Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Thorough

The Edomites didn’t “Accept God’s Leadership,” and verses 5-7 in Obadiah impressed me. God would be thorough in His judgment of Edom. While they could expect others (robbers, grape pickers, friends) not to be systematic, meticulous or comprehensive, they should expect God to be the opposite. He would completely and utterly judge their nation. No one would be exempt.

This teaches us how God thinks. He leaves no stone unturned. The Edomites would be completely pillaged and destroyed. For example, if cancer surgery is performed, we like to hear “we got it all”. We want to know that the cancer was completely and thoroughly excised. In the same way, the Judahites wanted to know that all of the “evil” Edom would be judged. God assured them that this would be the case. God is good.

You might search for a news story where “we got it all” is good news and use it to help members understand how Judah might have reacted to hearing Obadiah words in verses 5-7.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Serving Him, I have been one of the rare commentors, but I want to say that your blog site is part of my weekly preparation. I am inspired by your creative ideas and your examples are used directly and indirectly many times, or the inspire me to my own creativity. I guess time is my worst enemy to blogging and sharing, but I look forward to what you will comment. I loved the Beverly Hillbilly example you used about how we hold on to sin when we are children of the King..used that one..I even opened the lesson by singing! I pray for God's continued inspiration and for you to have the time to search for ideas that support. I linked to Kathyrn Argons lessons last week and used the onion example, literally peeled one! Again, thank you for the time you put into this site and the sharing of what we are all about..Him and His word. I can't really thank you enough..from Tyler TX..till he returns and we meet face to face..blessings!

servingHim said...

Wow! Thanks for sharing. It encourages me. I'm glad some of the material makes a difference.

I'm sure other visitors to this site have good lesson ideas, too, and maybe it takes time you don't have to share them with the rest of us before Sunday.

But let me emphasize that even AFTER you teach your lesson, if God gave you a good illustration during the lesson, please take a few minutes and post it as a comment on Sunday afternoon.

You never know how God can use what you say to make a difference in the lives of other people!

Thanks again,
RW

Anonymous said...

looks like we have our own dialogue going here..have you noticed the Paris Hilton commentary in lifeway's lesson extra..I think my young married adults will identify and use this one..especially since she has been released "early" I will open it with does world live as if God does not exist..personalize and ask self do I live as if He does not exist. again thanks..trying to figure how I can use the glass example for my class. In Tyler TX

servingHim said...

Hi anonymous,

Yes we have our own chat going, but others are eavesdropping and may choose to join in at anytime!

I think you are onto a good idea. One way to ask your question is to describe to the class a rectangular box with a glass front and buttons along the bottom and a cord running out the back to the wall. Then ask them what it is that you have described. They will say a television.

Then ask them if you took that TV to a remote tribe in New Guinea and asked them what it is, what would they say. The class will probably say, they don't know. And that's the right answer.

Even though TV signals are in the air all around New Guinea, they don't know about a TV. It's the same with God. God "signals" are all around people like Paris Hilton, but they don't know God. They see, for example, a beautiful healthy body, not as the work of a Creator, but as a work of their own good life style. They can choose to use it however they wish since God is not a reality to them.

If you want to, you can use any other "reality" as the basis of your illustration. There will always be a group of people who live without awareness of that "reality". The truth is God is real, but some people live as though He does not exist.

Ronnie