Sabbath: The Cry of the Prophets
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Sam. 8:10-18, Amos 5:10-15, Micah 6:8, Gen. 19:1-13, Ezek. 16:49, Isa. 1:15-23.
Memory Text: “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, NKJV).
The Old Testament prophets are among the most interesting characters in the Bible. Their strident voices, their bold messages, their sense of grief, anger, and outrage, and the occasional performances of their messages made them people who couldn’t be ignored, even if they might not have always been comfortable to be around.
Sent primarily to Israel and Judah, they were beckoning the chosen people back to their calling in God. The people and their leaders were too easily swept up by the idols and lifestyles of the surrounding nations. It was the prophets’ thankless task to urge them to repent, sometimes by reminding them of God’s love for them and His past action on their behalf and sometimes by warning of the consequences if they continued to walk away from God.
As we will see, too, that among the sins and evils that they warned the leaders and people against, one of the biggest was the oppression of the poor, the needy, the helpless among them. Yes, worshiping idols was bad; yes, following false religious practices was bad; but, yes, taking advantage of the weak and poor was worthy of condemnation, as well.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 3.
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The aim of pyramid selling is that the people at the bottom of the pyramid do all the hard work, while those at the top gather the most money. That principle in one form or another drives a lot of commercial organizations today. Even churches suffer from pyramid structures at times, where protecting and supporting the church becomes more important than spreading the gospel. Ultimately the worship of structure leads to oppression of the poor and needy.
The Old Testament prophets rallied against the neglect and exploitation of the poor and needy and as the lesson author notes both idolatry and exploitation of the needy attracted condemnation.
In forums such as this, we often hear comments saying, "The Church should be doing ...", "Why doesn't the Church do ...?" and so on. I am guilty of making such comments too, and perhaps if we should be changing our rhetoric to "What can I do ...?" and "Why don't I do ...?".
Those that can, often do. Others that can, and don't become thrifty, "stingy". The call for the offering to be collected is often used by Malachi 3:6-10. Do we rob God?Verses 8-10. The offering in our church service is usually for a specific purpose. Tithes and loose offerings. I happen to be a deacon, and have been head deacon for over 20 years. One of my jobs is to help take up the offering during the church service.
I remember the pyramid clubs and the people that set one up. You hoped to get to the top where the money reached the top, and the person at the top grew fabulously rich.
I don't remember but it seems that it was an illegal scheme.
While the warning from the Prophets were directed to the people of Israel, there were places in scriptures where warnings were specific to the people who were rich and influential. The Israelites were prosperous people, but because the poor were always a part of God plan, the two sets of people lived and intermingled among each other. Plans were given to make all happy. Money, Honor, Prestige, Wealth and abundant followed some while poverty and want followed another. When they asked to be like the heathen nations they rejected God in verity. They wanted to be like them at all cost. As a result the warnings were unheeded, The rich got richer at all cost and any cost. We should ask ourselves, am I taking advantage of others weakness?
He has shown you
God is saying, you act as though it is a mystery what God has required of you.
Many times when a biblical truth is made crystal clear the opposition will come up with a question which would make you say really you don't get it.
The Israelite acted as though they could not comprehend the requirements of God.
God is saying what I require of you is not complicated
To do justly
Justice, which is to be exercised towards men, is the real evidence of true religion. You must be just in every part of every one of your proceedings. You must render to every man, cheerfully, and without delay, that which belongs to him.
ButZacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look,Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated (done injustice to) anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”
To love mercy
Hypocrites can make a great show of zeal and solicitude in the outward worship of God, the prophets try the conduct of men in another way, by inquiring whether they act justly and kindly towards one another, whether they are free from all fraud and violence, whether they observe justice and show mercy.
To walk humbly before the Lord
“I would not advise any of you to try to be humble, but to be humble. As to acting humbly, when a man forces himself to it, that is poor stuff. When a man talks a great deal about his humility, when he is very humble to everybody, he is generally a canting hypocrite. Humility must be in the heart, and then it will come out spontaneously as the outflow of life in every act that a man performs.” (Spurgeon)
“True humility is thinking rightly of thyself, not meanly. When you have found out what you really are, you will be humble, for you are nothing to boast of. To be humble will make you safe. To be humble will make you happy. To be humble will make music in your heart when you go to bed. To be humble here will make you wake up in the likeness of your Master by-and-by.” (Spurgeon)
Israel was afflicted,not because of the neglect or disregard of God. Their own sin brought their affliction upon them. In addition, what God required of them was not mysterious or too difficult – they simply did not do it.
How often the fault lies within us and yet we blame God.
Seems to me that the sin of partially leads to the sin of neglecting others the poor physically and spiritually and the rich spiritually. Wow they had the same jaundice eye we have today. We look at that Rolex watch on the wrist instead of allowing or listening to the Holy Spirit promoting us to up lift the Rolex watch bearer spiritually. James 2:1-13. Paul emphases the importance of letting the Holy Spirit use us, though in a different setting, we can still glean the attributes of the Holy Spirit that are helpful to us. Romans 8:24-28. "...the Spirit also helpeth our infermities...And he that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit..."
In light of the memory text, "walk humbly with your God". I went back and reviewed Wednesdays lesson. Jacob saw God face to face, if we walk humbly with God in recognizing the poor in spirit, and poor in physical needs, in essence we see God face to face. The word I'd partiality.