ATTENTION: Please note that this is The Adult Sunday School Lesson, Use God’s Strength, on Judges 3:15-25, 29-30 for the 7-17-11 International Sunday School Lesson. You will find the 7-10-11 lesson, Listen to God’s Judges directly beneath this message and on the right side.
Jed
Use God’s Strength
Judges 3:15-25, 29-30
International Sunday School Lesson
July 17, 2011
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
March 5, 1953; April 15, 1998; August 16, 2003. These are the dates respectively that Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot and Idi Amin each died of natural causes.
Joseph Stalin was responsible for so many deaths through purges, torture, repression and mass killings that historians cannot come to an agreement on the numbers he was responsible for. The most conservative estimates agree to say that there were no fewer than 15 million deaths attributable to him.
Pol Pot’s attempt at starting history over in Cambodia resulted in the death of an estimated 2 million of his people with the possibility of it being much higher. To put this in perspective, the total population of Cambodia in 1980 was roughly 6.7 million.
The estimated 500,000 that died due to Idi Amin’s terror is no less a nightmare if you belonged to the wrong religion, class, profession or whatever motive was moving this Ugandan.
Justice was not served upon these men while they were living and if it were and we heard about it over the news, what would we have thought? What did you think about when you heard that justice was brought to bear upon Osama bin Laden? What if justice had found Hitler in the 1930’s instead of death coming by his own hand in the 40’s?
If your thoughts on these questions are like the majority I’ve heard, why do most that look at today’s scripture think and say some of the things that they do? Most want the Ehuds of the world to take justice to these Stalins and bin Ladens but it bothers them to read of it in their Bible.
Most that prepare for these lessons look at the world through more civilized eyes than the Ehuds do and that is a good thing. But when we face great oppression and persecution we cry out to God for justice just as the Israelites did.
God rose up Ehud to be a deliverer and through his actions 80 years of peace were brought about. Was the killing of the one justifiable for the sake of the many? The answers may vary but the killing of the one or the oppression that preceded it would not have happened if the many had not forsaken God.
For Discussion:
1. What other methods of God do we take exception to?
2. How much of the evil in the world is solely of human nature? Ephesians 6 tells us we are battling spiritual forces of evil.
3. Being glad for justice is good but celebrating judgment not so much. What did you think when you saw the celebrations over bin Laden’s death?
4. Discuss when force for justice is justified, if ever?
5. God can choose a deliverer and when and how deliverance should be achieved, can we?
6. Where do we draw the line? Is it all in the hands of authorities that God puts in place?
7. How do we apply the following scripture to the issue?
Romans 12:14-21
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
7-24-11: Let God Rule Judges 7:2-4, 13-15; 8:22-26a or Judges 7:2-4, 13-15; 8:22-25
7-31-11: Return to Obedience (Return to God’s Ways) Judges 10:10-18 or Judges 10:10-18; 11:4-6, 32-33
8-07-11: Walk in God’s Path Judges 13:1-8, 24-25
8-14-11: Making a Choice (Choosing a Community) Ruth 1:8-18
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
who was the judges God's used to help them
ReplyDeleteAccording to the NIV in the book of Judges there were the so-called Major Judges of Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson. In addition there were Minor Judges of Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon.
ReplyDeleteThanks