The Adult Sunday School

Sunday, November 10, 2013

On 11-17-13, Exodus 14:13, 14, 21-30 or 14:21-30 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Beginning of Freedom

Beginning of Freedom

Exodus 14:13, 14, 21-30 or 14:21-30

International Sunday School Lesson

November 17, 2013

Commentary

Jed Greenough

Some have entitled this week’s lesson as Beginning of Freedom. I would ask the question, “does freedom come cheap?” And I am sure you would answer that freedom generally comes at a great price.

In a sense it was a perceived freedom that Adam and Eve were trying to attain that resulted in their fall. They thought they could make the right decision on their own and look at the price.

Consider wars for freedom. Between the two world wars, 130 million people were thought to have died from the associated causes. That number is so high that the price that was paid for freedom was clearly staggering.

In that case what freedom was achieved? Freedom from persecution, freedom from oppression freedom from evil? Certainly the answer is yes to all those but what all was good and what all was bad and what in the end was God’s will is fuzzy to us right now.

Again as we consider today’s scripture we see some are calling this lesson “The Beginning of Freedom” and yes with this freedom would come cost. Why couldn’t the Israelites just march out of Egypt and be free? Why did Pharaoh’s army have to pay the price?

God says in the non-included verse 4, “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

Once the Israelites saw that they were being pursued they cried out in the non-included verses 11-12, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”

For some of us Moses reply is included as he explained that the Lord would deliver and as you know He did. The army of Pharaoh paid the price for the Israelites’ freedom. It is another one of those fuzzy things we can’t quite grasp when we consider the loss of life and when we consider the episodes that followed.

When water became scarce the people grumbled (15:22-24 and 17:1-3). When food became scarce they grumbled (16:1-3). In fact, according to Deuteronomy 8:7b Moses said the following to the Israelites, “From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the Lord.” But they received their freedom anyway. Thus is the nature of God.

The Israelites were certainly a perfect example for us doing little but still receiving their freedom and with it came great cost. I know most of us have and some still shake their head in wonder at the behavior of the Israelites but let’s consider another people and another freedom achieved at great cost. Those people are Christians. I’m sure you already knew where I was going but the parallels are there.

Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice for our ultimate freedom from death. What did we pay for that freedom? Nothing. Despite our unworthiness and “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8. What’s more we still grumble and rebel.

I hope that we consider that the next time we shake our head at the Israelites.

For Discussion:

1. Find and discuss other scripture where God mentions the use of Pharaoh.

2. Discuss verse 31.

3. Read 15:1-21.

4. Discuss what the experience must have been like for the Israelites.

5. Discuss freedom.

6. Discuss the costs of freedom.

7. Discuss our being freed from death’s hold on us.

Upcoming Lessons

11-17-13 Beginning of Freedom Exodus 14:13, 14, 21-30 or 14:21-30

11-24-13 Beginning of the Tabernacle Exodus 40:16-30, 34, 38

12-1-13 The Angel Foretells Jesus’ Birth Luke 1:26-40

12-8-13 Mary Sings Her Praise or Mary’s Song of Praise Luke 1:46-56

Monday, November 4, 2013

On 11-10-13, Exodus 12:1-14 will be our Adult Sunday School/Uniform Series/International Sunday School Lesson herein is my commentary. This lesson is known by some as Beginning of Passover

Beginning of Passover

Exodus 12:1-14

International Sunday School Lesson

November 10, 2013

Commentary

Jed Greenough

For each of you I would imagine every week you have a routine for preparing for the coming Sunday School lesson. I hope that you begin in prayer and then read that week’s scripture taking the time first to listen to God.

That is rather how I do it as I try and feel the inspiration from God on what I should concentrate on each week. It determines what it is it that He would have me emphasize so that I can be the most benefit to you or to that other person or for the most people.

I bet like me, you have been in attendance when a particular sermon spoke only to you or to your family and maybe missed most everyone else. I know I have also been in attendance where it spoke to everyone in a different way. I feel confident that this is one of the ways that we can know we are reading and considering the true word of God.

Sometimes when we sit through a sermon and we first consider that perhaps the pastor didn’t knock it out of the park today it might be that it wasn’t for you but a brother or a sister.

This week as I read about this first Passover I just automatically thought about Communion which is natural since Christ is our Passover Lamb. So when I considered the parallels with this first Passover and our Communion I thought about how they were instructed to eat this first Passover, “with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.”

When you read those words you go into this knowing what is going to happen as you proceed through Genesis and you see that the Israelites will soon quickly be leaving Egypt. You can read those words in verse 11 and see that they were to be at the ready. They were to be prepared.

I partake of communion weekly, some partake monthly and others quarterly or some other schedule. I never trivialize it, minimalize it or take it for granted as it is the most important part of my week. But I know that many, no matter how frequent or infrequent, do partake in a less than worthy matter.

What came to me as I read today’s scripture is that many in the church are not ready or prepared for what is coming. They need to partake of Communion with their cloak tucked in their belt, their sandals on their feet and their staff in their hand.

Read the words of Christ concerning His return. When you have done so, does it sound like you should be going through the motions, like there will be time to go back and get that cloak? I urge you to be prepared and to prepare as many as possible so that when He comes your neighbor will not be among those who mourn but among the gathered.

For Discussion:

1. Discuss why God instituted this new calendar and began it with Passover.

2. Discuss the similarities to Christ as our sacrificial lamb.

3. Discuss why bitter herbs were eaten.

4. Discuss the similarities overall to Christ’s sacrifice.

5. Discuss modern Passover for today’s Jews as compared to what is described.

6. Discuss Communion.

7. Discuss being prepared.