Category: Lessons

Religion in the Workplace

• Lesson 6 for the week of July 31 to August 7

Read: Gen. 3:17-19; Eccl. 9:10; Matt. 18:15-22; Luke 15:11-32 Religion in the Workplace. Does the Christian do better work than a non-Christian worker. If so, why? That is the focus of our discussion this week....

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Friendship

• Lesson 5 for the week of July 24 to July 31

Read: 1 Sam. 20; John 15:12-15; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Phil. 2:3-8 Friendship. To what extent is the divine example a model for human friendship, as presented by a Father whom we cannot see and the...

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Marriage Is Not Out of Date

• Lesson 4 for the week of July 17 to July 24

Read: Gen. 2:18-25; John 2:1-11; Eph. 5:21-33; 1 Pet. 3:1-7 Marriage Is Not Out of Date. In Scripture, marriage is the norm, celibacy the rare exception. Jesus never married, but early in his ministry blessed...

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Parenthood – Joys and Responsibilities

• Lesson 3 for the week of July 10 to July 17

Read: Ps. 127:3-5; Prov. 1:8-15; 19:8; Eph. 6:1-4; Phil. 4:9 Parenthood – Joys and Responsibilities. To what extent are parents responsible for their children, both before they reach maturity and after? The ideas suggested by...

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“Honor Your Father and Your Mother”

• Lesson 2 for the week of July 3 to July 10

Read: Gen. 22:1-14; Exod. 20:12; Luke 2:41-52; Eph. 6:1-3 Honor Your Father and Your Mother. Right at the beginning of Leviticus 19, a chapter which includes a wide variety of laws, both moral and ritual,...

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Rebirth of Planet Earth

• Lesson 13 for the week of June 19 to June 26

Read: Isaiah 65-66 Background Considerations We don’t read a lot in the Old Testament about life beyond death or heaven or resurrection. These ideas appear in places, but they are limited in number and mostly...

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Desire of Nations

• Lesson 12 for the week of June 12 to June 19

Read: Isaiah 59-62 Background Considerations Salvation and deliverance in the Old Testament typically carry the more everyday ideas of rescue or deliverance from pests, storms, enemies, drought, etc., as well as the more theologically significant...

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Waging Love

• Lesson 11 for the week of June 5 to June 12

Read: Isaiah 55 and 58 Background Considerations Many see Isaiah 56-66 as another inspired addition to the book of Isaiah from an even later time than the Babylonian exile. Whereas chapters 1-39 assume primarily an...

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Doing the Unthinkable

• Lesson 10 for the week of May 29 to June 5

Read: Isaiah 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12 Background Considerations Last week’s lesson introduced us to the so-called “Servant Songs” and the debates surrounding their interpretation. It also recommended our attempting to listen to what these words must have...

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To Serve and to Save

• Lesson 9 for the week of May 22 to May 29

Read: Isaiah 42:1-4; 49:1-6 Background Considerations Within Isaiah 40-55 many students of the book have seen a major theme develop around the idea of “the servant.” The term “servant” appears in this section with a...

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“Comfort My People”

• Lesson 8 for the week of May 15 to May 22

Read: Isaiah 40 Background Considerations It is in Isaiah 40 that all students of the book recognize a dramatic shift. Whether one attributes this to another author or not, the shift is here. For the...

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Defeat of the Assyrians

• Lesson 7 for the week of May 8 to May 15

Read: Isaiah 36-39 Background Considerations Whatever position one takes about the authorship of Isaiah, chapters 36-39 provide a historical narrative which bridges the gap between the major points of emphasis and feel of the preceding...

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Playing God

• Lesson 6 for the week of May 1 to May 8

Read: Isaiah 13-23, 24-27 Background Considerations Among the many speech forms which the prophets use in their preaching are Oracles (Speeches) against Foreign Nations (OAN). These appear is all of the prophets except Hosea and...

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Noble Prince of Peace

• Lesson 5 for the week of April 24 to May 1

Read: Isaiah 9 and 11 Background Considerations These chapters introduce us to some of the memorable lines from Isaiah, especially for Christians who have the New Testament in mind as they read both the descriptions...

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