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June, July, August 2015
SUMMER QUARTER
Vol. CI
No. 3
Home Study
SUMMER QUARTER
June, July, August 2015
Editorial.................................................................................................................
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God Demands Justice
UNIT I: Indictments Against Injustice
June 7—Judgment on Israel and Judah—Amos 2:4-8.................................................... 4
June 14—God Is Not Fooled—Amos 5:14-15, 18-27 ......................................................... 9
June 21—Rebuked for Selfishness—Amos 6:4-8, 11-14................................................... 14
June 28—God Will Not Delay Justice—Amos 8:1-6, 9-10 ................................................. 19
UNIT II: Appeals to the Unjust for Justice
July 5—No Rest for the Wicked—Mic. 2:4-11.................................................................
July 12—Condemnation of Corruption—Mic. 3:5-12 .......................................................
July 19—Justice, Love, and Humility—Mic. 6:3-8 ............................................................
July 26—God Shows Mercy—Mic. 7:14-20 .......................................................................
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UNIT III: Advocates of Justice for All
Aug. 2—Our Redeemer Comes—Isa. 59:15-21 ...............................................................
Aug. 9—Mend Your Ways!—Jer. 7:1-15 ............................................................................
Aug. 16—A Call for Repentance—Ezek. 18:1-13, 31-32 ...................................................
Aug. 23—God Demands Justice—Zech. 7:8-14 ................................................................
Aug. 30—Return to a Just God—Mal. 3:1-10.....................................................................
Paragraphs on Places and People .....................................................................
For Comfort and Challenge ................................................................................
Editor in Chief: Grace M. Todd
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Edited and published quarterly by
THE INCORPORATED TRUSTEES OF THE
GOSPEL WORKER SOCIETY
UNION GOSPEL PRESS DIVISION
Rev. W. B. Musselman, Founder
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ISBN 978-1-59843-355-5
Lessons based on International Sunday School Lessons; the International Bible Lessons
for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2011 by the Committee on the Uniform Series and used
with permission. Edited and published quarterly by The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel
Worker Society, Union Gospel Press Division, 2000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio
44109-5812. Mailing address: P.O. Box 6059, Cleveland, Ohio 44101-1059. www.union
gospelpress.com
EDITORIAL
God’s Command for Justice
JAMES T. WOOD
In this lesson series, “God Demands
Justice,” there are three units: “Indictments Against Injustice,” “Appeals to
the Unjust for Justice,” and “Advocates
of Justice for All.” This quarter’s study
is focused on understanding God’s justice and learning how to live a just life.
Throughout Scripture, God consistently advocated for the poor, the oppressed, the orphan, and the stranger
and widow. But nowhere is that message clearer than in the Prophets. As
God called His people in the past to
care for the least in the world, so He
calls us today to do the same.
The first unit contains four lessons
from the book of Amos. It is set in the
time before Israel was conquered by
Assyria.
Lesson 1 looks at the judgment of
God against Israel and Judah for their
sins (Amos 2:4-8). Because of the consistent sin of His people, God brought
judgment against them. God is willing
to give multiple opportunities to repent, but eventually He will allow the
consequences of sin to be felt.
Lesson 2 emphasizes the fact that
God knows the hearts of His people and
cannot be fooled by hollow words
(Amos 5:14-15, 18-27). We are reminded that God has always sought after His
people zealously and that He will enact
justice in the end. We are encouraged to
see people as God does. Our brothers
and sisters are more important than
money, things, or prestige.
Lesson 3 is a rebuke against the
people of Israel for their selfishness
and abuse of the poor (Amos 6:4-8, 1114). Israel was ruled by a rich, lazy
class of people who both directly and
indirectly caused the poor to suffer. We
are exhorted to remember how our actions affect those around us and how
God would have us treat everyone.
Lesson 4 is a reminder that God’s justice will come whether we want it to or
not (Amos 8:1-6, 9-10). God gave Israel
time to repent and do justice to the poor,
but they ignored Him. So God chose to
bring justice Himself. If we ignore God,
eventually He will bring justice in spite of
us. We ought to seek justice so that His
ultimate triumph will be a blessing to us.
The second section of lessons
comes from Micah, who was a contemporary of Amos but prophesied to
the southern kingdom.
Lesson 5 highlights the difference
between the just and the unjust in the
way they respond to God (Mic. 2:4-11).
The just welcome God’s Spirit and His
words, but the unjust are repelled by
God’s presence. We can gauge our
connection to God by how we respond
to His message.
Lesson 6 shows us that God will not
stand for corruption among His people
(Mic. 3:5-12). It took great courage for
PLEASE NOTE: The Incorporated Trustees of the Gospel Worker Society, Union Gospel Press Division, most earnestly endeavors to proclaim fundamentally sound doctrine. The writers are prayerfully selected for their Bible knowledge and yieldedness to the Spirit of Truth, each writing in his own style as enlightened by the Holy Spirit. At best we know in part only.
“They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts
17:11).
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Micah to stand against the enemies of
God. In the same way, we must rely on
God’s strength when we stand for justice in the face of an unjust world.
Lesson 7 reminds us of what is important in God’s mind (Mic. 6:3-8). God
did not delight in sacrifices from people who were opposed to justice. We
will see that He wants our obedience
because of our love for Him, not just to
follow a set of rules.
Lesson 8 reveals that God wants to
show mercy (Mic. 7:14-20). God’s
wrath against His people was not inevitable if they would repent. We will
see that God longs for us to repent of
sin and receive His mercy.
The third section of lessons this quarter contains five lessons from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Malachi.
The passages illustrate the history of
God and His people from before the Exile of Judah, through the Exile, and then
after the return to the Promised Land. We
will see God’s faithful provision; so we
can be confident that it will come again.
Lesson 9 points toward the Messiah
whom the Jews were expecting (Isa.
59:15-21). In troubled times, the people of Judah were comforted by the
knowledge that a Redeemer would
come for them. We will see that our Redeemer, Jesus, is the same One whom
the Jews hoped for. He points us toward justice, mercy, and hope.
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Lesson 10 is an exhortation to repent
(Jer. 7:1-15). God held the door open
for His people and promised that if they
repented of their sins, He would forgive
them and allow them to stay in the
Promised Land. We will see that God
graciously holds back His wrath for a
time so that His people can repent and
turn back to Him.
Lesson 11 shows that even in judgment, God longs to bring about redemption (Ezek. 18:1-13, 31-32). Even after Judah was taken into exile, God called for
them to repent. God’s chastening was a
means to redeem and restore His people.
The lesson will show us that God,
through His Spirit, wants to dwell within
each of us and remake us into His image.
Lesson 12 explains that God expects
His people to do justice (Zech. 7:8-14).
Ultimately, God punished Israel and Judah out of love. He desired that they return to Him and follow His ways. We will
learn that God’s discipline is a means to
restore us to obedience and a right relationship with our Creator.
Lesson 13 exclaims that God does
not change in His requirements for obedience nor in His love for His people
(Mal. 3:1-10). Even after being restored
to the Promised Land and rebuilding
the temple, Judah still struggled to
obey God. God holds the same standard of holiness from Moses, through
the Prophets, and on into the time of
Jesus. We will be encouraged to see
that God’s mercy and His desire to provide for His people never change.
Israel and Judah struggled to remain
obedient to God and forgot how to
practice justice as God desired. God
continued to exhort them through
many prophets to live justly. Even
through punishment, He sought to
bring His people to redemption.
In this quarter we are challenged to
learn from the example of Israel and
Judah. They lost sight of what God
wanted them to do and so received
God’s punishment.
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LESSON 1
JUNE 7, 2015
Scripture Lesson Text
AMOS 2:4 Thus saith the LORD; For
three transgressions of Ju⬘dah, and
for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have
despised the law of the LORD, and
have not kept his commandments,
and their lies caused them to err, after
the which their fathers have walked:
5 But I will send a fire upon Ju⬘dah, and it shall devour the
palaces of Je-ru⬘sa-lem.
6 Thus saith the LORD; For three
transgressions of Is⬘ra-el, and for
four, I will not turn away the punish-
ment thereof; because they sold the
righteous for silver, and the poor for
a pair of shoes;
7 That pant after the dust of the
earth on the head of the poor, and
turn aside the way of the meek:
and a man and his father will go in
unto the same maid, to profane my
holy name:
8 And they lay themselves down
upon clothes laid to pledge by every
altar, and they drink the wine of the
condemned in the house of their
god.
NOTES
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Judgment on Israel and Judah
Lesson: Amos 2:4-8
Read: Amos 2:4-16
TIME: about 762 B.C.
PLACE: Beth-el
GOLDEN TEXT—“Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I
will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the
Lord, and have not kept his commandments” (Amos 2:4).
Lesson Exposition
In the eighth century B.C., expectations had changed for the Israelites. In
the seven hundred years since the Law
of Moses had been given and the two
hundred plus years since David and
Solomon had reigned, prophets and
the Law had declined in influence in Israel and Judah. Schools of prophets
had discovered that if they offered
pleasing prophecies to the kings, they
could earn money, shelter, and prestige. The Law of Moses was increasingly viewed as a set of regulations to
be kept at the temple, but they had little impact on everyday life.
CHANGING EXPECTATIONS—
Amos 2:4-5
A formula started in Amos 1 continues here: “Thus saith the Lord; For
three transgressions of Judah, and for
four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof” (2:4). This same formula
was spoken against Damascus (in Syria), Gaza, Tyrus (Tyre), Edom, Ammon,
and Moab. It essentially means that the
great number of sins committed by
those people were so offensive to God
that He had to punish them.
The Prophet Amos was from Tekoa,
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in Judah. He came north to Israel to deliver the Lord’s words. In this divided
kingdom, the northerners might have
expected a southern prophet to condemn Israel and praise Judah, but after the surrounding nations were condemned, the same formula was
applied to the people of Judah. The
prophet from Judah unexpectedly
condemned Judah.
The people being condemned had a
standard to which they were being
held. Damascus, Tyrus, Gaza, Moab,
Ammon, and Edom were all condemned because of their sinful actions—killing, burning, harming, and
destroying. In Judah’s case, specific
mention is made of the Law of God. Judah had turned their back on the law of
the Lord and had not kept His commandments as they knew they should.
God held all nations to standards of
righteousness, but Judah knew better.
Judah had the Law, the temple, and
the holy city of Jerusalem. In fact,
Amos started out with a strong rooting
in Judah, mentioning his hometown of
Tekoa and the king of Judah, Uzziah,
and referring to God condemning Israel from Judah (Amos 1:1-2). The
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