DOCSLIB.ORG

Holiness and Justice

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Holiness and Justice 3 Holiness and Justice God is just, but sometimes His actions appear to be unjust. The striking dead of Ananias and Sapphira by God in Acts 5, for example, seems to be an instance of the punishment far out weighing the crime. When we realize, however, that these acts of justice are expressions of God’s holiness, they take on new light. A more complete understanding of God’s character enables one to see these actions by God with greater clarity and helps us to avoid the very real danger of taking His grace for granted. The purpose of this lesson is to promote growth in the understanding of, and thankful- ness for, God’s grace. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. To demonstrate God’s justice in some of His more severe actions recorded in Scripture. 2. To distinguish between justice and mercy. 3. To be convicted of the seriousness of sin. 4. To appreciate the mercy and grace of God. QUOTATIONS Let justice be done though the world perish. —Augustine But blessed be His name. That which His holiness demanded His grace has provided in Jesus Christ our Lord. —A.W. Pink LECTURE OUTLINE I. There are times when God appears to be unjust. 1. The story of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1–7) a. Nadab and Abihu offered unauthorized fire at the altar. 32 Holiness and Justice 33 i. They were sons of Aaron, the high priest. ii. God hastily struck them dead for a seemingly small error. b. Aaron complained to Moses. i. That his sons were killed by God seemed unfair to Aaron. ii. Moses said that God must be treated as holy. iii. This answer satisfied Aaron and he remained silent. 3. The story of Uzzah (2 Samuel 6) a. The ark of the covenant was being returned to Jerusalem on an oxcart when it suddenly began to fall. b. Uzzah steadied the ark with his hand to keep it from falling into the dirt. c. God struck Uzzah dead for touching the ark. i. The law mandated that no one was to touch the ark. ii. Uzzah arrogantly assumed that his hands were less polluted than the dirt. II. How do we reconcile the angry God of the Old Testament with the merciful God of the New Testament? 1. Some modern views deny that the God of the Old Testament existed. 2. Hans Küng said the real mystery is not that a holy and righteous God should exercise justice, but that He tolerates rebellious creatures. 3. All sin is a capital offense against God. a. Even in the slightest sin we defy the authority of God, insult His majesty, and challenge His justice. b. We have become recalcitrant in our hearts and our consciences have been seared. 4. According to Küng, the Old Testament actually represents a radical diminishing of God’s wrath. III. The problem is that many Christians expect God’s grace. 1. God’s forbearing mercy is designed to give us time to repent. 2. First we take mercy for granted, then we assume it, and finally we demand it. 3. Mercy, by definition, is free and given voluntarily. IV. A holy God is both just and merciful but never unjust. 1. Don’t ask God for justice—you might get it. 2. If God were to deal with us according to justice, we would perish instantly. 3. We live by His mercy. 34 The Holiness of God BIBLE STUDY 1. Dr. Sproul writes: The slightest sin is an act of defiance against cosmic authority. It is a revolu- tionary act, a rebellious act where we are setting ourselves in opposition to the One to whom we owe everything. It is an insult to His holiness. a. Dr. Sproul’s statement may seem rather strong to us. We have become so used to sin that even the word itself has become commonplace. Look up the following passages of Scripture and write down the different words or phrases that are used to describe sin (use of the New International Version will be especially helpful in bringing out different words used for sin). Leviticus 16:21 ______________________________________________________________________ 2 Samuel 12:9–10 ____________________________________________________________________ 1 Kings 13:21 ________________________________________________________________________ b. To what extent does Dr. Sproul’s quotation agree with the description of sin in the above Scriptures? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ c. Look up 1 John 1:9. What does God promise? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ d. Some people have difficulty with the promise of 1 John 1:9 because it seems to make forgiveness so easy to obtain. Substitute for the word sin in that verse one of the words or phrases from the Scriptures above. Does that help to clarify what is involved in confessing our sins? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ e. How can the synonyms for sin used in the above Scriptures help you deal with sin in your own life? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Dr. Sproul writes: “God is never obligated to be merciful. Mercy and grace must be voluntary or they are no longer mercy and grace.” Holiness and Justice 35 a. What did God say about His mercy in Exodus 33:19? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ b. Explain in your own words what God was saying. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ c. Can you think of an occasion when you felt you deserved mercy? Describe the occasion. What do you think about that occasion now with regard to deserving mercy? Explain your answer. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. The parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16) is part of Jesus’ teaching on the subject of grace. It grew out of Peter’s question in Matthew 19:27 and is an elaboration in the form of a parable of Jesus’ answer to Peter’s question in Matthew 19:28–30. a. What is implied in Peter’s question in Matthew 19:27? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ b. Based on the teaching of Job 41:1 and Romans 11:35, how would you answer Peter’s question? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ c. How does Jesus’ reply demonstrate the grace of God? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ d. How does the action of the landowner in the parable demonstrate the grace of God? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 36 The Holiness of God e. Was the landowner fair in giving all the workers equal pay? Explain your answer. __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ f. Verse 15 is probably the key passage of the parable. Assuming that the land- owner in the parable represents God, what does verse 15 teach us about God? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ g. Compare the teaching of Matthew 20:15 with Exodus 33:19. What is the essential teaching of the two passages? __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ h. How do you respond to this teaching?
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Why Did God Smite Uzzah?
    Why did God smite Uzzah? The ark of the covenant had fallen into the hands of the Philistines (1 Sam 4–5), and David was finally bringing back the lost ark to Jerusalem. The festivities basically included a big parade with dancing, celebrating and a marching band. Suddenly, the cart carrying the ark shook as the oxen that were pulling it stumbled. Uzzah, one of the men walking alongside it, reached out to stabilize the ark, but Yahweh got angry at Uzzah and instantly killed him. God Behaving Badly: What prompted this divine display of rage? Wasn’t Uzzah doing a good Is the God of the Old thing by protecting the ark from tipping over? Surely whatever he was Testament Angry, doing didn’t deserve a death sentence. Why did God have to kill him? Even Sexist and Racist? David, a man after God’s own heart, got mad at Yahweh for the outburst. June 2011 Stories like this give the God of the Old Testament a bad reputation. $15, 205 pages, paper 978-0-8308-3826-4 While the story of Uzzah and the ark is deeply troubling, as we begin to examine the causes of God’s anger it becomes more understandable. Yahweh was angry here for three main reasons. Carrying the ark. First, Yahweh told the Israelites how to carry the ark, and they weren’t obeying. Yahweh told them that they were not to transport the ark on a cart, but it was to be carried by the priests on poles through rings on the side of the ark (Ex 25:10-15; Num 4:15; 7:7-9; Deut 10:8).
    [Show full text]
  • THRESHING FLOORS AS SACRED SPACES in the HEBREW BIBLE by Jaime L. Waters a Dissertation Submitted to the Johns Hopkins Universit
    THRESHING FLOORS AS SACRED SPACES IN THE HEBREW BIBLE by Jaime L. Waters A dissertation submitted to The Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland August 2013 © 2013 Jaime L. Waters All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Vital to an agrarian community’s survival, threshing floors are agricultural spaces where crops are threshed and winnowed. As an agrarian society, ancient Israel used threshing floors to perform these necessary activities of food processing, but the Hebrew Bible includes very few references to these actions happening on threshing floors. Instead, several cultic activities including mourning rites, divination rituals, cultic processions, and sacrifices occur on these agricultural spaces. Moreover, the Solomonic temple was built on a threshing floor. Though seemingly ordinary agricultural spaces, the Hebrew Bible situates a variety of extraordinary cultic activities on these locations. In examining references to threshing floors in the Hebrew Bible, this dissertation will show that these agricultural spaces are also sacred spaces connected to Yahweh. Three chapters will explore different aspects of this connection. Divine control of threshing floors will be demonstrated as Yahweh exhibits power to curse, bless, and save threshing floors from foreign attacks. Accessibility and divine manifestation of Yahweh will be demonstrated in passages that narrate cultic activities on threshing floors. Cultic laws will reveal the links between threshing floors, divine offerings and blessings. One chapter will also address the sociological features of threshing floors with particular attention given to the social actors involved in cultic activities and temple construction. By studying references to threshing floors as a collection, a research project that has not been done previously, the close relationship between threshing floors and the divine will be visible, and a more nuanced understanding of these spaces will be achieved.
    [Show full text]
  • A Survey of Old Testament
    God, His People & the Messiah: A Survey of Old Testament 18 – DAVID & THE ARK (2 SAMUEL 6:1-23; 1 CHRONICLES 13:1-14; 15:1-16:43) I. David Seeks the Ark (2 Samuel 6:1-5; 1 Chronicles 13:1-8) - David consulted with leaders of Israel to gather the Levites who were spread throughout Israel. - They would then bring the Ark back to nation since no one has inquired of it since the days of Saul. - The leaders of the Israel agreed to do this since it seemed right to them. - So David gathered all Israel from the north to the south to bring the Ark. - They carried the Ark on a new cart and two men drove the cart. - David and all Israel played music before God in a procession with the cart. II. Uzzah & the Ark (2 Samuel 6:6-11; 1 Chronicles 13:9-14) - During the journey, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled and Uzzah touched the ark to steady it. - God’s anger was immediately aroused and he killed Uzzah while he was near the Ark of God. - David became angry because of Uzzah being killed, which then turned to fear. - David questioned if the Ark would ever come to him and it was taken to house of Obed-Edom. - The Ark stayed there three month and God blessed Oded-Edom with his household. III. David’s Second Attempt (2 Samuel 6:12-15; 1 Chronicles 15:1-28) - Seeing that the Lord was blessing Obed-Edom, David decided to make another attempt.
    [Show full text]
  • When God Doesn't Seem Fair
    Wheelersburg Baptist Church 2/17/02 Brad Brandt Leviticus 10:1-3; 2 Samuel 6:1-11 "When God Doesn’t Seem Fair" ** Main Idea: Today we want to tackle two difficult to explain texts from God's Word that illustrate God's holiness. They also help us respond to situations when God doesn’t seem fair. I. Keep in mind two illustrations of God's holiness. A. Nadab & Abihu experienced His holiness (Leviticus 10:1-3). 1. God judges holy men by a higher standard. 2. There is no such thing as a small sin. B. Uzzah experienced His holiness (2 Samuel 6:1-11). 1. Uzzah was guilty of presumption. 2. He presumed he knew better than God what was best for the ark. 3. We’re in big trouble when we tamper with God’s Word. II. Keep in mind the implications of God's holiness. A. A holy God must deal justly with sin. 1. The amazing thing is not that God took the lives of Nadab, Abihu, and Uzzah for their sins. 2. The amazing thing is that God doesn't do the same with us when we sin. B. God does not owe us mercy. 1. We tend to think that because God is longsuffering, He’s not offended. 2. God will deal with sin—in His time. C. Don't presume upon the patience of God. 1. There's only one person with whom God was "unfair." 2. His name is Jesus Christ. 3. God treated Him the way we deserve to be treated.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Chronicles 13:9-11 (
    The Berean: Daily Verse and Commentary for 1 Chronicles 13:9-11 (http://www.theberean.org) 1 Chronicles 13:9-11 (9) When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. (10) The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. (11) Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. New International Version I Chronicles 13:1-3 introduces an episode containing a presumptuous act, immediately followed by a sobering display of divine justice. However, this time, one of the most respected names in Israelite history is directly involved. It is the story of Uzza's sudden death while moving the Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred and revered of Israelite objects. The Ark, representing the throne of God and containing the tablets of stone Moses received from God on Mount Sinai, normally resided in the Holy of Holies. David desired to move the Ark to Jerusalem to continue to consolidate the kingdom under himself. As they were moving it on an oxcart, the oxen stumbled, and the Ark appeared to be toppling to the ground. Uzza, in what may have been pure reflex, put out his hand to steady the Ark, but upon touching it, he was immediately struck dead (verses 9-10)! At first, David was angry that God ruined his party (verses 8, 11) - as the whole atmosphere of the Ark's transfer was celebratory - but shortly after, he became extremely fearful (verse 12).
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons Learned from Uzzah
    www.thetfordcountry.com Richard Thetford Lessons Learned from Uzzah Introduction 1. Bible Character studies are good because we can learn from their life things that we should or should not be doing (Rom 15:4; 1 Cor 10:11). 2. This morning I want us to learn some valuable lessons from a man named Uzzah. A. 2 Samuel 6 records the occasion when David moved the ark of the covenant from Kiriath-jearim (KIR-ATH JEE-UH-RIM) to Jerusalem, after having conquered the city and making it his capital. 1) Israel’s worship to God was in shambles. The Ark had been captured by the Philistines in a battle when Eli was the judge in Israel. 2) The Philistines brought the ark to the temple of Dagon in Ashdod and put it inside, but later removed it when the people of the city were smitten with a disease. a) The Ark was transported from city to city by the Philistines when the people at each city became ill with the same disease. 3) The leaders concluded that the disease was directly related to them having the Ark of the Covenant. They then returned it to Israel, and eventually placed it in Kiriath-jearim, in the home of Eleazar. B. The ark then remained in Kiriath-jearim throughout the judgeship of Samuel and the forty years that Saul reigned as king in Israel. Lessons Learned From Uzzah 1 www.thetfordcountry.com Richard Thetford C. When David became king, he resolved to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem and to re-unite the divided worship.
    [Show full text]
  • Uzzah: Difficult Lessons 2 SAMUEL 6:1-11
    Uzzah: Difficult Lessons 2 SAMUEL 6:1-11 Baxter T. Exum (#1296) Four Lakes Church of Christ Madison, Wisconsin January 18, 2015 All of us make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes provide an opportunity for learning some very valuable lessons. Back when I was a college student in Tennessee, I remember changing the oil in my car at that time and forgetting to replace the fill cap on top of the engine. I can tell you: That is a mistake I will never make again! I started up the car and started driving, and oil shot out all over the place, a horrible mess! But again, I learned from that mistake, and I have never done that again. Maybe you have made a similar mistake yourself. We do something wrong, but we learn and move forward a little wiser than we were before. Well, this morning, I would like for us to study one of those scenarios from the history of God’s people in the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel. And the lessons we are about to learn from God’s word are especially painful, because the lessons come at the expense of a man who apparently thought that he was doing the right thing. The man’s name is Uzzah, and the lessons come in 2 Samuel 6 (p. 500). The lessons we are about to learn go back many years before this, though, to the original giving of the Law of Moses, and specifically, to those passages where God explained very carefully to the people exactly how the Ark of the Covenant was to be moved from one place to another.
    [Show full text]
  • “Please Don't Miss the Real Meaning of Christmas” Exodus 19:16-25 Hebrews 12:18-24
    1 Sermon Notes for December 14, 2014 “Please Don’t Miss the Real Meaning of Christmas” Exodus 19:16-25 Hebrews 12:18-24 Introduction A. The SILLINESS Of Christmas. 1. How we in America, have missed the true meaning of Christmas. a. The Neiman Marcus Fantasy Gifts for 2014 1. The World’s Coolest Cocktail Machine - $35,000 2. His And Hers Quad Skis - $50,000 a piece 3. Luxurious Linens - $55,000 4. An Outdoor Golden Peacock Sculpture - $65,000 5. A 100 th Anniversary Maserati Ghibli SG4 - $95,000 6. Custom Locket and Trip to Germany - $100,000 7. The Ultimate Mardi Gras Experience for Six Couples - $125,000 8. The Ultimate Slot Car Rcetrack - $300,000 9. A Vanity Fair Academy Awards Experience - $425,000 10. A Fragrance Journey To Paris - $475,000 b. The National Retail Federation is projecting that Americans will spend some 600 billion dollars this year on Christmas 2. How did we get “so far” from the true meaning of Christmas? 3. E. B. White – The Second Tree From The Corner – “To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year.” 4. My view of the holiday season B. The SERIOUSNESS Of Christmas. 1. Without a doubt, Christmas is a joyous, momentous time for the believer. 2. But Christmas is not an end in itself! a. It was simply the beginning of the journey for the Christ-child. b. For, He would leave the security and peace of the wood of the stable in Bethlehem and eventually be placed upon the wood of the cross of Golgatha.
    [Show full text]
  • SERMON NOTES Story !This Is the Gospel Text: Psalm 24 Title: God Proclaims: the Father Is, Pt
    ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !SERMON NOTES Story !This is the Gospel Text: Psalm 24 Title: God Proclaims: The Father Is, Pt. 5 Helpful Resources:! ! • http://vintageunited.tv/story/ ! !Psalm 24:3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? A.W. Tozer - ”The presence of God is the central fact of Christianity. At the heart of the Christian message is God himself waiting for His redeemed children to push in to conscious !awareness of His presence.” Exodus 13:21-22 - ”And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did !not depart from before the people.” Exodus 19:16-18 - ”On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of !a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.” Exodus 24:15-17 - ”Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days.
    [Show full text]
  • NB-158-Transcript.Pdf
    Naked Bible Podcast Episode 158: The Fate of the Ark of the Covenant Naked Bible Podcast Transcript Episode 158 The Fate of the Ark of the Covenant May 14, 2017 Teacher: Dr. Michael S. Heiser (MH) Host: Trey Stricklin (TS) Episode Summary The Ark of the Covenant is well-known because of the popular Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. That pop culture film offers just one of over a dozen theories on what happened to the Ark of the Covenant. The question arises because the ark is not one of the artifacts taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in the biblical account of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 586 BC, nor is it listed among the temple treasures returned to Israel in Ezra 1, the account of the release of the captive Judeans. This episode surveys the more interesting and important theories as to the fate of the ark. Transcript TS: Welcome to the Naked Bible Podcast, Episode 158: The Fate of the Ark of the Covenant. I'm the layman, Trey Stricklin, and he's the scholar, Dr. Michael Heiser. Hey, Mike, how are you? MH: Pretty good. Business as usual, but a pretty productive week. Heading toward the end of the distance ed. thing, so that's wonderful to even contemplate. I've got a trip coming up here, too. People can see what the main event is in Florida by going to the website (drmsh.com) and the main time is going to be at Calvary Chapel Surfside. That's in Indian Harbor, Florida.
    [Show full text]
  • Davidson College Presbyterian Church
    Davidson College Presbyterian Church Davidson, North Carolina Lib McGregor Simmons, Pastor John 1:1-5, 14; II Samuel 6:1-19 The Ark of God Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time July 15, 2012 Ever since that patron saint of archeologists Indiana Jones appeared on the cinematic scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the ark of God has loomed large in the popular imagination. Who can forget that climactic scene where Indy’s archrival opened the lid of the ark and unleashed the pyrotechnics which melted faces and exploded heads and gave some moviegoers nightmares for months? Today we move from the ark of God as presented by Steven Spielberg on the silver screen to the ark of God as presented in the biblical book of II Samuel. Reviewing some background on the ark will be helpful as we seek to hear God’s Word in II Samuel 6. The Ark of the Covenant had been crafted by the Israelite artisan Bezalel to house the 10 Commandments after Moses, acting on God’s instruction, commanded that it be built so that it might travel along with the tabernacle as a movable sanctuary as the people of Israel made their way from Sinai through the wilderness into the Promised Land. The ark was a lead actor more than it was a stage prop when Joshua fought the battle of Jericho. From that point, the ark is virtually unmentioned until we read in I Samuel 3 of how the young boy Samuel who had been dedicated to the service of the Lord by his mother Hannah slept “where the ark of God was.” The ark then moves to center stage in I Samuel 4-6 when the ark is captured by Israel’s enemy the Philistines.
    [Show full text]
  • Notes on 2 Samuel 202 1 Edition Dr
    Notes on 2 Samuel 202 1 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable Second Samuel continues the history begun in 1 Samuel. Please see my comments regarding 2 Samuel's title, date, authorship, scope, purpose, genre, and themes and characteristics, in the introductory section of the 1 Samuel notes. OUTLINE (Continued from notes on 1 Samuel) V. David's triumphs chs. 1—8 A. The beginning of David's kingdom 1:1—3:5 1. David's discovery of Saul and Jonathan's deaths ch. 1 2. David's move to Hebron 2:1-4a 3. David's overtures to Jabesh-gilead 2:4b-7 4. Ish-bosheth's coronation over Israel 2:8-11 5. The conflict between Abner and Joab 2:12-32 6. The strengthening of David's position 3:1-5 B. The unification of the kingdom 3:6—5:16 1. David's acceptance of Abner 3:6-39 2. David's punishment of Ish-bosheth's murderers ch. 4 3. David's acceptance by all Israel 5:1-12 4. David's additional children 5:13-16 C. The establishment of the kingdom 5:17—8:18 1. David's victories over the Philistines 5:17-25 2. David's relocation of the ark to Jerusalem ch. 6 3. The giving of the Davidic Covenant ch. 7 Copyright Ó 2021 by Thomas L. Constable www.soniclight.com 2 Dr. Constable's Notes on 2 Samuel 2021 Edition 4. The security of David's kingdom ch. 8 VI. David's troubles chs. 9—20 A. David's faithfulness ch.
    [Show full text]