THEME: JUSTICE
DEFINED
TEXT: DEUTERONOMY 10:12-22; 16:18-20
MEMORY VERSE: And now, O Israel, what
does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all
his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving
you today for your own good? — Deuteronomy 10:12-13 (NIV)
LESSON AIMS: After participating in this lesson, each
student will be able to:
1.
Define “fear of the
Lord.”
2.
Explain how fear of the
Lord relates to justice.
3.
Participate in a
role-play that dramatizes acting in the fear of the Lord to address an unjust
situation in a modern office.
INTRODUCTION
Those who do not know the God of Scripture
may be confused about the nature of godly love. In a people-to-people sense,
love often refers to a deep appreciation for another that encourages one to
give sacrificially of self. The term love is also routinely applied to
inanimate objects such as ice cream, television shows, etc. In such cases, love
means something like “preference for.”
In light of this wide
range of applications, some people may not be sure what to make of the biblical
invitation to love God. Loving the unseen God is necessarily different from
loving people, whom we can see and touch. We can express love for people by
meeting their needs. God, by contrast, lacks nothing (Psalm 50:9-12); he has no
needs that we can meet. Thus it is important for those who strive to love God
to pay careful attention to Scriptures such as today’s passage, which teach us
how to love God.
[Please
note that you are free to reproduce this lesson for your Sunday school classes.
The talk points (in red prints) are to help your
discussions.]
A. LORD’S REQUIREMENTS –
Deuteronomy 10:12-16
1. How have you observed that following
God’s commands is beneficial for you personally? (In
terms of physical health; In terms of spiritual health; In terms of
relationships.)
2. How does being identified as a
“chosen one,” a child of the Almighty, affect your decisions and actions? [In exercising your priestly duties (1 Peter 2:9); In how you
worship (Ephesians 1:11, 12); In personal holiness (Colossians 3:12).]
B.
LORD’S
NATURE – Deuteronomy 10:17-18
1. Who
are those that are deprived of their rights today? How can we express love to
them? (In our local community; In our wider culture; In
the world.)
C. ISRAEL’S DUTY
– Deuteronomy 10:19-20;
16:18-20
1.
How
can you ensure that God has first priority in your life? Be specific. (In honour; In trust; In time commitments.)
2.
What
manipulations of justice do you see today? What actions that do not involve
partisan politics can Christians take to prevent such distortions? (In government; In the business world.)
CONCLUSION
Loving the God of justice is different from
loving food, from loving forms of entertainment, and from loving people. To
love God is to embrace his character, to seek his will, and to obey his
commands. This core teaching of Deuteronomy is central to New Testament faith.
Jesus makes this clear several times (see John 14:15, 21; 15:10, 12). Loving
God cannot be separated from loving Jesus, which cannot be separated from
keeping God’s commands, which cannot be separated from loving one another (1
John 3:16-17). How unique is our God! How unique and wonderful are his love and
his justice! Let us love God by demonstrating his justice for the sake of his
mission in this world.
PRAYER
Lord God, teach us to love you in ways that
are appropriate to your holiness and your majesty. Teach us your justice and
empower us to be faithful to your requirements. We are humbled to be your
people. Thank you for entrusting us with a task as important as your mission in
this world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
True justice cannot be
separated from loving God and loving people.
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