Do you recognize these lyrics to the chorus of a song made popular by Phillips, Craig and Dean in the early 1990s?

Mama liked to burn the midnight oil
Down on her knees in prayer
If you asked why she did it
She said she did it ’cause she cared
Now Mama always talked to Jesus
When she knelt by her rocking chair
Oh, I’m glad my mama was willin’
To burn the midnight oil in prayer

The song is “Midnight Oil” and is about the commitment to prayer a mother had for her children. As the song develops, the listener hears the story of a grown man thankful for the impact his praying mother had on his life. There is no doubt the mother portrayed in the popular Christian song was a godly woman.  

The story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-2 presents the persona of ideal motherhood. She faithfully came before the Lord in prayer, asking for a child, because she was not able to conceive. She vowed to God if she bore a son, the son would be given back to him for his service.

Hannah’s sorrow (1 Samuel 1:1-2, 10)

Hannah was married to Elkanah. She was not the only woman of the household because Elkanah had another wife named Peninnah. The Old Testament permitted such an arrangement because “Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none” (v. 2).

In this day and time, women were expected to bear children for their husbands. The fact that she could not bear a child challenged Hannah’s sense of worth and dignity. Peninnah more than likely paraded her children (v. 6) before Hannah physically, as well as verbally. Each time this occurred, Hannah’s yearning for a child increased.

“In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord” (v. 10). The type of sorrow Hannah experienced can only be understood by other women who have longed for a child. When the burden, the grief and the sorrow are too much to bear, the best solution is to take it all to the Lord in prayer as Hannah did.

Hannah’s supplication (1 Samuel 1:11, 17-18)

Elkanah loved Hannah very much. He tried to console her by saying, “Don’t I mean more to you than 10 sons?” For him, it did not matter she could not bear a child. The deep sorrow in Hannah’s soul moved her to pray in the temple where the priest, Eli, was on duty at the entrance (v. 9).

Hannah burned the “midnight oil,” praying with so much emotion Eli assumed she was drunk. In her lengthy time of prayer, she vowed, “O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life” (v. 11).

In the Old Testament, when a person made a vow, it involved a promise of a gift to God if he intervened. The gift would have to be something of significant worth. A vow was not something to be offered lightly.

Hannah made her vow properly by approaching God with an attitude of servitude. She vowed to give her son to the Lord’s service for his whole life. Hannah demonstrates for us that praying to God is not just asking but includes offering ourselves to him.

Parents, how would your prayer life and relationship with Christ change if you prayed fervently like Hannah? What would happen to your own children if you prayed for them with an attitude of servant-subject?

The best discipline a mother or father can have raising children is to spend much time in prayer.

Hannah’s sacrifice  (1 Samuel 1:21-28)

Hannah did conceive and have a son. “She named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him’” (v. 20). After Samuel was born, it was time again for the family to “offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord” (v. 21), but “Hannah did not go” (v. 22) to the temple with Elkanah. Was she backing out of the vow she had made to the Lord?

Hannah had no intention of not carrying out her commitment to God. Her motherly instincts told her Samuel must first be weaned in order to fulfill her vow. What would Eli, who was very old, have done with Samuel if he had been presented as a newborn?

Elkanah and Hannah shared a very trusting relationship. Elkanah could have forbidden Hannah from presenting Samuel to Eli for the Lord’s service. Scripture indicates he had made a vow as well (v. 21). Elkanah trusted Hannah’s decisions about their son’s future because he experienced God answering her prayer for a son. He supported her in fulfilling the vow to God.

Hannah gave up what she wanted most, a son. As soon as Samuel was weaned, Hannah presented Samuel to Eli for life long service to God (v. 28). What types of gifts should we give to the Lord?

Hannah gave her most beloved possession, her son. God wants our gifts of sacrifice. After all, that is what the Lord has done for us.

Hannah’s song (1 Samuel 2:1-2)

Even though Hannah had given away her son, she did what all followers of the Lord must do when he blesses or answers prayer.  God is to be praised. Hannah praised God.

She was at peace when she made the vow, and she was at peace when she fulfilled her part of the vow. God acted upon her life and her prayer or song of worship is recorded in 1 Samuel chapter 2.

A family is blessed when a mother burns the midnight oil in prayer for God’s will to be done in the lives of her children.

Writer’s note: This week’s lesson focuses on the need to make God’s teachings from the Bible a central part of your life. But an eternal relationship with God starts by having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you feel you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and want to know more, a good way to start is by clicking here.

With any new start, focus on the basics

We’ve turned the page, for a new day has dawned
We’ve rearranged what is right and what’s wrong
Somehow we’ve drifted so far from the truth
That we can’t get back home
Where are the virtues that once gave us light
Where are the morals that governed our lives
Someday we all will awake and look back
just to find what we’ve lost.

We need to get back
To the basics of life
A heart that is pure
And a love that is blind
A faith that is fervently
grounded in Christ
The hope that endures for all times
These are the basics,
we need to get back
to the basics of life.

— First verse and chorus, ‘The Basics of Life,’ 4Him, The Basics of Life, 1992

Albert Reyes, president of Buckner Children and Family Services, is a believer in the mission statement.

If you’re active in any business or organization, you’re no doubt familiar with the mission statement. One definition listed in Wikipedia says a mission statement is “a written statement that spells out an organization’s overall goal and provides a sense of direction and a guide to decision making for all levels of management.”

But Reyes’s belief in the mission statement as a guide and direction doesn’t stop at the corporate level: He believes individuals should have a mission statement. When he served as president of the Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio, he urged each of his students to adopt one. He now encourages BCFS employees to do the same.

His personal mission statement, “to develop kingdom leaders from my circle of influence to the ends of the earth,” fits his commitment as an educator and as the leader of a global ministry to orphans and at-risk children and families.

A mission statement is usually best when it’s at its most basic. The word “basic” usually translates into brevity, clarity and purity.

So what’s basic to you? Do you have a personal mission statement that provides a summary definition and direction for your life? How important is it?

In 445 B.C., the Jewish people had just done an amazing thing: Despite internal and external hindrances, under Nehemiah’s leadership they had finished rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, which had not stood intact for more than 140 years.

Following the rebuilding, Nehemiah records that the priest Ezra held a revival among the people. Unlike what we think of as a revival, there was no special music, sermon or tent. What Ezra brought to the people was a reminder of the basics of life: that God’s teachings in Scripture need to be at the center of the lives of God’s people. So he read the law.

Ezra reads the law, leads a revival

At the end of Nehemiah’s seventh chapter, we find the Jewish people at a milestone. They had completed the Jerusalem wall in a mere 52 days, squelching their opposition because of the evidence of God in the work (Nehemiah 6:16); Nehemiah had established the city’s civil and military leadership (7:2) and he had conducted a census to establish how many (or in this case, how few) Jews inhabited it (vv. 4-72).

Now, in the seventh month of 445 B.C., the city of Jerusalem is occupied by the Jewish people, who are ready to move forward as a nation once again. But to start over, they needed a starting point. And they need to start with the basics. That point comes in chapter 8, when Ezra holds a national revival in the middle of the Water Gate square on a raised platform built so the people could hear and see him.

Ezra didn’t preach, didn’t add any commentary. From daybreak until midday, about five hours, he read Scripture. In verse 1, it is called “the book of the law of Moses,” but it could have been the entire Law of Moses (Genesis-Deuteronomy) or selections from it.

What is known is the people’s response to its reading. Before he read the Scripture, Ezra praised God and was answered with “Amen, Amen!” and the people bowing to worship the Lord. As Ezra took the podium and opened the Scripture, “all the people stood up” (v. 5) in reverence of the words about to be spoken. They were ready to hear a word from God —and the word of God—with a reverence and passion.

Throughout the crowd, Levites were stationed to help interpret the reading. As they heard the law and had it explained to them, understanding soon settled on them and, with that understanding came a deep conviction of the people’s sin against God: not only the sin that had led to their defeat and enslavement by Babylon, but worse, the sin that had separated them from God.

Their conviction was such that, in verse 9, we read that Nehemiah, Ezra and the Levites had to calm the people, who had begun to mourn and weep when they heard the Scripture read. Nehemiah and the leaders told the people not to mourn, but to go home and prepare feasts “for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (v. 10).

A second day of teaching

Following the events of the first day of Scripture reading, the next day Ezra held an interpretive follow-up with the heads of households and other leaders. Part of this meeting must have been a review of Leviticus 23:33-44, which requires God’s people to celebrate the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.

Occurring in the seventh month of the Jewish calendar, the Feast of Booths calls for Jews to live in simple arbors made of tree branches. It recalls the time the Jewish people lived in the wilderness during the Exodus period.  

The people then celebrated the Feast for a week, the largest since the time of Joshua 1,000 years prior. Each day Ezra read from Scripture, and the people celebrated.

It is a picture of revival not out of the reach of the Christian church today. What could happen if we as individuals, as Bible study classes or as churches focused more intensely on God’s teachings in Scripture? What if all it took to bring a revival to us was the reading of God’s Word?  

Questions to explore

• In our focal passage, the people eagerly anticipated hearing the reading of Scripture. How would you respond to such an event?  

• Take a class poll: Do you read all of Scripture, or just your favorite parts?

Offering an invitation as an integral part of worship is a hallowed moment in which the Spirit of God calls his people to make a decision about their faithfulness, sinfulness, rebelliousness, disobedience or neglect. Freedom in the spirit urges and respects the right to choose. God initiates the calling, and the called respond of their will and volition to either accept or reject the divine persuasion of the human spirit. God, our Maker, meets the mind of man in a kind of spiritual intimacy that invokes righteousness, forgiveness, new life and hope, and parting from a sinful past.

The invitation from God may come at anytime and in any place, with or without a preacher. God stands at the door of the heart, knocking for entrance and waiting for anyone to open the door that he might come in and dwell in everlasting companionship (Revelation 3:20).  

Israel, at God’s invitation and through his forgiveness, was like the restored wife, redeemed from unfaithfulness to a union of health, holiness and wholeness. No nation on earth has had that kind of relationship with God. That relationship continued until the time in her history that God sent his only Son, Jesus, who would be given “the throne of his father, David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end”  (Luke 1:32-33). The dramatic shift comes not because of Christ, but because of the rejection of Christ.

God, with the rejection, gave the church the position of being the bride of Christ. Israel’s rejection of the Son of the covenant (see Peter’s sermon, Acts 2:22-41. Stephen’s message in 7:51-53) brought an essential judgment and shift of strategy. The mantle for evangelism and proclamation of the gospel became the calling and glory of the local church. The church would have the responsibility of bringing honor to the name of God.

1 Peter was written to the “chosen … by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ“ (1 Peter 1:2). God offered his invitation to Israel and the gentiles, peoples of every race, color, nationality, position or status, and those who believed became “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, see 2:1-12).

The invitation offered at Pentecost was this: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38-39).  

Since every Christian is a believer-priest, the offering of an invitation to friends, neighbors, acquaintances and colleagues is a sacred trust that builds a bridge from the sinner to the Savior, from bondage to freedom, from death to life, and from hopelessness to hope. Only Christ and His salvation can satisfy the emptiness of the human spirit, by grace through faith. Reconciliation with Christ fills the hungry heart with spiritual joy and completeness.

Awesome offer (Isaiah 55:1-5)

The final chapter, or poem, of Second Isaiah, brings the thought process to a natural ending to these series of prophesies. Composed before the Babylonians were conquered by the Persians, the presentation of the Suffering Servant (chapter 53) along with the promise of a better future (chapter 54), the prophetic invitation is given to everyone, thirsty and hungry, to come to a banquet table filled with plenty. Free without cost, the good things for the soul could be received  and they would be completely satisfying.

The banquet is figurative, a metaphor of the soul feasting on God’s grace and salvation. The spiritual nature of this banquet is voiced clearly: “Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live I will make an everlasting covenant with you” (v. 3). The invitation is filled with promise of certainty and an everlasting covenant that would bring leadership, influence and splendor from the “Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel” (v. 5). God’s invitation always provides a promise of redemption, peace, contentment and an abundant life.

The Lord’s Supper is but a foretaste of the great banquet for the family of God when the Lord comes again and calls the believing church home to glory.

Amazing pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7)

One of the passages of Scripture I memorized as a Royal Ambassador, before I accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, was Isaiah 55:6-7. Isaiah gives one of the clearest expressions of God’s invitation to the sinner. Eloquent in simplicity, understandable in meaning, direct in appeal, thorough in process, brief in completeness and self-limiting in opportunity, these verses communicate how God works and how anyone might have awareness and respond to the call of God.

No doubt, God used this passage to embrace me and lead me to that life changing commitment.  God comes near, speaks to our spirit in a still small voice, and in those healing moments of penetrating warmness, an individual is called out by God’s grace for pardon from sin.  

God offers of the gift of salvation, but the spirit of man must also seek God and his pardon. The critical time is when God is near. God comes near in love and judgment, creating in each person a sense of guilt and yearning or desperation within. God calls us away from sin: “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts” (v. 7). Sin, any sin of any type, will be pardoned when genuinely and wholeheartedly confessed in conjunction with a trust in Christ, the crucified  and resurrected Son of God.

Timing is everything. Invitations can come at exactly the right moment when God’s nearness and calling penetrate the mind and emotions. If rejection, rather than acceptance, dominates, pardon does not happen.

There are thousands of excuses, perhaps even reasons, that become barriers: embarrassment, lifestyle, friends, pride, arrogance, lust of the flesh, selfishness, inconvenience, pastoral spite, hypocrisy of Christians, hopelessness, resistance to spouse, flippancy, hardness of heart, interruptions, laziness, lack of knowledge, wrong expectations, waiting for a certain feeling, walking an aisle, a need to clean up one’s life first, pushy evangelist, give up too much, unforgiveness of others, fear of water, poor doctrine, parental pressure, past experiences of rejection, fear of the unknown, possessions or wealth, distractions and a host of other possibilities.

Not one is a valid reasons to reject the purifying experience of pardon. God’s pardon is complete, abundant, thorough and effective.

Abiding power (Isaiah 55:8-11)

Isaiah enlightens by contrasting man’s ways and God’s ways (vv. 8-9). God’s nature and ways are mysterious, often beyond man’s comprehension and ability to grasp divine reality and divine truth. The godless and unrighteous have a worldly, secular mindset that seeks answers more suited to meet the desires of their own self-interest. Those who choose not to incline themselves in evil and dark affairs often participate in life, unmindful or forgetful of God and routinely apathetic toward a relationship with God. God’s ways always are aimed at the spiritual victories, at solving man’s basic needs for peace of mind, contentment, love for others, moral behavior, belonging and significance (Galatians 5:13-26).

Even though the qualities of the human spirit is attracted to the ways of the flesh, God’s word is powerful and adequate to convey what is needed to believe, repent, receive pardon and communicate the message of salvation. God’s word is powerful, a living word, the word of life, the indwelling word, the true word, the flawless word and an eternal word.

Like a two-edged sword, a burning fire and a goad, God’s word prompts the human spirit to respond to the call of God. Isaiah explains that God’s word is like the rain and snow that comes from the heavens to nourish the seeds to sprout, grow and yield its harvest: “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (v. 11). Just as nature is transformed by the providence of God, God’s living word will penetrate the hardest of hearts to reveal the nature and character of God and to call all people to repentance and faith. How powerful is that? The word of life changes, converts the heart and mind.

Astonishing blessing (Isaiah 55:12-13)

The exile is over and the new exodus begins. Liberation from Babylon moved forward and release from bondage would find Israel going “out in joy” and being “led forth in peace.” The whole creation would respond with the mountains and hills bursting “into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (v. 12). Their return, through and by God’s intervention, would be an “everlasting sign” to the honor and acclaim of God, a witness to the “Holy One of Israel.” In like manner, those who trust in God for their salvation are released from the bondage of sin to rejoice evermore in glorious fellowship with God.

Conclusion

Everyone, with few exceptions, wants and longs for happiness. Unfortunately, the search goes on in all of the wrong places. Peace, contentment, joy, satisfaction, harmony and happiness come when the human spirit is united, reconciled, to God our Maker. Separated from God, people pursue tarnished dreams and unfulfilling quests of wealth, position, status, pleasure, appetite, influence, recognition and a host of other things which cannot and will not bring satisfaction to the spiritual hunger of the human heart.  

People live in worlds of illusions created by perilous imaginations that lead down paths to nowhere that bring eventual destruction, hopelessness, loneliness, abandonment and eternal death.  

Transformation through Christ is a universal appeal to “turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (v. 7). There is no other answer to the needs of the human heart.

The word “character” can be defined as someone who has moral and ethical qualities that drives them to act correctly when faced with compromising dilemmas. How does a person develop good character?

For many, it is by learning from another person who exhibits honesty, courage and integrity as they live. During the month of May, the Bible Studies For Life lessons will explore a different individual each week who can help us develop good character traits of our own. The study theme for the unit will be “Profiles in Character.”

Do we know how to grow old gracefully? The first individual we’ll look at is a senior adult man named Barzillai. He is a man who grew old gracefully and in his mature years was a big help to David.

Help God’s people when you can (2 Samuel 17:27-29)

The Bible records many times when God’s chosen leaders are removed from their position of leadership because of rebellion. David’s son Absalom plotted against his father to take away the throne. Absalom was a handsome and charismatic young man and would have made a good king.

Absalom was not like his father who sinned, strayed away from God, but later repented and learned from his mistakes. He sinned and kept on sinning.

Even though he preached justice, that was not his agenda. Absalom’s charisma and personable spirit allowed him to steal the hearts of the people (2 Samuel 15:5). Many people were fooled and switched their loyalty.

Absalom crowned himself king in Hebron and proved to be an evil ruler. David had to flee Jerusalem to the eastern side of the River Jordan. David and his men set up camp at Mahanaim and became a government-in-exile.
Absalom and his army pursued David and camped in Gilead, just north of Mahanaim.

Even though David found himself without provisions and food, the Lord provided. Wealthy men of the region “brought bedding and bowls and articles of pottery” as well as “wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from cows’ milk for David and his people to eat” (vv. 28-29).

Barzillai was part of this group of wealthy men who provided for David. He was an old and important leader of the region of Gilead. Barzillai helped David because he saw they were in the desert with nothing. By helping David, he was at risk of being discovered by Absalom. He was willing to accept the risk in order to help someone in need.

Should Christians be risk takers when someone’s well being is compromised? Barzillai was in a position to help and he did.

Realistically evaluate your capacities (2 Samuel 19:31-37)

After Absalom was killed in battle, David was able to return to Jerusalem. Barzillai accompanied him as far as the Jordan River. David invited him to, “Cross over with me and stay we me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you” (v. 34). David wanted to return the favor because of what Barzillai had done for him.
 
Barzillai was 80 years old and declined the king’s offer. He did this because he did not want to become a burden to David and wanted to die in his homeland (v. 37).

Did Barzillai understand completely what he was doing? The king was offering a free ride for the rest of his life. The wise old man knew exactly what he was doing. Earlier in his life, he would have seen this as an opportunity to be a voice in the king’s cabinet. He recognized he was growing old and his mind was no longer sharp as it once was. A wise man knows when it is time to retire. Growing old gracefully allows one to know when to say no.

Be a champion for the next generation (2 Samuel 19:37-39)

Barzillai was a very wise man. He understood that senior adults have the responsibility to encourage the younger generations to take on positions of leadership.

Barzillai said to David, “But here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever pleases you” (v. 37). The king was very willing to grant the request. Barzillai saw an opportunity to pass the baton of responsibility to a much younger person he trusted.

Does your church hold a Youth Sunday? This is a day when a church allows the youth membership of the church to be the leaders in Sunday school and worship on a special Sunday. The youth teach, lead worship music and preach. What a great way to ignite the spark of service in our future leaders in the local church. I preached my very first sermon on Youth Sunday some 30 years ago.

Leave a good memory (1 Kings 2:1, 7)

As David was dying, he told his son and successor Solomon, “show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them eat at your table” (v. 7). David remembered how Barzillai supported him in his past and wanted Solomon to continue to show favor to Barzillai’s descendents.

The act of kindness Barzillai expressed to David when he was in exile had an impact on the king.

What legacy do you want to leave behind? Grow old gracefully by cultivating the virtues of faith and service demonstrated to you by the lives of the faithful senior adults in your church.

Twenty-seven years after our first first trip to the Holy Land, my wife and I returned. Significant changes were observed, but the one thing that remained the same is the Jewish national conflict and hope for peace. Israel still is the center of the world and a nation under the threat of death.

During the last visit, I asked our guide to explain to me the rationale for the hatred between the Arabs and Jews. She lowered her head and said, “I cannot tell you. Perhaps you could speak with my grandfather, and he might be able to explain.” Generation after generation, Israel has been in conflict where hatred produces hatred, eye-for-an-eye retaliations take place and political wrangling persists.

Iran has vowed the annihilation of Israel and is striving for nuclear armaments. Israel threatens to defend itself with air strikes on nuclear incubators. The Pope has made overtures to help bridge a peace between Palestinians and Jews. Young men and women are seen constantly with guns guarding the citizens from daily threats of violence. All around Israel there are threats of violence, invasion, missals, terrorists, explosive devices, unrest, diplomatic verbal assaults and angry tension.  

In this atmosphere, Israel continues to depend primarily upon its military strength, but it has not brought international acceptance or permanent relief.

Christ Jesus wept over his people while coming into Jerusalem during the triumphal entry, exclaiming: “I tell you … if you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes”  (Luke 19:42). Though God placed Israel on track for peace of mind and heart through Christ, her mass rejection of the Son of God,  forebode the continuation of national jeopardy and unrest. A nation of destiny, still holding out a hope for peace under God, trusts mostly in her own ability and courage for deliverance rather than the guidance of God.

Isaiah reminds the world that the suffering servant upon whom is laid “the iniquity of us all” is the cosmic, earthly and heavenly answer to peace. Change within is the persuasion for changing the world, as Christ explained so clearly when his disciples asked, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” His plan is explained: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8). World peace begins with personal peace that embraces love for God and loving others as one loves himself.

Remember that our focal passage for this lesson is out of sequence because of the placement of the Suffering Servant passage, Isaiah 53, on Palm Sunday, followed by the Easter lesson from Matthew 25.  Reread the Suffering Servant passages, Isaiah 53:1-12, before reading Isaiah 54:1-10,  to capture the continuity and emotion of the promise of hope and encouragement built upon the coming of the King of Kings.

Following the advent of the messianic leader who voluntarily “was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed,” (53:5), the prophet projects excitement that rejoices in the reunion of God with Judah and the restoration of Israel. See how the message that Isaiah presents extends far beyond the times in which this poem was written and sense the emotions of the prophet who earnestly anticipated the coming of the Deliverer.  

Just as God welcomes Israel back into his redemptive relationship following their disobedience, God welcomes all who sin, fail, miss the mark and rebel against him when repentance takes place.

The Lord provides a future (Isaiah 54:1-3)

Past sorrows give way to rejoicing. The tragedy of years of captivity paved the way for enthusiastic exclamations of exuberance.  The period of exile would soon be over. The restoration of Judah to her homeland was imminent. Though the nation has produced little toward their godly purpose, Zion was encouraged to sing a new song because the yoke of bondage would soon be removed.

“Barren one” would refer to Judah (the nation of Israel), God’s people, who are exhorted to “burst into song, shout for joy” (v. 1) because of going home again and a future of success and peace. Judah is barren because her husband (God) has left her to abide alone in a foreign land.

Hope springs eternal again and hearts become aflame with anticipation of the blessings from God. Analogous to the nomadic life, the blessings would be so great that Israel would have to “enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide” and “lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes” (v. 2). Israel would propagate more children than she did before she went into captivity. Israel is to hold nothing back.
 
The influence of the people of God would extend in all directions by removing nations and settling in their vacant cities (v. 3). God’s hand would be upon Israel, whose punishment is completed, and would empower her future covenant expectation.

God is the God of second, third, fourth and even more, chances. Reconciliation motivates future hope for personal fulfillment and divine achievement. God never gives up on his plan for reconciliation.

The Lord forgives the past (Isaiah 54:4-6)

In the similar cast of Hosea who redeemed Gomer, his estranged adulterous wife, God redeems his relationship with his people and the prophet declares, “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name: and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called” (v. 5). Israel’s Maker will call her back as though she “were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit”(v. 6). The separation is over and relationship has been restored as illustrated by the spousal metaphor. That having taken place, the past with its failures is forgiven and forgotten by both God and Israel and there is no need for fear, shame, disgrace or feelings of humiliation. The new beginning is totally fresh, loving, sweet and pure.

The future has no future if the past imposes itself upon the persons of the relationship. You learn from the past but must not let it negatively color the present. To do so postures the present and future to become fragile, uncertain, painful and doubtful.

Willie Nelson sings these lines, “Forgiving you is easy, but forgetting takes a long, long time.” Not so with God. God forgets when he forgives. Forgetting, merged with forgiveness, makes the coming years best and most satisfying. Israel could look to the future with joy and hope while forgetting those failures of the past.   

The Lord is compassionate (Isaiah 54:6-8)

Out of “deep compassion,” God would receive Israel back to himself. Using the analogy of a young wife who has been deserted and rejected, the prophet sees God, who momentarily divorced Israel, as having compassion and sought out his people to restore the intimate relationship that would open wide the door for God’s purpose to be achieved. The divorce would be followed by remarriage and the end of the separation.

The abandonment, or divorce, was with cause because Israel broke the covenant in disobedience and rebellion. Now that Israel had been punished and her spirit of repentance accepted, God compassionately took the initiative, opened up his heart of “unfailing love,” (v. 10) and acknowledged Israel as redeemed and  his beloved companion. In that relationship, God became the strong arm of protection and the wise curator of her destiny.

God had a surge of holy anger and hid “his face” from Israel for a moment (v. 8). The prophet poetically portrays the character and attitude of God to be human like. The anger is momentary and quickly became compassion and everlasting kindness (v. 8).  

The Lord honors his covenant (Isaiah 54:9-10)

A covenant is an oath that binds a relationship, an ultimate agreement based on trust that regulates the behavior of all parties. A covenant may be established, issued, arranged, entered and demanded.

God made a holy covenant with Israel and obligations were imposed on them both. God kept his oath, but Israel frequently broke hers by idol worship, unfaithfulness, neglect, immorality, rebellion, selfishness, injustice and arrogance. God sees the restoration of covenant like that of the one with Noah when the rainbow became a symbol of God’s promise never to destroy the earth by water again. The covenant would be more permanent than the mountains or hills.

With angry rebuke laid aside, God reaffirmed the covenant with his “unfailing love … that will not be shaken” and the commitment not to remove the “covenant of peace” (v. 10).  

Conclusion

God has shown man something of himself. God, unquestionably, prefers love, grace, mercy, forgiveness and faith. Only when necessary is the force of judgment used as a tool of discipline. Punishment is but a brief experience and then his love bursts forth to, once again, take up the covenant agreement.

Individuals and churches experience the ebb and flow of his grace and his justice, all of the masterful purpose of reconciliation and redemption. Even in the dark times of judgment, God is with us and carries us along with encouragement and strength. Isaiah wants all to know and understand that God is far more farsighted than man, understands the objective of history, and sees both the beginning and end at the same time.

What may be a personal struggle, will in some way benefit all in the economy of God. Paul did not miss this truth, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  

God always seeks to reconcile with us. The purpose of his salvation is reconciliation. He stretches out his hand to us and offers another chance for a mutual relationship of love and peace.

Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “How many messages have I received today asking me to consider making changes in my life?

Many television commercials from pharmaceutical companies pitch this line to viewers, “Take charge of your life by asking your doctor about” a certain drug that will help you with whatever symptoms you might have. As you read a sports-themed magazine, the athletic shoe ads give the impression that you will run faster, jump higher and be in better physical shape by making the choice to purchase their product. Are all these claims true?

The receivers of the messages must make a choice to accept or reject the claims of the advertisements. The same process occurs when the message of Jesus Christ is presented. A personal decision must be made to accept or reject Jesus Christ. The rejection of the truth that Jesus is Savior has a much more severe consequence than that of rejecting and advertised product.

Conflicting opinions (Acts 2:22-24)

How many opinions are in the world today about who Jesus is? When “Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd” (Acts 2:14) after Pentecost he rebuked the wrong opinions the Jews had about the resurrected Jesus. Conflicting opinions about Jesus must be answered with God’s opinion concerning Jesus.

Many years ago, I remember watching a news story about Billy Graham on one of the network morning shows. As the story reviewed many clips from old crusades, one line spoken by Graham seemed to come to the forefront. The line was, “The Bible says.” Graham was not speaking on his own authority but by the authority of the Holy Scriptures.

Some of those present at Pentecost made fun of how the believers were acting after being filled with the Holy Spirit. The accusation was the believers were drunk. Peter tells the accusers they are not drunk (v. 15). After Peter rebukes, he begins to share from the Old Testament (Joel 2:28-32) the prophecies about the Messiah and what occurred at Pentecost. He confirms the person of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of these prophesies.

Peter reminds his audience that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah and “was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know” (v. 22). Not only was Jesus’ messiahship affirmed by performing mighty acts but also by God raising him from the dead. All they witnessed firsthand was “God’s set purpose and foreknowledge” (v. 23).

Have you noticed how Peter dealt with different opinions of who Christ was? He called upon personal experience authenticated by truths from the Bible.

Stirring testimony (Acts 2:32-36)

Peter’s testimony (v. 25) about Jesus is substantiated by David in Psalm 16:8-11. Peter explained that David was writing as a prophet. He wrote about Jesus who would be crucified and then resurrected.

“Because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay” (v. 27). The audience who read this verse originally in Psalm 16:10 would understand the word decay to mean the grave. Peter is using the Holy Scriptures to explain that the body of Jesus was not left in the grave to decay but was resurrected and glorified.

Peter tells them that “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to the fact” (v. 32). David was not spared decay by resurrection and had not ascended to heaven. However, Scriptures confirm that David’s Lord would be spared decay and would sit at God’s right hand (v. 34). Peter declares this “Lord” David is referring to is Jesus Christ. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was just more proof of who Jesus was “both Lord and Christ” (v. 36).

A good method for us to follow when telling others about Jesus, is to share our own personal, life changing experience of when Christ became our Savior, making sure our words are backed by the truths of the Bible.

Standing at the crossroad (Acts 2:37-41)

When a believer gives a strong, passionate presentation of the gospel, what happens? The Holy Spirit creates in the heart of the listener spiritual conviction.

Peter gave a Spirit-filled message that convicted listeners to ask this question, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (v. 37). Peter simply explained, “Repent and be baptized, everyone one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (v. 38). In order to be a follower of Christ, one must turn from sin and make a change to no longer live a selfish life but one of faith, depending on Jesus for forgiveness, guidance and purpose. We cannot save ourselves from hell—only God can save us. He has provided a way through the life, death, burial and resurrection of his one and only son, Jesus Christ.   

As a result of Peter presenting the gospel, over 3,000 believed. They were baptized proclaiming to others the inward change that occurred in their lives. Their sins had been forgiven and the gift of the Holy Spirit filled them, thus empowering them to live righteously.

The message of Christ is to be proclaimed the same way Peter presented it after Pentecost. How did he present the gospel? He simply told the truth giving the listener the opportunity to accept or reject the truth about Jesus.

Dr. Bob Utley, president of Bible Lessons International, said something I will never forget at the conclusion of a revival service. “It is a dangerous thing to hear the truth about Jesus and not act upon it.”

In a 1999 address to the annual meeting of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, the late Ruth Ann Foster, a professor at Truett Seminary in Waco, called the areas of social justice and righteousness “dangerous waters.”

The danger, she said, quoting Jon L. Berquist, lies in the “mind and the spirit. For the mind, the danger comes in our finitude, our inability to think beyond our general sphere of reference; for the spirit, the danger is in the temptation to build our own theoretical ‘Babel,’ rationalizing a comfortable way to deal with the uncomfortable.”

Foster explained the waters of justice and righteousness “are dangerous to those of us who have promised to follow Christ and to live in covenant with his people. God’s justice is dangerous because:

• to ignore it reveals we are not truly his;
• to misunderstand it can lead to depersonalizing and compartmentalizing those made in God's image;
• to rationalize away its demands hardens our hearts to God;
• to seek to live out the demands of God's justice is risky and goes against the grain of normal behavior and cultural norms;
• to pray for God's justice calls us into involvement with those who need justice.”

Reading her address, we quickly get the sense that those in danger aren’t the oppressed, the weak, the widow or the orphan, but those who follow Christ who answer—or don’t—the call to serve. In fact, one of the most dangerous of her above points is actually praying for God’s justice: Because it just may lead to an all-consuming passion for helping others in God’s love. The danger for us lies in our status as followers of the Lord; we are called to a higher standard and must live up to it.

Are we willing to risk the danger of helping the oppressed in a world that needs to know about God’s love? Compare it to rescuing a drowning victim. If you don’t, you risk living with your decision the rest of your life. If you do, you may risk your own life.

Responding to the oppressed is a matter of courage. As Ruth Ann Foster said: “Are we courageous disciples? Are we brave enough to be God’s light and justice to those in the shadows? If we are to know God fully through his Son Jesus Christ, we must live justly. If the world is to know Jesus Christ through us, we must risk entering into the dangerous waters of God’s justice and righteousness.”

Often, the answer to those challenges are found from within. They must come from us. God’s people are to be people of integrity, acting with fairness and generosity and confronting injustice when people are oppressed.

Nehemiah responds to oppression

The prophet Nehemiah found himself in a moral pickle that challenged his leadership and demanded the highest ethical response from him. Unlike last week’s lesson, the challenge didn’t come from outside sources, it came from within the Jewish community.

In chapter 4, Nehemiah and the other rebuilders of the Jerusalem wall fought criticism from two regional governors: Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah, the Ammonite governor. Nehemiah dealt with the criticism in a godly fashion—he let God deal with it—asking God to bring justice to the critics. Later in the chapter, he had the wall-builders prepare for an attack by working armed and guarding the work when they weren’t building. Nehemiah’s get-it-done spirit proved he was worthy of our Bible study unit title, “Getting Things Done.”

While Jerusalem’s Jewish community has pitched in almost unanimously into the rebuilding of the walls, chapter 5 spotlights an ugly undercurrent from within that community.

In verses 1-5, Nehemiah is alerted by “a great outcry” (v. 1) from people who are being oppressed from within their own ranks by people of means. Because the events of Nehemiah’s time take place during a famine, the people are starving. Forced to mortgage their homes and fields and incur debt just to feed their families, the poorer Jews even are borrowing money against their mortgages to pay their government taxes to Persia. Many families have even sold their sons and daughters into slavery as payment to the wealthy. Those who bring these charges are, in their own words, “helpless” (v. 5).

Writer’s note: If you are already drawing comparisons to the current worldwide economic crisis, we’re on the same page. I’ve included a couple of timely questions for discussion in the “Questions to Explore” section below.

It is an abuse of the poor that causes Nehemiah to respond angrily. But his response, we see in verses 6-13, forms a great how-to when anyone is forced to confront social injustice:

• It’s OK to be angry when you are confronted by social injustice. Social injustice is an affront to God, and it usually means you are being confronted by sin. Nehemiah writes that he is “very angry” when given the news from the poor. Like many of us, his anger came from disappointment of seeing the people treat each other badly and because this sort of injustice was forbidden by the Old Testament law. Exodus 22:25 specifically prohibits the charging of interest between Jews—“If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him, you shall not charge him interest.”  See Exodus 22:25-27; Leviticus 25:35-38; and Deuteronomy 15:1-18; 24:10-13 for more detail on these commands, and read Exodus 21:8 about prohibitions against slave sales.

• Look into your own heart. After his initial anger, Nehemiah says he “consulted with myself” (v. 7) before taking action. Whether he needed to take time to calm himself before taking steps or needed to work out his thoughts before sharing with others, his personal time was a necessary part of his response.   

• Be open and honest about the injustice. Truth is a mighty tool. Nehemiah uses it in an open forum with the wealthy—the nobles and rulers—naming the particular sin so there is no misunderstanding: “You are exacting usury, each from his brother!” he says emphatically.  

• Show courage. Along with the truth, Nehemiah is dishing out a fair amount of personal courage here. He is a addressing a concern leveled against the very nobles and rulers he needs to help finish the wall. In a real sense, he is risking the task God called him to complete for the sake of completing it with integrity.

• Set a personal example of integrity. In verse 10, and again in verses 14-19, Nehemiah shows his personal integrity by telling the gathered wealthy that he and his brothers are also lending money to the poor, but without the usury. In the latter verses, he records his integrity by refusing to partake in graft from the taxes the people paid to the government and collected by him. Without this personal example, doubtless the wealthy would not have given him an ear.

• Give a plan of response. In addition to telling the assembled wealthy what is wrong with their actions, Nehemiah very clearly shows them what is right: “Please leave off this usury” (v. 10) and “Please give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses … .” (v. 11)  

• Demand accountability. In verse 12, we read that the oppressors agree to Nehemiah’s plan, and Nehemiah “called the priests and took an oath.” More than a legal, binding agreement, this oath was a promise before God to return to observing his law. It’s a recognition that, while we may be accountable to others, God is the ultimate author of accountability. The time is also a cause for worship, as those who have agreed to return to God’s ways praise God.

While these steps might not be a full list of overcoming oppression with integrity, they are a good model from a man who showed a lot of personal integrity and courage, someone who held the spirit of justice found in Amos 5:24: “But let justice roll down like waters, And righteousness like an ever flowing stream.”
 
Questions to explore

• What does God think when powerless people suffer injustice and God’s people do nothing?

• What courageous act could you take to stop that oppression?  

Cyrus was a willing servant of God, without knowing it, and the instrument by which God’s chosen people were liberated from Babylonian captivity and allowed to return to Israel where Jerusalem and the temple would be rebuilt (Isaiah 44:28; Ezra 5:6-6:12).  

The fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy takes place because of Cyrus’ military strength and benevolent rule as king of the world. Cyrus, the son of Cambyses, founded the Persian or Achaemenian Empire. After succeeding his father, through his able leadership and military might, he gained control of a vast empire westward from the Aegean Sea by the time he brought his forces against Babylon in 539 B.C. Following this conquest, Cyrus, then, considered himself “king of the world.” His tomb is in Pasargadae, Iran.

He chose the role of a merciful liberator allowing the enslaved peoples to the east of the Tigris River to return to their homeland, including the repatriation of Israel. Cyrus was the ideal king and ruled like a father over his people.

Scripture states Cyrus did not acknowledge God as Lord but was an instrument of God benefiting from God’s favor in order to bring Israel back to her original purpose (45:4).

This may seem absurd to many, but to people of faith, God has supreme governance over the universe, even non-believers. God uses atheists, evil circumstances and nations, traumatic events and puzzling situations to gather again his people for the work of his kingdom.

With a sense of prophetic urgency and sublime poetry, the hopelessness of Israel was confronted with the promise of victory by the imminent coming of the Lord: “This is what the Lord says—Your Redeemer, the Holy one of Israel: ‘For your sake I will send to Babylon and bring down as fugitives all the Babylonians, in the ships in which they took pride. I am the Lord, your Holy one, Israel’s Creator, your King’” (43:14-15; see 48:14).

God looked past the sins of Israel, forgave them and, through his redemptive relationship, put a new song in their heart (44:22-23). Cyrus, this great Persian king and warrior, is a kind of messianic human shepherd designated to “accomplish all that I (God) please” (44:28).

Acknowledge the Lord’s commission (Isaiah 45:1-2)

Identifying the chosen deliverer, God, the Creator, refers to Cyrus as “his anointed.” First, Cyrus is the “shepherd” and then called the “anointed” (see also Daniel 9:26). These references are strangely surprising. “Shepherd” (2 Samuel 5:2; Jeremiah 3:15, 23:1; Ezekiel 34:23; Micah 5:5) is to be taken more in the sense of a leader or friend, while “anointed” notes Cyrus as the one, though a foreign ruler, who was set aside (Leviticus 21:10; 1 Samuel 6:16; 24:6, 10;26:9,11,23; 2 Samuel 1:4,16;19:22) for this essential task of service to God.

Though freeing Israel from the bondage of the Babylonians is accomplished through the unsuspecting Cyrus, God’s purpose and work are hidden in the agenda of this noble and royal leader. Cyrus was to “subdue nations,” “strip kings of their armor” and “open doors before him.” In doing this, God would hold his hand and go before him to “break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” In this, God is saying that the military accomplishments of Cyrus (46:11) occurred because of the guidance and empowerment by his hand. Unwittingly, Cyrus is under a divine commission.

God may not control everything that happens in his world, but he will see his purposes achieved. On the great stage of history, some people and nations are given the opportunity by the hand of God to bring about sacred intent and divine accomplishments.  

Acknowledge the Lord’s favor (Isaiah 45:3-5)

God favored Cyrus and blessed him in order to restore Israel, but also in order to help Cyrus discover that Jehovah was the “God of Israel” (45:3). Commissioned by God, Cyrus would receive divine help while awakening him to the realization that God knew him so well as to “called him by name” (v. 3). The power behind Cyrus was the power of God. Though there would come no acknowledgment of divine help, God would give him a “title of honor” (v. 4) for being a vital part of the rescue of Israel.

Cyrus, the “anointed,” was assigned the human role of assisting God to break the alien power of Babylon to achieve his redemptive purpose through Israel. As God used both Assyria and Babylon to punish Israel, God appropriates the Persians to free Israel to her mission.

Acknowledge the Lord’s pre-eminence (Isaiah 45:6-7)

Twice in these verses God says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other,” adding “apart from me there is no God” (v. 5). Cyrus will help establish that throughout the world, from east to west, “men may know there is none besides me” (v. 6). The exaltation of Israel also would exalt the God of Israel who is forming the light and creating darkness, bringing prosperity and creating disaster (v. 7).  The Living God refused to be placed on the level of man-made idols (vv. 9-20) while insisting that Cyrus recognize him as the one and only God but would strengthen him even without that acknowledgment (v. 5).

Acknowledging the Lord’s sovereignty (Isaiah 45:9-13)

One can hear the scoffers disavow divine intention just as the soldiers scoffed at Jesus being the Son of God (Matthew 26:62-68; 27:22, 27-31, 41-44, 54). Isaiah is making a heroic and astounding affirmation of the power and sovereignty of God.

To the scoffers and doubters, comes a warning: “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker” and “Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’” Using logic and metaphor, the prophet illustrates the clay cannot question the potter’s will nor the child question the natural results of his conception and birth. No one may contend with the Maker and Creator of the universe. Therefore, God chose to “raise up Cyrus in my righteousness … he will rebuild my city and set my exiles free” (v. 13).  

Conclusion

Who is in charge of this world? Does it run itself by chance or fate? Does God intervene in human events? If so, then why doesn’t God do a better job? Many millions of people view God as their possession, and when things go wrong, they give God the blame. Often, when prayers go unanswered, believers question God’s wisdom and concern. Are there limits to God’s authority?

God’s use of Cyrus introduces God’s sovereignty over all the earth and his guidance of kings and kingdoms to achieve his purposes. When everything seems bleak and gloomy, God is at work bringing good things out of bad circumstances in order that his name might be glorified.

Whether from nature’s curse or our inhumanity toward each other, God loves us and continues toward his ultimate purpose. God can and does move past all obstacles of his purpose, even using these obstacles to enhance his will.  

The greatest and most successful of the Persian leaders became a formidable ally with the God, who created all things, by moving along the holy design of Israel’s history toward the divine purpose of redemption through the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God, the Creator, determines destinies and defines the future. Without intention and without knowing, this good-hearted king opened the door for all mankind to experience salvation by grace through faith.

History lauds the successes of Cyrus, but people of faith know the rest of the story.

When Jesus ascended to the Father, he left the disciples with the task of being witnesses. They had the instruction to go and tell the masses about what they had experienced by being with Jesus. However, before they could go out and present the gospel, Jesus instructed them to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them.

The Holy Spirit present in their lives would give them the direction and authority to speak the truth concerning all Jesus had said and taught. It is important for believers to understand their personal witness about Jesus is credible.

Commissioned by Jesus (Acts 1:4-8)

After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared “over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God” (v. 3). He showed himself to his disciples and others proving to them he was alive. Before he returned to the Father, Jesus gave instruction on what they must do.

Jesus said, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized by the Holy Spirit” (vv. 4-5). The coming of the Holy Spirit upon all the believers is important because it would be the power needed to fulfill the commission given by Jesus.
    
The commission given by Jesus is this “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (v. 8).

In my role as the director of public relations for East Texas Baptist University, I have been given the authority to be the official spokesperson for the university. My authority comes from policy procedures approved by the board of trustees. Just like I have been given authority to speak on behalf of my employer, all believers have the authority to be a witness about the life of Jesus and the forgiveness of sin only he can provide. The authority to speak has come from having a personal relationship with Jesus.

The followers of Christ are to be his witnesses despite where they may be geographically. The news about his death and resurrection is for all people everywhere. The gospel is a universal message that must be delivered by those who have had a life changing experience with the risen Lord Jesus. A believer does not have the option of not being a witness for Christ.

Filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4)

When believers are obedient to God’s commands, extraordinary events occur. God had a purpose for Jesus’ disciples to wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. The filling of the Holy Spirit occurred when Jerusalem was crowded with many travelers. What God did on that Day of Pentecost was part of his plan to jump start the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8).

We learn from the Old Testament that 50 days after Passover, Pentecost was held. Pentecost, also called the Feast of Weeks, was a celebration to give thanks for the harvested crops. Jews of many nations traveled to Jerusalem for this thanksgiving time.

As Jerusalem was bustling with activity, the disciples were “all together in one place” and God made his presence known in a spectacular way as “suddenly a sound like a blowing of a violent wind” was heard (vv. 1-2).

After the blowing wind was heard “they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them” (v. 3).

It is important to note that the “tongues” rested on each believer present. The filling of the Holy Spirit was for every believer. It was not just a group experience. All believers are to use their personal experience in telling others who Jesus is and what he has done.

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (v. 4). The filling of the Holy Spirit on that day allowed the believers to communicate the wonders of God in a way in which everyone understood in their own native language (vv. 7-11).

These travelers who witnessed this outpouring of the Holy Spirit went back to their native countries and told what they had seen and heard. The spreading of the gospel message to all nations was just beginning.

Christians should not fear sharing their faith. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to be witnesses of Christ and provides needed words.

Confirmed by Scripture (Acts 2:12-16)

One can imagine the bewilderment that went through Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost when a man from Libya could understand a man speaking in Galilean. Peter seized this opportunity not to be afraid like he was at the crucifixion of Jesus, but to be bold about his life changing relationship with his Savior.

Peter answered the questions from the crowd by explaining that this event as well as the empty tomb was prophesied in Scripture (vv. 14-16). Peter used Scripture to explain what had happened that day.

What a personal triumph for Peter. The power of the Holy Spirit at work in his life using him to speak on behalf of the truth found in Scripture.

The truth about Jesus as Savior is not invalidated by someone’s latest blog posting he is not the Son of God. When someone speaks about Jesus, the testimony is determined to be truthful because it conforms to the word of God and is validated by the Holy Spirit.

The next time an opportunity comes your way to be a witness for Christ, remember you are commissioned by Jesus, filled by the Holy Spirit, and the Scriptures will confirm the truth.   

“The worst thing that happens to you may be the best thing for you if you don't let it get the best of you.”—Will Rogers

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”—Traditional American children’s saying

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”—The Apostle Paul, writing in Philippians 4:8 (NASB)

Destructive criticism

When Thomas Edison started school at age 7, it took his teacher just 12 weeks of little Thomas’s hyperactive behavior and constant questions to pronounce his brain “addled.” When she heard the teacher’s diagnosis, Thomas’ mother withdrew him from classes and homeschooled him. She had faith in her son’s intelligence and saw a much different future for him.

We know what his future held. He invented the first viable system of centrally generating and distributing electric light, heat and power, the first practical battery, dictaphone, mimeograph and vitascope—an invention that would lead to motion pictures. Called “the father of the electrical age” during his lifetime, he is popularly known best for inventing the light bulb—which he didn’t invent, he just made better.

Perhaps more than anyone, Thomas Edison, the little boy called “addled” by his teacher, ushered in the modern age and many of the luxuries we take for granted.

But what if he or his mother had believed the discouraging or destructive criticism of that teacher? What would the world be like if Thomas Edison didn’t believe he could invent? Would our technology be 10 years behind? Thirty?

Destructive criticism hurts. It hurts those who are targeted by critics and it hurts those surrounding the target.  If you have a moment, view this short Bluefish TV video on tangle.com about how other world changers met and overcame destructive criticism.

That same kind of criticism was used as a weapon against Nehemiah and the other rebuilders of the Jerusalem wall, but as we’ll see in Chapters 3-4, criticism can’t stop people who persist in working hard together toward an important goal, trusting God all the while.

Context

We’ve been doing a good job over the past few weeks of maintaining a fix on where we are chronologically and within the historical scope of the post-exilic Jews. If you want to review, go back to the first two lessons in Nehemiah as a refresher. This week, let’s take a moment to look back at where we are within the context of our lessons and the goals of our Bible studies.

We’re in the middle of a spring series that includes the books Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah, Nehemiah and Malachi and chronicles the history of the Jewish people after they are freed from a long Babylonian captivity by the Persians. The series is titled “Restoring the Future” and explores how the Jews, by restoring their spiritual focus and recommitting their lives to God after straying from worshiping him, are ensuring their future as a people chosen by God to do his will.

We’re in the fourth unit of the series, “Getting Things Done,” a great title for the study of Nehemiah, a layman who has acted as a prophet and spokesman for God—and as a catalyst for the Jews to restore Jerusalem’s walls, which represent the city’s defenses and dignity.

The power of God’s people at work (Nehemiah 3)

At first, it appears our focal verses in Chapter 3 are a static listing of the repairs to the walls. It would make sense if that were all this section of verses was: Nehemiah, as a royal assistant to the Persian King Artaxerxes, most probably would have had a long history of writing reports as part of his civil service. He also was participating in the work on time and with materials granted to him by Artaxerxes. Chronicling his efforts in an orderly manner would have been expected.

But out of the sterile listings of verses 1-12, other information shines like gold.

For one, Nehemiah lists Eliashib, the high priest, as leader of the first group (of brother-priests) who completed work on their section of the work, including the Sheep Gate and parts of the wall (v. 1). It is of note that the religious leadership not only led in the support of the reconstruction, but performed the work themselves.

Also of note is the consecration of the section of the wall and the gate by the priests, reflecting the belief that this was no mere construction job, but a spiritual experience for a nation reconnecting to its spiritual source and restoring its future as a nation of God-worshippers.  

Second, these 12 focal verses show that those who participated in the work represented a broad expression of the Jewish tribes and cities. Workers from different areas are noted, including builders from Gibeon, Mizpah and Tekoa (who even worked despite Tekoan leaders’ wishes to the contrary).

And third, those involved in the building represented people from an incredibly broad range of professions, and not one worker listed in the first 14 verses was listed as having any experience with large-scale construction. In addition to the priests, it appears Uzziel was a goldsmith; Hananiah was a perfumer; and Shallum was a high-ranking politician who brought his daughters to participate in the work. Malchijah, another important politico, took on one of the lowliest of tasks: he rebuilt the Refuse Gate (v. 14), also known as the Dung Gate, where the waste of the city exited to the dump.

The lesson learned: When God has a task for us, we can all pitch in, regardless of our experience, gender, abilities or position in life, to complete God’s vision.  

Resisting the power of criticism (Nehemiah 4)

While the verses of chapter 3 ring with unity, working toward a common goal and the power of God’s people at work, what follows shows the power of destructive criticism in the hands—or in this case, mouths—of those who opposed the work.

We’ve already been introduced to the opposing team (Nehemiah 2:10,14) and like a bad penny, they’ve turned back up. The ringleaders are two regional governors: Sanballat the Horonite (or “worshipper of Horon”) and Tobiah, the governor of the Ammonites, a Samaritan group.

When faced with the strength of the Jewish people unified spiritually and with a purpose to rebuild their city, Sanballat and Tobiah do what any modern-day sports team would do against its opposition. In today’s vernacular, they talk smack.

Sanballat launches an angry tirade in a gathering of family and wealthy friends, casting doubt on the Jews’ ability to complete the work. Tobiah, shaping up like a reflective toady with a mean streak of comedic criticism adds, “Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!” (v. 3). It was probably funnier to an ancient Middle East audience.

But the angry insults and ridicule aren’t just meant for entertainment. They were meant to discourage in a real way. Whenever those in authority say things among peers of power, those words take on the authority of the speaker and have a way of disseminating to the public. Their words were meant to stop the building.

One of the greatest lessons we can learn from this passage, though, comes from the lips of Nehemiah. What would we do if such insult and ridicule were said about you or me about our spiritual beliefs or the work we do for God? What would our response be?

Hearing of the ridicule of Sanballat and Tobiah, Nehemiah models a God-inspired response to these damaging words from hateful speakers. He could have played the same game played by his opponents, returning insult for insult, turning a spiritual work into a political fight.    

Instead, he gives the fight over to God in verses 4-5, asking God to hear the words of opposition and “let not their sin be blotted out before Thee, for they have demoralized the builders” (v. 5).

Instead of taking the job of passing words of hate and insult back and forth and letting them detract from the work on the walls, Nehemiah goes to God to pass judgment on their tormentors and, in verse 6, returns to the work on the wall.

It is a great lesson for those of us who hear words of criticism—words that are meant to wound—a lesson to let God deal with our opposition and to continue serving him.

Questions to explore

• What opposition have you experienced in your life that has come in the form of destructive criticism or gossip?

• God called a group of Jews to work outside their “comfort zones” on a task they may not have felt equipped or that they may have felt was beneath them.  What task is God calling you to do that is outside your “comfort zone,” that might require getting your hands dirty?

In 2000, I visited the Holy Land, not for history as much as for experiencing the contextual presence of Christ in his native culture and environment. Each place brought back the sounds, smell and emotions of ancient times.

In Jerusalem, near the end of the trip, we visited to the Garden tomb, the Protestant location just outside the walls, just west of Golgotha, a block from Damascus Gate on the Nablus road.  The existence of an ancient wine press and water cistern suggests the site possibly was used as a garden.  
Seeing the open tomb brought back scriptural memories of the burial of Jesus, the Roman centurions guarding the entrance, the women finding the stone rolled away, Mary seeing the resurrected Christ, and Peter and John racing to the tomb to see for themselves if the testimony of the women might be true.  

The scene is just as one might imagine. Inside the tomb, past the small vestibule, to the right, was a shelf cut into the rock which may have been the place where Jesus was laid and remained until his bodily resurrection. Catching my breath, I stood there and experienced the awesome presence of Christ. Holy ground would not be more sacred than this.

One of the caretakers and ministers of the Garden Tomb Association greeted the curious and awestruck crowd, saying “I know you are not here just to see an empty tomb but to experience the resurrected Christ.” Sharing the story from Scripture of Christ being raised, he also explained the plan of salvation and invited all to believe.

Later, I sat on a high place and etched the scene of the empty tomb into my memory while capturing the heavy emotion of the moment, allowing my heart time to capture a personal peace. Not once was there any doubt of resurrection facts and the reality of the resurrected living Christ.

The ultimate validity of the resurrection is a faith experience through the Holy Spirit but is based on ample physical, historical and testimonial evidence as proof. The passage helps feed our desire for a factual account that could be believable. Here are several things that parlay the burden of proof for faith that Jesus, crucified and buried, is the living Lord, just as he predicted.

There is no doubt that the disciples and numerous others believed the Jesus whom they saw crucified and placed in a tomb was alive from the dead. There is more evidence for the resurrection than there are for most cases tried in the highest courts of our land.

The attempt to secure the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66)

The chief priests and the Pharisees referred to Jesus as “the deceiver” before Pilate when making their case to secure the tomb. Joseph of Arimathea had taken the body of Jesus down from the cross, prepared the body for burial, placed it in the tomb and rolled a “big stone in front of the entrance” (v. 60).

Suddenly, remembering that Jesus has predicted that “after three days I will rise again” (v. 63), there was concern the disciples would steal his body for the purpose of making the claim he had risen from the dead. Such a thing would make “the last deception … worse than the first” (v. 64). Pilate agreed with them and joined in the plan.

 A.T. Robertson, author of Word Pictures in the New Testament, thoughtfully remarks, “The problem remains why the disciples forgot and the Jewish leaders remembered.”

The first deception these Jewish leaders referred to is assumed to be Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, the Son of God. The second deceit would be a feigned, fraudulent resurrection.

In reality, it was these plotters who made their last error worse than the first. Sealing the tomb and putting it under the watch of soldiers strengthens the evidence of the miraculous bodily resurrection of Christ. This plan was logical by reason of practicality, but the security provided additional proof, just the opposite of what was hoped for. They helped verify the resurrection.

The very words of the chief priests and Pharisees turned their brilliance into absurdity. The thoughtfulness of their reason was shattered by the mysterious reality of an empty tomb in spite of the best security the Jews and Romans could provide (v. 64).  

The astonishment of the unexpected (Matthew 28:1-4)

The visit by the women to the sepulcher brought unexpected and astounding information. As the day after the Sabbath began, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the last to leave the tomb (27:60) were the first to arrive (28:1).

Matthew records they came to “look at the tomb.” The violent earthquake may explain the concern to “look at the tomb.” We can surmise they were anxious about the condition of the body and the condition of the rock-hewn tomb where Jesus had been placed, along with the desire to complete the routine of body preparation with their oil and spices (Mark 16:1). Matthew sees the earthquake as happening in conjunction with the angel’s presence and the resurrection.  

These two women found three remarkable things: the stone that had sealed the tomb had been rolled away, on top of the stone sat an angel who appeared “like lightening and his clothes were white as snow” (v. 4), and the guards, though alive, were like dead men because of fear of the angel.

The facts that encourage faith now are falling into place. The earthquake may have been the natural signal of God’s supernatural act of empowerment of the resurrection and Jesus’ release from the tomb. Matthew says the angel rolled back the stone (v. 2).  

The sepulcher was open to allow the women to see the body was not there. There was reason to believe the body had been stolen. They had come to care for a dead man in a tomb but were the first to examine the physical evidence, combined with the historical prediction of the resurrection (v. 6). Supernaturally, the tomb was opened and supernaturally the body was gone.

Surprised and amazed, what they found was not what they expected. Unlike the guards who were stiff, these followers were alert and attentive to the things which they saw and experienced, hurrying to tell the others.

The announcement of the angel (Matthew 28:5-7)

Belief in the supernatural resurrection of Christ should quell skepticism and doubt regarding the existence of angels. An angel came to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus, the son of God, and now is present to announce his resurrection.

“Appearance” as studied in the Greek, seems to refer to a form of something but not necessarily a distinct clear visibility perhaps in the sense of “now we see but a poor reflection; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 134:12). The brightness would make the angel a vision without seeing clear form beyond the glare.  

The angel spoke to the question on their mind, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” The angel invited them into the tomb to see the empty grave and undisturbed grave cloths as proof.

The appearance of the risen Christ (Matthew 28:9-10)

Still overwhelmed by the angelic encounter, “afraid yet filled with joy,” and hurrying to tell the disciples, the resurrected living Jesus suddenly appears to the women. Grief was shattered with joy. The joy of the discovery is enhanced immensely by seeing the risen Christ face to face. The angelic vision was more subtle, but the appearance of Jesus was without veil for he immediately was recognized.

Jesus gave the common greeting of his day, like saying, “Hello,” or “Good morning.” Believing what had been told them by the angel and seeing the Lord himself, they fell at his feet and “worshiped him.” Afraid and trembling with more than the mind and heart could comprehend, Jesus repeated the same assurance the angel had spoken, “Do not be afraid.” I think he must have chuckled a bit over being reunited with these devoted followers.  
Again, Jesus repeated the angelic message, “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me” (vv. 7, 10).

Jesus makes 10 appearances following the resurrection. These become defining moments in dispelling any doubt by his followers that he was alive. That same testimony is available to seekers today in the scriptures.

The account of the cover-up (Matthew 28:11-15)

The joy of the women was pushed aside by the carping denial of the Jewish leaders. After the women left the tomb area, some of the guards, who were placed around the tomb to keep it secure, were aware of the circumstances and “went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened.” The guards observed sufficient detail of what happened to make a candid report.

Had Pilate learn of the failure of the guards to protect the tomb from looters, the guards would have been killed. The empty tomb was considered factual and the body of Jesus was missing. Regardless of the details of their testimony, the priests were convinced enough that they gathered the council of elders to contrive a plan of cover-up.  

Having contrived Jesus’ death by crucifixion, they may have feared retribution by Jesus, the disciples and his followers more than the truth of the resurrection. The Romans, Jews and disciples all were convinced Jesus was dead and buried. The Sanhedrin gave no indication the resurrection was believable though the guards must have given a truthful account.

Proceeding on that basis to protect themselves from the crowds and the guards from Pilate, the elders bribed the guards to lie about what they had seen and say the disciples came while the guards slept and stole away the body. Charged to lie about what they had seen would imply that the guards were aware of enough to confirm the resurrection.

Why would the guards lie, saying they had slept, knowing that they could face death? How could a few disciples break through the guards to take the body of Jesus? How could the Sanhedrin ignore the testimony of some of the guards? One has to ask why the Sanhedrin did not have the disciples hunted down and tried on trumped up charges, as in the case of Jesus? If the guards were asleep, how would they know the disciples took the body?

The Sanhedrin was most familiar with the effectiveness of a bribe for they had paid Judas money to betray Jesus. Bribing the guards would be just another step to hide their own deceitfulness. The guards knew Pilate could be bribed, so their secret would be kept and die with the passage of time.

The cover-up can be used against the Sanhedrin and guards to corroborate the resurrection of Jesus.

The authenticity of the resurrected Christ (Matthew 28:16-17)

Of the 10 post-resurrection appearances, Matthew includes only two of them. Matthew believed the two were sufficient to sustain his testimony of the fact of the resurrection. Following the encounter by the women, the disciples went to Galilee “to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go” and “when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted” (vv. 16-17).  

This declaration and statement that “he is risen” has sustained the church through the ages. The empty cross and empty tomb became the foundation of our hope in Christ for eternity. The messianic hope of the Old Testament is fulfilled in a remarkable and astounding way.  

The New Testament chronicles the historicity and evidence for a risen Christ. The astonishing events of the opened sepulcher, the testimony of an angel, the appearance to the women, the disciples who saw Jesus personally in Galilee, Matthew’s Gospel account, the cover-up by the officials and the beat goes on: “Christ is risen, just as he said.”

In spite of the evidence, some doubted. Everyone who hears this message must decide for themselves: Is Christ the resurrected Son of God and Savior, or is he just a “deceiver?” Doubt is healthy, providing the stimulus to explore the truth found in the evidence that would spark faith in this supernatural event.

As always, God gives us a choice. Faith can only be faith when there is freedom of choice. Matthew portrays the Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities as deceivers and Christ as the authentic risen Lord.

“Shakespeare or Scripture” is a contest heard weekly on listener supported Tyler Christian radio station KVNE. Morning personality Mike Harper reads a line either from Shakespeare or a verse from the King James Version of the Bible and then asks the contestant on the phone to identify it as either Shakespeare or Scripture.

I will have to admit that sometimes it is hard to discern between Shakespeare and Scripture. Likewise, it is difficult to comprehend the true biblical facts about the resurrection of Jesus and how the world views Easter.    

Luke 24 gives the world the facts. The chapter tells about the angels announcing Jesus’ resurrection, gives an account of his physical presence with disciples, and reminds us that was prophesied in Old Testament Scriptures.

Is the resurrection of Jesus, fact or fiction?

Remembering Jesus’ promise (Luke 24:1-8)

Just recently, I heard a story about a funeral home that was unable to prepare the body of a man who had died. The family of the deceased wanted to spend time in prayer for three days, praying for the man to come alive. After no resurrection on the third day, the body was prepared, and a funeral service was held.

How surprised would the family have been if their loved one had come back to life? Although the followers of Jesus had heard him say he would die and come again, they were not expecting him to defeat death after seeing him crucified on the cross.

Luke 24:1 says, “the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” The bringing of spices would be compared to bringing flowers to the grave of a loved one today. Finding the tomb empty and Jesus’ body not inside was a shock to “Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the others with them” (Luke 24:10).

God had a message to be proclaimed that day, and he sent angels in the form of two men to comfort the women and remind them Jesus said this would occur. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again” (Luke 24:5-6).

The message God wanted proclaimed was that Jesus is not dead but alive. Jesus is to be celebrated as the living Lord and Savior.

Confirming Jesus lives (Luke 24:36-40)

In verses 13-35, Jesus appears to two believers traveling on the road to Emmaus. When Jesus walked with them, they did not recognize him. They were so engrossed in trying to discern if the news of the empty tomb was true and the resurrection of Jesus was real, they themselves did not recognize the Savior.

Upon arriving at their destination, they asked Jesus to stay and have dinner with them. When Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread, “their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight” (Luke 24:31). The two returned to Jerusalem. They had good news to tell the disciples: “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34).

Don’t be harsh on these two travelers for not recognizing the Lord. Have you ever ran a stop sign that is at an intersection of a road you travel daily? Why did you run it? More than likely, you were in deep thought about an issue and did not comprehend the command of the traffic sign.

Sometimes I wonder how many times I have missed the promptings of the Holy Spirit to be obedient to the Lord’s commands because I was focused on other things.

Not only did Jesus appear to the two travelers he appeared in the middle of the room where the disciples were gathered. “They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost” (Luke 24:37).  

To prove he indeed was alive, Jesus encouraged them to look him over, much like a mother would check her newborn to see all was in place. Jesus said to them: “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). He even ate a piece of fish to show them he was not a ghost or a figment of their imaginations.

Believers, we must remember Jesus was not just a restored human. He had a glorified body and was able to appear and disappear. The kind of body Jesus had will be given to believers at the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:42-50).

The way Jesus appeared was too good to be true, but as they experienced the joy and presence of the risen Savior, they believed.
    

Believing Scripture’s testimony (Luke 24:44-46)
 
The disciples were looking for a conquering Messiah to oust Roman rule. The Scriptures teach differently.

The disciples finally understood the Scriptures because Jesus opened their minds, just like the Holy Spirit does for believers today. Jesus told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day (Luke 24:26).” God’s Messiah must suffer, die and rise to life.

When a person reads Scriptures and allows the Holy Spirit to teach truth, the reader believes the whole Bible is testimony that Jesus is God’s Son. The Messiah. The One sent to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

The question I like to ask on Resurrection Sunday is one I read in a Max Lucado book: Was the stone rolled away to let Jesus out or to allow seekers to see the empty tomb? Jesus did not need the stone moved, but the world needed to see the empty tomb in order to believe in the truth of Jesus’ resurrection.

The Holy Spirit reveals daily in my life, “Jesus is Alive!”