Greeting Members and Friends
It time once again for our weekly Sunday School preview so thanks for joining me and welcome back. “An Everlasting Covenant” is the November unit focus. This Sunday’s lesson entitled “Faithful God, Unfaithful People” is about God’s response to idolatry, zeal and unfaithfulness.
The idolatry involved the men of the nation of Israel during the days of Moses. They allowed themselves to be seduced into idol worship practices of a neighboring culture that involved sex with the women of that culture. Religious worship involving sex acts were common among people in those days. Their behavior angered the Lord and He commanded Moses to put all those guilty to death by public hanging. Their sin was so widespread and known, that only a public demonstration of God’s judgement would be a sufficient answer to their offense.
While grieving over what was going on, a leader of one of the tribes flaunted or paraded his idolatrous sex act before the people in open defiance of God’s law and judgement. While others stood by and did nothing, one man rose up and killed them both. This is the zeal of the lesson. God was so impressed with this man’s intense defense of His holiness and judgement, that He ended a plague that had already destroyed 24000 people with no end in sight and made an everlasting peace covenant with him and his descendants.
The last part of the lesson addresses the unfaithfulness of the priest Eli and his sons. While his sons were guilty of gross abuse and neglect of their priestly office, Eli, their father, was guilty of not disciplining them and allowing them to carry on that way. As a result, God stripped their family of their priestly role and privileges and gave them to another Levitical house. In doing so, God fulfilled His covenant He made to Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron during the reign of King Solomon.
These are the main thoughts I see coming from the lesson. The first point is that God will judge idolatry. People who choose to worship other people and things will face the wrath of God both here and now and in the final judgement. Secondly, we who see and know what is going on must be willing to stand up and confront the evil going on in our society. And finally, we must be true to our calling or we will face the same judgement as the idolaters and unbelievers. To get a fuller understanding of this lesson read the daily SS readings found in your SS book and on our website and mobile app. Well, that’s all for this week’s preview. Be sure to join us in Sunday School this week for a fuller discussion of this lesson and the general topic of an everlasting covenant. So, until then
Grace and peace
Pastor Jordan
