Sabbath School

02/15/2020

*Lesson 7 – From the Lion’s Den to the Angel’s Den*
Out goes Babylon and in comes the Medes and Persians. Daniel again finds favour before Darius and before long is to be set Chief Administrator his government. This provokes the jealousy his colleagues.

In order to trap Daniel, they conclude that unless the matter concerns his God, any such attempt would definitely fail. They suggest to the king to promulgate a law which would make it an offence for anyone to petition a god or any deity within 30 days. The King fails to see through the trap and indeed signs this into law. The law of the Medes and Persians being irrevocable. Daniel would however pray to God as was his custom. The King then realizes the trap rather late after Daniel’s accusers report the fact that Daniel had petitioned his God and is unable to to save Daniel.

Lesson 11 – *Backslidden People*
Behold how quick men are to forget the effect of turning away from God! Israel had sunk! After Nehemiah left to his post in Babylon, they now desecrated the Sabbath with impunity, they stopped returning their tithes which meant that the Levites and other workers in the Lord’s temple had to vacate their post in order to tend the fields and fend for their families! Behold, howbeit that the store room in the temple had been cleared for the private use of Tobiah, Israel’s arch-enemy! Intermarriage with the heathen had become the order of the day. All these happening within a generation which had zealously initiated a covenant with God.
Then returns their Governor Nehemiah who was practically shocked to see all these happenings just after he had left. He began the work of reform, tithing which was the system by which God sought to operate the temple service based on the simple formula of proportionality for which blessings were poured out was resumed. Tobiah had to be thrown out with the appointment of trustworthy men to mann the temple and collect tithes. The alliance between Eliashib the High Priest and Sanballat (Israel’s enemy) was one of intermarriage, the former’s grandson being married to the latter’s daughter. As part of the reforms, Eliashib’s grandson was banished from Israel for defiling the priesthood.
The merchandise that was undertaken on the Sabbath was stopped by closing the city gates and Nehemiah posting his servants there. When these traders returned to set up outside the city gates, Nehemiah did not mince words by threatening to lay hands on them if the practice persisted.
The Lord’s wrath was thus turned away from Israel and in its stead, “approval and blessings”! That is what one man’s zeal achieved! Shalom
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People Reached
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05 October 2019
Lesson 1 – *Making Sense of History: Zerubbabel and Ezra*
The Israelites were defeated by the Babylonians and taken into captivity in Babylon. The Lord gave the Prophet Jeremiah the prophecy that their captivity shall 70 years. This prophecy as we shall see is important because its absolute fulfillment was to mark the beginning of the 2,300 year prophecy.
It was the heathen king Cyrus – the Mede – who after conquering Babylon was the first to proclaim between 539 and 537 BC that the nation of Israel could return to build the house of God.
From Cyrus, it was Artaxerxes, the 5th King from Cyrus who ordered that just anyone who wanted to return to Jerusalem could do so under the leadership of Ezra. He also ensured that they left with silver and gold for their reconstruction efforts and whatever resources they needed to sacrifice to “their God”. He particularly ordered the observance of the laws of God and that the judicial system of Israel should be well established with the appointment of judges.
Ezra was a learned man who was fit for the role. He had a Priestly legacy and was skilled in the law of Moses. Having also learned astrology and other heathen practices, he could decipher between truth and error. He had prepared himself to teach the way of the Lord to his fellow men.
The work before us calls for men like Ezra and Nehemiah. Those who “will not hold their peace when wrong is done, neither will they cover evil with a cloak of false charity”. Shalom

Lesson 11 – *Living the Advent Hope*
Christ indeed resurrected from the dead, the truth without which our faith is most futile. For indeed if our hope does not transcend this life, then we are of all men most to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:19). The Lord shall make new the earth and the heavens. The former things shall pass, and the Lord himself shall wipe away all our tears.
The Bible is replete with stories of God having come through to deliver his people, avenging them albeit shortlived. We have seen prophets in times past cry onto the Lord to take action even as the wicked seems to enjoy their bounty at the expense of the righteous. Behold, in this life good men may end up like the wicked and vice-versa as identified by King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 8:14), the Lord however shall judge all men and reward accordingly (Ecclesiastes 13:13, 14).
But prior to all things being brought to an end, we are encouraged to continue to do good. The little we may do may not change the entire world but we are not to grow weary nonetheless.
We remain God’s hands and legs here! Shalom

Lesson 9 – *Ministry in the New Testament*
The lesson attempts to promote practical Christianity via genuine liberality. The aura of the genuine concern, care and affection of the early Christian Church aptly describes the kind of Christianity so preferred. That members would sell their assets and present the money so realized with the aim of alleviating the troubles of others is just how practical it gets.
Paul in his ministry actively promoted this kind of sharing with the less endowed and many times would himself collect and present these collections. He particularly encouraged “generous giving” as a fundamental pillar of Christianity. Paul actually suggests a deliberate effort in giving, being intentional about it! He taught that practical Christianity encompassed care for the poor.
James (brother of Jesus) goes on to warn against preferential treatment given to the rich against the poor. In his view there shouldn’t be any dichotomy between faith and works. Christians must walk the talk by practically giving to support the needy.
Christians have freely received salvation above all and in addition good gifts from the maker. As we have freely been given, so must we freely give. The life of Dorcas makes a good case study. It demonstrates how we must consistently give in our own small way, particularly targeting the suffering and the less privileged.
“A life of service is not a smooth path; at times it could even be a rougher road”. May God be our helper. Shalom!

Lesson 3 – Sabbath: A Day of Freedom 07 JULY2019
The Sabbath is a memorial etched in time and specially made for the benefit of man. It is a memorial of creation and redemption. God in leading the Israelites out of Egypt provided tutorials in keeping the Sabbath. God intended to restore a broken relationship and as well grow same with himself (vertical) and with their fellow men (horizontal).
He thought them through the provision of manna that no work should be done on the Sabbath by allowing them to gather twice as much manna required by each every Friday; these never went bad. They were to learn “trust, generosity and sharing”. It is God’s desire that all should enjoy the benefits of the Sabbath irrespective of station, class or creed. Thus, per the law, emphasis is placed on strangers/foreigners and servants or hirelings, even beasts of burden.
The Sabbath was made for man and thus “…. acts of mercy are in perfect are in perfect harmony with his intent”. Christ ensured strict application to this principle by relieving the suffering of men on the Sabbath especially by healing them. This revolution was to teach adherence to the precepts of the Sabbath as was intended. The Sabbath principle was extended to the land with the directive to cease from tilling in the 7th year. This culminated in the Jubilee year after seven sevens. This principle of allowing a fallow period has been adopted widely in the field of Agriculture. He taught them trust because he fed them and their livestock with what grew by itself on the land. He showed them he was their provider by directing that all debts be cancelled. Again he showed them how merciful he was by directing that persons who sold themselves into slavery be freed.
Indeed his mercies endures and all we can do is to trust him. Shalom

Lesson 5 – Wise Words for Families. We see very important and thought provoking guides. The lesson challenges us to live above reproach and to be what we expect to see in our spouses. It extols the virtues of right living and draws us ultimately to focus on heaven! That sex is a gift meant to be enjoyed *only* within the confines of marriage has not been overemphasized. To appreciate and remain satisfied with the breasts of the wife of one’s youth is counsel which is a sure guide against adultery. The choice of a wife is important and although the virtues of Proverbs 31 is not a checklist for selection it represents the ideals all must yearn to attain. To fear God is a basic requirement for selection and for the attainment of excellence. The influence and role of the father should not be neglected nor can it be relegated or delegated. The family must be his priority. A godly legacy is expected of all fathers. If there is any takeaway in discipline, then it is that your child won’t die when disciplined. Do not spare the rod! Think heaven! Shalom

Lesson 1 – The Rhythms of Life. By God’s grace we are studying ‘The Seasons of Life’ this quarter. We are basically looking at our changed life cycle after sin marred creation and how we are to relate with others. The family life shall see particular emphasis. The first lesson presents an orderly God who created our world with order and injected same in the operation of the entire universe. This same order guides our very existence on earth from birth through youth till we die. We are particularly vulnerable in our formative years and require the assistance of family – ordinarily – to survive. The most important relation is to know God and experience change by this knowledge thereby, hallelujah. No matter how long this change may take let us hold on to God in earnest. Like Job, we shall be fortified to stand irrespective if we have this relationship with God, then it shall be possible to transfer this relational experience in our intercourse with man; exuding positive impact thereby! We shall be changed if we behold his face! Shalom

Memory Text: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:10, NKJV).

As we have seen, even after Pentecost the relationship between believers was at times strained. The New Testament records repeated examples of the way that church leaders and individual members dealt with such challenges. These principles are extremely valuable for the church today. They reveal the positive results that can come when we use biblical principles to deal with conflicts and preserve our oneness in Christ.

In this week’s lesson, we will focus on restored relationships and how our human relationships impact our oneness in Christ. The ministry of the Holy Spirit involves bringing people closer to God and to one another. It includes breaking down the barriers in our relationship with God and breaking down barriers in our relationships with one another. In short, the greatest demonstration of the power of the Gospel is not necessarily what the church says but how the church lives.

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, NKJV). Without this love all our talk about church unity will come to nothing.

Michael Badu Arkoh

Sabbath School Superintendent (2023-Present)