Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.”  Finally the prophet stated that unlike his godly father, the wicked son “Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase.”  In other words, he lent money charging interest and making exorbitant profits.  All of this led God to ask the question through Ezekiel “shall he then live?”  Then God abruptly answered His own question saying “he shall not live.”  This was because “he hath done all these abominations” or committed all the wicked deeds the Lord had just listed.  Unlike his godly father, this wicked son’s life was characterized by wicked deeds.  Therefore, the Lord declared “he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.”  In other words, his own sins will lead to his death.  No one else could be blamed for what happened to him because of his own sins.  Even though he had a just or godly father, his father’s godliness couldn’t help him at all.  Righteousness is never inherited.  He would leave this life full of guilt to face the consequences of his own sins.
B. A gracious opportunity (Ezekiel 18:31-32).  In verses 14-17, which are not part of our printed text, God gave another hypothetical illustration using the son of the wicked man and the grandson of the just man.  God described the wicked man’s son as having the same godly characteristics as his grandfather.  In verse 18, God once again declared that this son’s wicked father would die in his own sins.  Then in verse 19, God stated that the people still asked “Doesn’t the son pay for his father’s sins?  And the Lord replied, no! For if the son does what is right and keeps my laws, he shall surely live.“  In verse 20, God restated the fact of individual accountability for sin. Then in verses 21-22, the Lord declares that if a person repents of his sins, they won’t be mentioned to him again.  In verse 23, God asked “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?”  And in verses 24-29, the Lord explained His willingness to change predetermined destinies, either from life to death or from death to life.  Then in verse 30, God gives His final challenge to His people saying “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.”  This leads us into the remaining two verses of our lesson.
1. (vs. 31).  In this verse, God says “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”  After challenging His people to repent in verse 30, the Lord commanded them to “Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed.”  In other words, they needed to get rid of all their “transgressions” or rebelliousness against God.  By living contrary to His Word, they had broken away from God and needed to be reconciled to Him.  If anyone listening to Ezekiel would do as God commanded, He would give them a “new heart and a new spirit” (see Psalms 51:10; Jeremiah 31:31-33).  The words “for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”” can be translated as “you don’t have to die.”  If they repented and allowed God to give them a new heart and spirit, they wouldn’t have to die in their sins.
2. (vs. 32).  In our final verse God says “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”  Not only did the Lord tell His people that they didn’t have to die, He added “I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth.”  In other words, God finds no pleasure or enjoyment in human deaths, either physical of spiritual.  Although the word “death” here refers basically to physical death, in the context of this chapter with its contrast between righteousness and life and wickedness and death, it’s best to understand it as referring to spiritual death.  God does not delight in His creatures being separated from Him.  As a result, He commanded “wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”  Instead of avoiding responsibility for their actions, Ezekiel called on his audience to “turn yourselves” or repent.  God takes no pleasure in punishing anyone.  He calls for repentance, turning away from sin and to Him.  In the end, a loving and gracious God has only one desire and that is to see His people get serious about their sins and turn back to Him “and live ye.”
                                 
V. Conclusion.  Though we are living in the New Testament era, the basic principle of individual accountability has not changed since the days of Ezekiel.  We all must answer to God individually for how we have lived.  We should not delude ourselves by making excuses and blaming others for what is happening to us.  We also should not presume we are qualified to question God’s justice, imagining that somehow God has morally shortchanged us.  God does all things right and good (see Psalms 119:75).
























 












 

Mend Your Ways!

                               Sunday School Lesson

                                            

Lesson: Jeremiah 7:1-15                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 59:20).
I.  INTRODUCTION.  Learning from history is a challenge to any generation.  Some do pay attention to the lessons of the past, while others fail to see any lesson that applies to them.  For example, from time to time we see homes built in a floodplain being washed away by a massive flood, only to see the owner rebuild a new home in the same place.  The same thing is true in spiritual matters.  God looks for obedience from His people and chastens those who continue in sin.  However, succeeding generations fail to see the warning and commit their own sins, thinking God will surely not judge them.  It’s amazing that we sometimes think that destruction could never happen here in America, because we are a so-called Christian nation.  We tend to feel safe, even protected by the Lord.  But while He may protect us from our enemies, He may still use them to correct and discipline us when we dishonor Him by our sinful actions.  Such was the case of Judah in this week’s lesson.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  The content of this week’s lesson was part of a message Jeremiah gave in Jerusalem.  However, the time of the message is not given, but the similarity of the events in chapter 7 with chapter 26 has led many scholars to believe that both passages deal with the same event (see Jeremiah 26:1-6).  If that is the case, this message was given at the beginning of Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah (see Jeremiah 26:1).  Jehoiakim came to the throne in 608 B.C., during a time of great turmoil among the empires of the Near East.  Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire had fallen in 612 B.C., and the Egyptians and the Chaldeans (Babylonians) were vying for power over western Asia.  Judah, a small nation lying between Egypt and Babylon was drawn into the struggle.  Jehoiakim himself was made king of Judah by Egypt’s Pharaoah-necho, and was forced to pay this Egyptian king a large tribute (see II Kings 23:31-36).  After the Chaldeans defeated the Egyptians, Jehoiakim became a vassal or servant to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (see II Kings 24:1).  Therefore Judah was in a condition of political uncertainty and peril when the Lord commanded Jeremiah to speak to the people in Jerusalem (see Jeremiah 7:1-2).  This is where our lesson begins.  

III. GOD’S OFFER TO JUDAH (Jeremiah 7:1-7)

A. An assignment for Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:1-2). 

1. (vs. 1).  In our first verse Jeremiah began his message to the people in Jerusalem saying “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying.”  The term “word” here refers to the message that Jeremiah received “from the Lord” to give to His people.  This message was the first of Jeremiah’s ministry and is often called Jeremiah’s “temple address.”  The message came to Jeremiah directly “from the Lord” and therefore, should have been heeded and obeyed by the people.
2. (vs. 2).  In this verse God told Jeremiah to “Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.”  The prophet was told to “Stand in the gate of the Lord's house, and proclaim there this word.”  We are not told when this sermon was to be preached; but we are told where it was preached—“in the gate of the Lord’s house,” which was an entrance through which people entered into the outer court, or the court of the people.  Having such a message as this delivered within their temple would certainly be an affront to the priests, and would also expose the prophet to their rage.  But Jeremiah didn’t fear man, because he wouldn’t be faithful to his God if he did.  We are also told to whom the message was to be preached—to “all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord.”  This was probably at one of three feasts, when all the males from all parts of the country were to appear before the Lord in the courts of his house (see Deuteronomy 16:16-17).  This would bring many people together to preach to, and that was a great time to admonish them with God’s own words.  Jeremiah challenged the people saying, “Hear the word of the Lord.”  The Hebrew word translated “hear” relates to listening intelligently.  The message of God was extremely important and His people needed to pay very close attention.

B. A command from God (Jeremiah 7:3-4).

1. (vs. 3).  In this verse, Jeremiah said “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.”  The prophet began his exhortation saying “Thus saith the Lord of hosts.”  At a time of great military movements by foreign nations around Judah, Jeremiah uses a military title for God.  The word “hosts” means armies.  God has armies of angels under His command ready to intervene on behalf of His people (see II Kings 6:15-17).  The people needed to know that an army of God’s angels could easily remove Judah’s enemies.  Jeremiah also referred to the Lord as “the God of Israel.”  Many centuries earlier, God had chosen to identify Himself with Israel, of which Judah was a part (see Deuteronomy 7:6-7).  However, to get God’s help, the people needed to meet His conditions which Jeremiah said was to “Amend your ways and your doings.”  The word “amend” in Hebrew means “to make right,” “good” or “beautiful.”  In this verse, “amend” has the idea of “sound” or “to make well.”  Their current ways were spiritually sick causing them to be unable to keep a relationship with God, so they needed to repent and change.   Note:  When we as believers learn from the Bible that something we are doing is not in accordance with its teachings, there are two options before us: either we repent and change or we ignore what we have learned and suffer the consequences.  The term “ways” refers to well-worn paths, and its application here refers to one’s habits of life.  “Doings” refers to specific actions that manifest one’s ways.  The term “doings” also connotes evil deeds.  Both habits and actions needed to be amended.  The Jews had become accustomed to sinful patterns of thinking and doings, so God demanded that they abandon them and establish new paths.  If His people met these conditions, the Lord said “I will cause you to dwell in this place.”  The words “this place” refers to the land of Canaan that they and their fathers had inhabited for hundreds of years.  If the people repented and changed their behavior, God would stop their expulsion from the land. 
2. (vs. 4).  The message from God to the people went on to say in this verse, “Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.”   With the phrase “Trust ye not in lying words” God was telling His people to stop listening to the lying words of false prophets.  The “lying words” of false prophets had given the people a false security.  The false prophets were saying “The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.”  Repeating this statement three times was a way of stressing the importance of the temple and the words “are these” refers to the various buildings and courtyards that made up the temple complex.  By using this saying, the false prophets were telling the people that Jerusalem would never become subservient to foreign invaders because God’s holy sanctuary was there.  They believed that since God would never allow heathen nations to destroy His temple, anyone who was in Jerusalem would be safe.  The people saw the temple as a kind of good-luck charm or magic object that kept them safe. 
C. A promise from God (Jeremiah 7:5-7).
1. (vs. 5).  The Lord continued to speak through Jeremiah in this verse saying “For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor.”  To emphasize the importance of His people amending or changing their “ways” and their “doings,” the Lord added the word “throughly” meaning “thoroughly” or “completely.”  It was necessary for the people to change their ways and doings completely.  The prophet then listed three examples of their sins and the change they needed to make: two against their fellow man and one against God, but both showed a failure to truly love God and their neighbor.  First, the people were told that they needed to “throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor.”  The word translated “judgment” refers to justice.  Amending their ways and doings required that God’s people maintain right, honest relationships instead of taking advantage of one another.
2. (vs. 6).  The Lord continued to say to His people “If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt.”  God’s people were to also amend or change their ways and doings by not oppressing those who were vulnerable who Jeremiah identified as “the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.”  The law included protections for “strangers” or non-Jews who lived in Israel (see Exodus 22:21-24; Deuteronomy 10:17-19; 14:28-29).  They were not to be taken advantage of in any way.  The term “fatherless” refers to orphans.  They had a hard time because they had no parental guidance or protection.  This should have caused others to give them the care they needed instead of taking advantage of their innocence.  “Widows” had no husbands to protect them, so like the orphans they needed help instead of being taken advantage of.  The law also included protections for “the widow” and “the fatherless” (see Exodus 22:22-24: Deuteronomy 10:17-19; 14:28-29).  In addition, the people were told to “shed not innocent blood in this place.”  In other words, they were to stop murdering innocent people in the land (see II Kings 21:16; Jeremiah 2:34; 19:4).  God also commanded that they “neither walk after other gods to your hurt.”  It was bad enough for the people to disobey God by mistreating one another, but they had the gall to “walk after other gods.”  Jehovah had proven time and time again to be Israel’s God, but still the people followed idol gods, breaking the very first of God’s commandments (see Exodus 20:2-5).  The Lord added that following other gods would lead to “your hurt” meaning they would bring harm to themselves (see Deuteronomy 6:13-15; 11:26-28; 13:6-11). 

3. (vs. 7).  If the people met the conditions God had just declared, He said “Then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever.”  If God’s people wanted to stay in the land, they would have to do the things that Jeremiah had just listed in verses 4-6.  This was their beloved Promised Land, promised and given to “your fathers, for ever and ever” as Jeremiah said.  If they changed their ways and doings, God said that they would continue to enjoy the land without eviction or molestation; they would not be disturbed, much less dispossessed “for ever and ever.”  Nothing but sin could throw them out.  Considering the alternative they were being warned about (removal from the land), it would be of great benefit to the nation to amend or change their ways as God had commanded.

IV. GOD’S WARNING TO JUDAH (Jeremiah 7:8-15)

A.  The people’s blatant hypocrisy (Jeremiah 7:8-10). 

1. (vs. 8).  Now in this verse the prophet said “Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.”  The word “Behold” indicates the importance of what is to be said next.  Jeremiah repeated God’s words form verse 4 where the people were commanded not to trust in “lying words.”  But here, the implication is that they were doing just that, trusting in “lying words.”  The “lying words” again were “The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these” (Jeremiah 7:4).  The leaders and false prophets were lying to the people by telling them that as long as the temple was in Jerusalem and they continued to worship the Lord regardless of their heart condition, nothing would happen to them.  But God said that those lies “cannot profit.”  In other words, believing that the temple was their protection would not benefit them. 
2. (vs. 9).  In this verse, the prophet goes on to ask the people a question: “Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not.”  False prophets had been assuring the people that despite their sins, all would be well (see Jeremiah 5:12-13, 31; 6:13-14); so they continued in wickedness while engaging in hypocritical worship.  This blatant hypocrisy led the Lord to list their breaches of the law while they piously came to the temple.  The words “Will ye” conveys a sense of outraged disbelief.  We might say “How can you…”  It was difficult for the Lord to believe that they would actually practice such hypocrisy: worshipping Him while living in sin.  When the prophet said “ye steal, murder, and commit adultery” the people were breaking commandments relating to society.  To “swear falsely” profaned God’s name and bore a false witness.  To “burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods” blatantly broke the most basic command of all (see Exodus 20:2-5).  The hypocrisy is seen in that the people committed all these sins and yet continued to attend services in the temple.  Does that sound familiar?  The sad part of all this is that Jeremiah declared that the people were following and worshipping Baal and other gods “whom ye know not.”  In other words, God’s people knew Jehovah God and had experienced His power and goodness.  But they knew nothing of the abilities of the idol gods because they had none.  Therefore, it was ludicrous for Judah to exchange the Lord for Baal!  
3. (vs. 10).  In this verse, Jeremiah continued the question he began asking in the previous verse.  He said “And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?”  The complete question Jeremiah was asking was how can they steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and worship Baal, and walk after other gods that they didn’t even know and then “come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?”  God was pointing out the insanity of His people sinning and then coming to the temple where He had placed His name, and declared that just by being there they wouldn’t be condemned for all the “abominations” or sins they were committing. 
B. A realistic comparison (Jeremiah 7:11-12).  
1. (vs. 11).  Referring to the temple where the Lord had placed His name, in this verse Jeremiah said “Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.”  Of course, “this house, which is called by my name” refers to the temple.  But instead of treating the temple as the house of God, Jeremiah said that it had “become a den of robbers in your eyes.”  Limestone caves in Israel were used as robbers’ “dens” which were temporary refuges or hiding places for thieves until they were ready to rob again.  Therefore, Jeremiah’s comparison of the temple to a “den of robbers” was clear to his hearers.  The people felt that no matter how they lived they could find asylum or safety from their sinful deeds in the temple.  It’s as if they thought they would find protection from God in the same way robbers found protection in a cave.  But it wouldn’t work that way, for Jeremiah said “Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.”  God had clearly seen what His people were doing and He was not pleased with what He saw.  It’s impossible to live sinfully without God knowing about it.  It’s just as impossible to live contrary to God’s Word and then try to cover it up by attending church.  It was this kind of inconsistency that Jesus rebuked when He cleared the temple in Jerusalem.  He quoted this verse as He drove the money changers out of the temple courts (see Matthew 21:13).
2. (vs. 12).  In this verse, God said to the people “But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.”  Not only did the Lord compare His house to a den of thieves in the eyes of His people, He also compared it to “Shiloh.”  If the people doubted Jeremiah’s message that the temple would be destroyed and they would be deported to Babylon, God said all they had to do was “go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first.”  God reminded them of what had happened at Shiloh.  After the Israelites conquered the Promised Land under Joshua’s leadership, the tabernacle that had been built first at Mount Sinai was located at Shiloh (see Joshua 18:1) and was the main sanctuary of worship for the Israelites during the period of the judges (see Joshua 18:31). This was long before David conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital city of the land and long before Solomon built the temple.  “Shiloh” was the first place of worship for Israel in Canaan.  The Lord also said “and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.”  God said for them to consider the consequences of the sin at Shiloh, the former place of worship (see Jeremiah 26:6).The reason Shiloh had been abandoned was because of “the wickedness of my people Israel.”  Just as the wickedness of the people caused Shiloh to be destroyed, and abandoned years earlier (see I Samuel chapter 4) God could do the same thing to Jerusalem.
C. A certain disaster (Jeremiah 7:13-14).
1. (vs. 13).  Now Jeremiah says “And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not.”  God reminded His people why He was going to judge them.  It was “because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord.”  The Lord was about to judge His people because of their sinfulness, but not without having given them continuous warnings.  God said “I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not.”  The phrase “rising up early and speaking” is an anthropomorphism (using human terms to describe deity) picturing God as getting up early in the morning in order to get His message to His people as soon as possible.  The Lord had been consistent with His warnings giving them over and over again, but His people “heard not” meaning that Judah refused to listen and obey.  God also said “and I called you, but ye answered not.”  In other words, the people never responded to God’s many warnings.
2. (vs. 14).  In this verse God said to the people “Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.”  Since the people of Judah refused to heed any of God’s numerous warnings to repent and amend their ways and doings, He said the temple in Jerusalem where they had placed their trust, and the land that He gave to them and their ancestors would suffer the same judgment as “Shiloh.”  Because the people were trusting in the presence of the temple to save them (see Jeremiah 7:4), God spoke directly against the temple.  Their security needed to be in Him, but for that to happen they needed to obey His words.  That’s just as true for us today.  God wants sincere obedience from us, not just going through the motions of worship (see I Samuel 15:22). 
D. A similar disappearance (Jeremiah 7:15).  Finally in our last verse, God said “And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.”  God was tired of Judah’s sinfulness and had taken all He could take from His disobedient people.  Therefore God declared that “I will cast you out of my sight.”  The Hebrew word for “cast” means to “throw out, down or away.”  The Lord was going to throw His people away out of His sight or His presence.  Note:  God was so serious about this that in verse 16 which is not part of our lesson, He told Jeremiah “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.”  God said that He would cast the people of Judah out just like “I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.”  The Lord had already cast the people of the northern kingdom of Israel out of the land, and now He would do the same thing to those in Judah, the southern kingdom.  The words “all your brethren” refers to the Jews who had lived in the northern kingdom of Israel which had been taken captive by Assyria.  The Lord also identified their “brethren” as “even the whole seed of Ephraim.”  This also refers to the nation of Israel, the northern kingdom.  After the united kingdom of Israel split into the northern and southern kingdoms, the name “Ephraim” became a synonym for the northern kingdom of Israel because the leading tribe of that nation was Ephraim. 
V. Conclusion.  If we think that we are serving God while living in disobedience, we are deceiving ourselves.  The one thing we can take away from this week’s lesson is that there are consequences to disobedience.  God has promised to bless us when we obey Him, but when we disobey, there are dire consequences, and we shouldn’t even think that we can get away from God at such times.  Scripture warns us that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (see Hebrews 10:31).  For sure, constant vigilance is required in the Christian life.  The Lord has provided us with His Word, His Holy Spirit, and others in the church to encourage us, to help us, and to keep us from sin.  We must take advantage of all of God’s provisions.

Our Redeemer Comes

                                                      Sunday School Lesson                                      

Lesson: Isaiah 59:15-21                                                                                                 
Golden Text: “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 59:20).
I.  INTRODUCTION.  Biblical history reveals that the nations of Israel and Judah consistently demonstrated a lack of justice.  It seems that there was nothing good to be found in the business transactions, religion, and courts of these ancient nations.  A solution was needed.  However, if a solution was to be found, God would have to provide one.  The title for this week’s lesson is “Our Redeemer Comes.”  But before the Prophet Isaiah can tell us about the coming Redeemer, he first had to describe the plight of God’s people.
II. BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON.  At the time of our lesson, the northern kingdom of Israel had been invaded and taken captive by the Assyrians in 721 B.C.  In Isaiah chapters 57 and 58, God through the prophet Isaiah condemned the southern kingdom of Judah for their sins.  In Isaiah 57:7-9, the Lord accused Judah of turning from Him and giving their love to idols, particularly Molech, the Ammonite god whose worship included child sacrifice.  The Lord said that this was equal to committing adultery, because they were breaking their exclusive commitment to Him.  Then the Lord declared that He would expose their righteousness and works for what they really were---mere pretentions of doing good (see Isaiah 57:12).  Isaiah warned the people that their righteousness and works would not save them from pending destruction, any more than their weak, worthless idols (see Isaiah 57:13).  In Isaiah 57:14-21, the prophet tells how God will deal with those who are humble and repentant or contrite, as well as those who are wicked.  In chapter 58:1-12, Isaiah declares that what they called worship was really not worship.  True worship was more than religious ritual, going to the temple every day, fasting, and listening to Scripture readings (see Isaiah 58:1-5).  God’s people missed the point of a living vital relationship with God.  He doesn’t want us acting pious when we have unforgiven sin in our hearts and performing sinful practices with our hands.  More important than correct worship and doctrine is genuine compassion for the poor, the helpless, and the oppressed (see Isaiah 58-6-12).  Note:  Isaiah was trying to get the people to understand, and we need to know this as well, that we can’t gain our salvation through good deeds because our best deeds are not good enough to outweigh our sins.  Salvation is a gift from God received only through faith in Christ, not good deeds (see Ephesians 2:8-9).  Our faith lacks sincerity if it doesn’t reach out to others.  Fasting can be beneficial spiritually and physically, but at its best, fasting helps only the person doing it.  God wants our service to Him to go beyond our own personal growth to include acts of kindness, charity, justice, and generosity.  True fasting is more than what we don’t eat, it’s pleasing God by applying His Word to our society.  In Isaiah 59:13-14, God tells His people how they should honor the Sabbath Day not only because it was a commandment, but because it was best for them and it honored God.  This is also true for believers today.  We should set aside a day of rest to refresh ourselves both physically and spiritually while we worship together and reflect on God without the stress of our everyday activities.  The Israelites needed to remember that God Himself rested on the seventh day (see Genesis 2:3).  Then in Isaiah chapter 59 from which our lesson text comes, in verses 1-2, Isaiah calls on Judah to pay attention to what he was about to say.  He went on to tell them that the Lord isn’t too weak to save them.  He isn’t getting deaf, and He can hear them when they call.  Then Isaiah told them once again why judgment would fall upon them.  The trouble was that their sins had cut them off from God.  Therefore, He had turned his face away from them and will not listen anymore.   Then in verses 3-14, Isaiah continued to give a long list of their transgressions against God.  The amazing thing was that the people admitted that they had sinned against God, but still continued in their sin.  This is where our lesson begins.
III. WHAT THE PEOPLE NEEDED (Isaiah 59:15-17) 
A. A displeased Lord (Isaiah 59:15).  After listing many of the sins the people had committed, in this verse, Isaiah continued to say “Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.”  In verse 13 Isaiah told the people that they were guilty of “transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.”  This caused the prophet to declare in this verse “Yea, truth faileth.”  In other words, “truth” was totally missing in Judah.  Note:  Too often today, people find it easy to lie to one another, considering it as acceptable and commonplace.  However, if we truly believe in Christ we would realize that lying is sin (see Leviticus 19:11; Proverbs 14:5; John 8:44; Acts 5:3-5; Colossians 3:9-10; James 3:14; I John 1:6; 2:21) even what we call “little white lies.”  Lies are lies and they all displease God.  As a result of there being no “truth” in the land, Isaiah said that anyone who “departeth from evil maketh himself a prey.”  This means that anyone who refused to go along with the lying, evil ways of the people, would find themselves being “a prey” or attacked by those doing evil.  Isaiah stated that “the Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.”  In other words, the Lord saw all the evil and was displeased that He could find “no judgment” or justice.  Sadly, no steps had been taken against sin.
B. A saving Lord (Isaiah 59:16).  In this verse, Isaiah continued to say about God that “he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”  Judah’s rebellion against God, resulted in the lack of justice, righteousness, trust and honesty (see Isaiah 59:14).  The Lord looked at His people’s situation and “saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor.”  In other words, God saw no one who was willing to stand for the truth, and also act as an “intercessor” meaning one who intervenes on behalf of another.  The Lord “wondered” or was devastated that He found no one to intervene for His people.  This doesn’t mean that God was not already aware of this, but that He was completely stunned at the situation.  Since the Lord couldn’t find anyone to help His people, Isaiah declared “therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”  In reality, no human being could help Judah in her sinful condition.  Only God Himself could provide a solution for His people.  He would do this by providing salvation Himself.  The phrase “his arm brought salvation unto him” means that God by His own power would bring “salvation” or deliverance from sin to Judah.  The word “him” refers to God’s people.  The last part of this verse “and his righteousness, it sustained him” means that God’s own righteousness, or His desire to do what is right “sustained” or upheld Him in coming to the aid of His people.  What the Lord wanted was the restoration of the relationship between Him and His people.  No human was available or even capable of doing this, so God would have to do it Himself.
C. A righteous Lord (Isaiah 59:17).  Still referring to God, Isaiah says in this verse “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”  Isaiah pictures the Lord as a warrior who puts on His armor and battle clothes to provide salvation for Israel and execute vengeance on His enemies.  Of course, God is already righteous so He doesn’t have to put on “righteousnes.”  But Isaiah used the human description “put on” for better understanding.  This is what is called an “anthropomorphism” which means to use human terms to describe something or someone divine.  God is said to have “put on” several pieces of clothing similar to what a soldier would wear when going into battle.  Like a soldier, Isaiah described God as first putting on “righteousness as a breastplate.”  The “breastplate” covered a soldier’s body.  Here, God’s breastplate is a covering of “righteousness.”   Second, Isaiah said the Lord also put on “an helmet of salvation upon his head.”  Of course, the “helmet” was used by a soldier to protect his head.  When used by the Apostle Paul, the “helmet of salvation” protects the believer’s mind from evil thoughts.  But when used of God, it refers to His saving power.  The phrase “and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak” pictures God as wreaking “vengeance” or revenge on the enemies of His people with great “zeal” or eagerness.  God not only has a deep and intense concern for His people, but He is also passionately determined to destroy their enemies.  All of this will eventually occur at the battle of Armageddon just prior to the establishment of the Lord’s glorious kingdom (see Revelation 19:11-21; Zechariah 14:1-9; Matthew 25:31-46).  Again, saying that God “put on the garments of vengeance for clothing” is an anthropomorphism, where Isaiah uses human terms to describe God as wearing these clothes of war.
IV. WHAT GOD DOES (Isaiah 59:18-19)
A.  God will repay Israel’s enemies fully (Isaiah 59:18).  The prophet continues to say in this verse “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.”  The phrase “According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies” means that God will deal with Israel’s enemies according to how they have dealt with Israel.  In His “fury” or anger, God will “repay” Israel’s “adversaries” and “recompence” their “enemies” for how they have treated them (see Matthew 25:31-46).  The words “repay” and “recompence” both mean that God will pay back Israel’s enemies in kind for what they have done or their “deeds.”  The terms “adversaries,” “enemies,” and “the islands” all refer to the Gentile nations who have opposed Israel.  A simpler translation of this verse is “He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds—fury for his foes in distant lands” (The Living Bible Translation).  Note:  It’s interesting that unsaved persons are so sure that they are not going to reap the consequences of their sins from God.  But the Psalmist tells us why they feel this way: “The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.  He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.”  But our text tells us that “According to their deeds, accordingly he (God) will repay.”  The wicked may not believe it, but God sees and takes note of each evil deed, and will repay them for those deeds.
B. God will defend Israel mightily (Isaiah 59:19).  Still referring to Israel’s enemies whom God will deal with, in this verse Isaiah said “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”  The word “they” here refers to the enemies of God and His people.  When God finally deals with the wicked from all nations, they will “fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun.”  In other words, when God deals with His enemies, these people will come from the west to the east and will reverence the Lord and respect his glory.  Isaiah went on to say “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” Even though God’s enemies may appear to be coming to battle “like a flood,” the Holy Spirit will raise “a standard against him (God’s enemies).”  The word “standard” refers to a symbol carried on a pole and raised high in the air, much like a flag, to rally a tribe or a group of warriors to battle.  In this case, it refers to the sign God will reveal by His Spirit to His army as He prepares to war against His enemies.  Note:  As mentioned earlier, God’s dealings with all nations who oppose Him and His people will take place at the second coming of Jesus.  At that time, all the armies of the world will have gathered together against Jerusalem for the battle of Armageddon when Christ comes with all the armies of heaven (see Zechariah 14:1-7; Revelation 16:12-16).  At that time, the antichrist and the false prophet will be defeated and thrown into the lake of fire (see Revelation 19:17-20), and Satan will be bound for a thousand years (see Revelation 20:1-3).  Then the Jews and unbelieving Gentiles will be judged to determine who will enter the millennial kingdom and who will be sent away to eternal punishment.  Jews will be judged for their rejection or acceptance of Jesus, and Gentiles will be judged regarding their relationship with Jesus and their treatment of Israel (see Joel 3:1-3; Matthew 25:31-46).  The result of all of this will be according to Isaiah 59:19a: “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun.”  The vengeance of the Lord is coming and it’s just a matter of time before He intervenes in the world’s affairs and takes charge.
V. WHO GOD IS (Isaiah 59:20-21)
A. God is the Redeemer (Isaiah 59:20).  In this verse, Isaiah turns back to speaking of the Lord saying “And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.”  After the Lord judges Israel and the Gentile nations, Jesus, the Messiah, who is also “the Redeemer shall come to Zion.”  He will “come to Zion” or Jerusalem as the “Redeemer” or the “one who buys back” His people from the bondage of sin.  However, at this time, He will only be the “Redeemer” for those Jews who “turn from transgression in Jacob (or Israel), saith the Lord.”  The unbelieving Jews will have already been judged and taken away to everlasting damnation.  This turning or conversion will be like what Paul wrote about in I Thessalonians 1:9-10: “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”  Note:  Today we see few Jewish people believing in Jesus as their Messiah.  But God has a plan that will change their hearts.  Isaiah 59:20 reveals the beginning of Christ’s reign over the earth, called the millennium (see Revelation 20:4-5).  During that time, Jesus Christ will be the King (see Psalms 2:6-9; Revelation 19:15-16), and the earth will finally enjoy peace, equity, justice, and prosperity (see Isaiah chapters 11, 25, 26, 27, 35; Zechariah 14:8-21), and His throne will be in the city of Jerusalem (see Isaiah 2:2-4).   
B. God is the covenant keeper (Isaiah 59:21).  In our final verse, God speaks through Isaiah saying “As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”  After God saves His people and they turn to Him, He will fulfill His promise that He here calls “my covenant with them.”  A “covenant” is a promise, but is also an agreement between two or more people and can be either conditional or unconditional.  God said that this was His covenant, or promise indicating that it was unconditional, meaning only God is responsible for keeping it.  In other words, in a conditional covenant God says “I will…, if you will…”  In an unconditional covenant God says simply “I will…”  The keeping of the covenant is dependent upon Him alone.  Many scholars believe that God was referring to the new covenant explained in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and confirmed in Hebrews 8:7-11 and this is probably true.  God’s covenant or promise to His saved people would be fulfilled when, as He declared “My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”  When believing Jews enter the kingdom reign of Christ, God promises that His Spirit will be upon them and He will put His words in their mouths, as well as the mouths of their “seed” and their “seed’s seed” meaning every generation thereafter.  God also declared that His word will never depart out of their mouths.  Of course, when God says “my words which I have put in thy mouth” most likely refers to God’s law of the new covenant that He said He would put in their minds and write in their hearts (see Hebrews 8:7-11).  This way His people will never forget His laws.
                                    
VI. Conclusion.  As we are all aware of, this world like ancient Israel is full of injustices and wickedness.  However, God has provided a remedy---His Redeemer.  We can rest assured that just as the Lord Jesus came once about two thousand years ago to work our salvation on the cross, so too, He will return for us just as He promised.  For sure, He will correct all the frustrating injustices we see.