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Friday: Further Thought ~ Our Forgiving God

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Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Confession”, pages 37-41, in Steps to Christ.

In Nehemiah 9:25, the Hebrews talked about how their ancestors “delighted themselves” (NKJV) in God’s great goodness. The verbal root is the same as the name Eden, as in the “garden of Eden” (Gen. 2:15). Perhaps, the best translation would be “they edenized themselves” if only edenized were a verb.

Spectacles on Bible

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

The gospel is, after all, restoration, and what better symbol can there be than Eden to represent what we are ultimately to be restored to? God raised up the Hebrew people and brought them to the crossroads of the ancient world in order to create the closest reflection of Eden that could exist on a fallen earth. Even after the captivity and return, the potential was still there. “For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden” (Isa. 51:3, NKJV).

Yes, the people enjoyed the material blessings that the Lord had promised them, blessings that, to whatever degree possible in a fallen world, were reminiscent of the abundance of Eden. And that was fine. They were supposed to enjoy them. God created the physical world precisely in a way that humans could enjoy, and ancient Israel — blessed of God — enjoyed it, too. Their sin was not in “edenizing themselves” in God’s great goodness but in forgetting the Lord (Ezek. 23:35), whose goodness they were enjoying. The blessings became an end in and of themselves instead of a means to an end, which was to reveal God to those around them.

Discussion Questions:
  1. Jesus had said, “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matt. 13:22, NKJV). What does He mean by “the deceitfulness of riches”, and how does this relate to the prayer of confession that we studied this week?
  2. Dwell again on the doctrine of creation. Notice in the prayer of Nehemiah 9 that they almost immediately talked about the Lord as Creator and Sustainer. What does that tell us about how foundational this doctrine is to our faith?
  3. How do we strike the right balance in acknowledging our inherent sinfulness and yet, at the same time, not allowing Satan to use our sinfulness in ways that could cause us to be discouraged and give up our faith entirely?
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Friday: Further Thought ~ Our Forgiving God — 2 Comments

  1. The prayer of Nehemiah 9 has a thread of renewal and restoration running through it. The Children of Israel had returned from exile and restored the wall of Jerusalem and built the temple. Now they were reflecting on their past and their need for spiritual restoration and renewal.

    Renewal is a theme running right through the Bible. Note the following texts:

    Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. 1 Sam 11:14

    And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the Lord, that was before the porch of the Lord. 2Cor 15:8

    My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
    Job 29:20

    Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Ps 51:10

    Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

    Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. Ps 104:30

    But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isa 40:31

    Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. Isa 41:1

    Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old. Lam 5:21

    And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Rom 12:2

    For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 2 Cor 4:16

    And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; Eph 4:23

    And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Col 3:10

    Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Tit 3:5

    The Big Picture for this week’s lesson is that forgiveness, followed by renewal and restoration, is an ongoing process in our spiritual lives, not just something that happens once or twice.

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  2. Two Coverings and Two Consequence - Man's covering. There are many ways in which men try to cover their sin. it is utterly useless and adds sin to sin and exposes us to fresh shame. God's covering. All who have trusted in the atoning sacrifice which was presented by the Lord Jesus Christ upon Calvary may accept this welcome assurance, "God has covered all their sin."
    Paradox - There is a paradox in the Christian life: the longer you walk with God, the more godly you become. And yet, the more godly you become, the more you are aware of the terrible depravity of your own heart.
    confession - One thing this chapter teaches us is that being in a real, covenant relationship with God, is not only about joy and happiness. It is also about weeping and confession and repentance. It is not about God bending over backwards to make the world revolve around us in order to make us happy.
    Past - "He who forgets the past is condemned to repeat it." George Santayana, the Spanish philosopher
    Forgiven - 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ Forgiveness cost the life of My Son. Do not desecrate the offering.
    Obedience - Obeying God means moving aside and allowing God—His Word, His Holy Spirit and His way of operating—to move in our lives. It means trusting (having faith) that He will be true to His Word.
    It is His pleasure to bless us. He longs for us to have the best life even now. However, we have been proven not trustworthy. When we are blessed, we often turn our back upon the Lord. We pray often when there is a pressing situation in our life. Look back in your life when you were close to the Lord. If materialism did not make a difference in belittling your relationship with the Lord then you are worthy to be trusted with the riches of this world. This is a question everyone must search our own heart.
    Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God
    Greatness of God -
    “It is about the greatness of God, not the significance of man. God made man small and the universe big to say something about himself.” ― John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life

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