A Shunammite Woman Helps

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending February 1, 2009

Purpose: To Affirm generous hospitality as an essential expression of commitment to God

Scripture Text: 2 Kings 4:8-17 (NRSV)

KINGS 4:8-17 (8)One day Elisha was passing through Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to have a meal. So whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for a meal. (9)She said to her husband, ‘Look, I am sure that this man who regularly passes our way is a holy man of God.(10)Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that he can stay there whenever he comes to us.’

(11) One day when he came there, he went up to the chamber and lay down there. (12)He said to his servant Gehazi, ‘Call the Shunammite woman.’ When he had called her, she stood before him. (13)He said to him, ‘Say to her, Since you have taken all this trouble for us, what may be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’ She answered, ‘I live among my own people.’ (14)He said, ‘What then may be done for her?’ Gehazi answered, ‘Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.’ (15)He said, ‘Call her.’ When he had called her, she stood at the door. (16)He said, ‘At this season, in due time, you shall embrace a son.’ She replied, ‘No, my lord, O man of God; do not deceive your servant.’

(17 )The woman conceived and bore a son at that season, in due time, as Elisha had declared to her.

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

If you are like me, you always get confused between Elisha and Elijah, so let's separate them in our collective minds. Elijah came first, and was a great prophet of God. He was a Bedouin, a Tishbite, he had long thick hair hanging down his back, and he was taken up in a chariot of fire at his death as Elisha watched. Interestingly Elijah wore a Sheep skin mantle over his shoulders and on this day he took the mantle, rolled it up and struck the Jordan River and it parted for him and Elisha. This took place outside of Jericho, probably the same place where Joshua used the Ark to part the waters of the Jordan in our lesson a few weeks ago.

While Elijah was a Bedouin and had lots of hair, Elisha was more conventional and was called bald after he watched Elijah go up to heaven in a whirlwind and chariots of fire. Elijah was the master or teacher and Elisha was the student, but Elisha asks Elijah for a double portion of God's blessing, as Elijah was about to depart, and he receives that blessing as evidenced by seeing Elijah translated or carried away.

To put all of these events into a time frame, it should be noted all of this took place about 100 year after David had presided over a unified kingdom. After the death of Solomon, the nation was divided into the northern kingdom called Israel, and a southern kingdom called Judah. Both Elijah and Elisha were prophets primarily to the northern kingdom, which did not have one good king, in its entire history. The southern kingdom of Judah had a few good kings. Each kingdom had 19 kings, but the southern kingdom lasted about 136 years longer than the northern kingdom.

Our text for today takes place in the northern kingdom in the town of Shunem. It is a story of hospitality and commitment. In today's world, what the Shunammite woman did, is almost unheard of. But growing up in rural Indiana in the 40's and 50's it was quite common for this type of hospitality. I can remember people whose car broke down spending the night, feeding them, giving them a bed, even paying for the repairs, but of course, they had to go with us to church on Sunday morning. My mother, who is 90 plus at this writing, often fed anybody that needed a meal, and even on holidays, she would invite anybody that did not have a place to go.

When did we become so cynical, and so afraid of extending the hand of fellowship and hospitality? It was never that way in Mayberry, where Andy, Barney and Aunt Bee lived.

The Shunammite woman was not looking for anything from the prophet, but just wanted to make sure God's servant was provided for. When Elisha offers her something she had longed for, she is still reluctant to accept for fear it would not happen and she would be disappointed. She could have easily missed God's blessing, but because she accepted this blessing and gave birth to a son, she would receive another blessing, when the son becomes sick and Elisha has to bring him back from the dead.

How different for Elisha's servant, Gehazi. Later in the next chapter we find Elisha healing Naaman of leprosy and Naaman offers him a substantial amount of money and goods. Elisha refuses, but his servant Gehazi decides he will benefit from his masters good works and he will go and get the bounty for himself. When Elisha finds out he gives his servant Gehazi, Naaman's leprosy.

It has been said, that God loves us because of who God is, not because of who we are. But as followers of God it is our responsibility to be God like, and that means loving people not because of who they are, but because of whom we worship and live for. Being a Christian is being like Christ. St. Francis of Assisi says it this way; "For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life"..

Samson's Mother Prepares for His Birth

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending January 25, 2009

Scripture Text: Judges 13:1-7, 8-13, 24 (NRSV)

Purpose: To examine the role of preparation in fulfilling our commitment to God.

Judges 13:1-7, 8-13, 24 (1)The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.(2)There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren, having borne no children. (3)And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Although you are barren, having borne no children, you shall conceive and bear a son. (4)Now be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, or to eat anything unclean, (5)for you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor is to come on his head, for the boy shall be a nazirite to God from birth. It is he who shall begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.’(6)Then the woman came and told her husband, ‘A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like that of an angel of God, most awe-inspiring; I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name; (7)but he said to me, “You shall conceive and bear a son. So then drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for the boy shall be a nazirite to God from birth to the day of his death.”

(8) Then Manoah entreated the Lord, and said, ‘O Lord, I pray, let the man of God whom you sent come to us again and teach us what we are to do concerning the boy who will be born.’ (9)God listened to Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. (10)So the woman ran quickly and told her husband, ‘The man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.’ (11)Manoah got up and followed his wife, and came to the man and said to him, ‘Are you the man who spoke to this woman?’ And he said, ‘I am.’ (12)Then Manoah said, ‘Now when your words come true, what is to be the boy’s rule of life; what is he to do?’ (13)The angel of the Lord said to Manoah, ‘Let the woman give heed to all that I said to her.

(24 )The woman bore a son, and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the Lord blessed him.

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

As I prepare this lesson, I am also watching the inauguration of Barack Obama as our 44^th president of the United States of America. As it happens our lesson is about preparation, and you have to admire the preparation that has gone into the inauguration ceremony and the transfer of power.(Maybe the Chief Justice could have used a little more preparation.) Can you imagine the confusion of an unprepared ceremony? We also, are called, to prepare ourselves and our families for service in fulfilling our commitment to God.

Our text is the story of an unnamed woman who is called by God, to prepare herself as well as to prepare her yet to be conceived, but promised son. The nation of Israel was being judged by God for their unbelief and failure to maintain a relationship with the One that had brought them out of slavery in Egypt and given them a land to possess, to dwell in and to worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Joshua. These headstrong people never completed the task that God laid out for them, of destroying the Canaanites. This promised land became a place of Idol worship, and a feeling of contentment replaced the call that God had made to each of them before entering this Canaan rest.(See Hebrews 3: 7-19 & Psalm 95: 7-11 concerning the Canaan rest) The battle was not over, but the Israelites grew weary of driving out the inhabitants of the Promised Land. They settled, grew crops and raised families and herds. God's call no longer had the appeal it did prior to entering this promised land.

God had let the people suffer for some forty years at the hand of the Philistines, now He was ready to call a new leader to the fore, but it would require preparation on the part of an unnamed woman. A woman who still believed in the one true God, a woman of little consequence, from the tribe of Dan. A woman that had to convince her husband that the call and the promise were real.

While all of us enjoy reading the story of Samson and his great strength, Samson is not the role model that we want to use. The history is almost timeless, the Palestinians (Philistines) and Gaza are still playing a part in the lives of the Israelites, just as it did, in the life of Samson.

The fact is that God used an obedient woman that was willing to follow His instructions, in raising a son, and doing all that she could do to carry out God's plan. The son had his moments, but his love of pleasure, and his willingness to not continue, as his mother had raised him, brought about his ultimate demise and death. And the nation of Israel would continue to struggle until another woman, Hannah, the mother of Samuel, would come to the fore as an obedient follower of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and set aside her son and make preparation in fulfilling her commitment to God.

What is your response, to God's call? Are you preparing yourself and your family for service? God does not always call the brightest and best, but, he can always use the willing and the ready. I am reminded of the old southern hymn “Ready”: "Ready to go, ready to stay, Ready my place to fill, Ready for service, lowly or great, Ready to do his will."

Joshua Leads Israel

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending January 18, 2009

Scripture Text: Joshua 3:1-13 (NRSV)

Purpose: To recognize the power of ritual and history to strengthen our commitment to God

Joshua 3:1-13 (1)Early in the morning Joshua rose and set out from Shittim with all the Israelites, and they came to the Jordan. They camped there before crossing over. (2)At the end of three days the officers went through the camp (3)and commanded the people, ‘When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, (4)so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, a distance of about two thousand cubits; do not come any nearer to it.’ (5)Then Joshua said to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.’ (6)To the priests Joshua said, ‘Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass on in front of the people.’ So they took up the ark of the covenant and went in front of the people.

(7)The Lord said to Joshua, ‘This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. (8)You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, “When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.” ’ (9)Joshua then said to the Israelites, ‘Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God.’ (10)Joshua said, ‘By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: (11)the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. (12)So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. (13)When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.’

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

How appropriate that our lesson this week has to do with a change of leadership. For the past forty years the nation of Israel had been under the leadership of Moses, now Moses is being replaced by Joshua. There are some similarities and also some differences in their style of leadership. For the past forty years God has been providing manna every day (except the Sabbath) for the Israelites. Now they are about to take possession of a land God has promised and they will have to provide their own food and water, and for the last forty years their clothes have not worn out, now they will be expected to start sewing and making clothes again, I can only imagine that a change in fashion might be a welcome thing amongst the female population.

At the base of Mount Sinai, Moses instructed the people to prepare themselves (Exodus 19:10-15) by sanctifying themselves and washing their clothes and practicing abstinence. In addition they were to maintain a barrier between themselves and the mountain. In today's story they were to again sanctify themselves, and maintain a distance of about a half of mile between themselves and the Ark of the Covenant. Isn't it interesting how God maintains the mystery of His presence and transcendence, while He is showing His power by His actions, He does not lower himself, so that the congregation can somehow think they can take God for granted, God is all powerful, and the congregation needed to know at this point God is not going to make Himself into a mortal being as He does when His own Son becomes one of us. The Ark and the distance required demonstrates the people's need to display a reverence and respect of the creator God.

We can probable assume the three days that Joshua uses to prepare the congregation, also allows time for the spies to go into Jericho and spy out the town, as we studied last week. This demonstration of power and awe is about anointing Joshua as the new leader, God promises Joshua, “I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, and be with you as I was with Moses.”

Just as the journey began with the crossing of the Red Sea under the leadership of Moses, it will end with the crossing of the Jordan River under the leadership of Joshua. Joshua instructs the people just as God had told him and Joshua makes sure that the congregation understands all that is expected of them. He also makes sure they make a memorial or memory of this occasion by erecting the twelve stones as a monument to this event.

Memorials and traditions are an important part of our Christian experience, When we take Communion we are remembering an event and what it means, when we recall our baptism, by the sprinkling of water on us as we approach the altar or communion rail, we are remembering our own baptism.

One of my favorite hymns speaks of this, in the second verse of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" Robert Robinson, the author says, "Here I raise mine Ebenezer, hither by thy help I'm come; and I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God ; He to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.” It is important to have Ebenezers that we can remember. Isn't it interesting that Jesus chose this very spot in the Jordan River to be baptized by John and the Holy Ghost. I do not know how God achieved the heaping up of the Jordan River at Adam, (vs. 16) and like the Children of Israel, God has kept me at a distance from knowing all that God is, but I am thankful that I can trust in His leadership, and with faith I can get where I want to go, but more importantly where He wants me to go. The hymn above closes with these words: "Here's my heart, oh take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."

(For the story of the Ebenezer Stone see I Samuel 7:12)

Rahab Helps Israel

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending January 11, 2009

Scripture Text: Joshua 2:1-4, 12-14; 6:22-25 (NRSV)

Purpose: To discern God's truth in the face of competing claims.

Joshua 2:1-4,12-14;6:22-25
(1)Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, ‘Go, view the land, especially Jericho.’ So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there. (2)The king of Jericho was told, ‘Some Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land.’ (3)Then the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab, ‘Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come only to search out the whole land.’ (4)But the woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, ‘True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came from.(12)Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the Lord that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith (13)that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.’(14)The men said to her, ‘Our life for yours! If you do not tell this business of ours, then we will deal kindly and faithfully with you when the Lord gives us the land.’

(22) Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, ‘Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman out of it and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.’ (23)So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her—they brought all her kindred out—and set them outside the camp of Israel. (24)They burned down the city, and everything in it; only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.(25)But Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. Her family* has lived in Israel ever since. For she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

As we begin our study in Joshua, there are few things we should be aware of; First the author of the book is Joshua, although many modern day scholars would have us believe it was written about 600 BC while the Jews were captive in Babylon. Second at the time of the writing there was a Book of the Law already written (1:8). I can accept that some parts were probably added later by some of the priests, such as Phinehas or Eleazar.

Joshua had been a personal attendant to Moses. He was one of the two spies that gave a positive report, when Moses sent the Twelve Spies to spy out the land of Canaan. Since Joshua and Caleb were the only two that survived the forty years in the wilderness from that generation that was punished for their unbelief, we can assume he was also older than the army which he formed to conquer the promised land. Josephus, the Jewish historian says he was 85 years old when he succeeded Moses. He spent about 6 years subduing the land, and the rest of his life settling and governing the twelve tribes. His rule over Israel, in all, covered about 25 years. He died at 110.

Modern day theologians have a problem with the seemingly ruthless way that God and Joshua deal with the Canaanites as well as the residents of Jehrico. But there is one truth that needs be realized. That truth is that God is the only one that is qualified to judge. The Canaanites were a heathen savage group of people that had no moral conscience. How God deals with the souls of those that were killed is His business and His alone. Also God did provide, to those that trusted and believed in Him, a way of redemption.

Our story today is about Rahab, a prostitute, that ran an inn or brothel, but we should not be too quick to condemn Rahab. Priestesses of the Canaanites religion were public prostitutes. Her profession was considered by the people among whom she lived, as honorable. And not disgraceful as it is now among us.

Rahab is rewarded for her faithfulness and her belief, not because she lied. Remember Moses was a murderer, and God used him mightily. Rahab was saved along with all of her family, or all that believed with her that the God of Israel, was the one true God.

Rahab's story is one of redemption, and Joshua is a type of Christ. Not only was she saved from the destruction but she was also redeemed and placed in a special place. Even though she was not a Jew, she became an important link to the Messiah. Rahab married an Israelite named Salmon, (Matt. 1:5). Caleb, the other good spy, had a son named Salmon, Rahab married into a leading family of Israel. She thus, became ancestress to Boaz, David and Christ. She is named among the heroes of Faith in Hebrews 11:31. God redeemed her because of her faithfulness, and belief when she said, “The Lord your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below”.

Midwives Serve God

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending January 04, 2009

Scripture Text: Exodus 1:8-21(NRSV)

Purpose: To prioritize our commitments around our primary loyalty to God.

Exodus 1:8-21
(8) Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. (9)He said to his people, ‘Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. (10)Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.’ (11)Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labour. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. (12)But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. (13)The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, (14)and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labour. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

(15) The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, (16)‘When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.’ (17)But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. (18)So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, ‘Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?’ (19)The midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.’ (20)So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. (21)And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

As we start a new year, we continue our study of “commitment”, but now we will go to the Old Testament for the next two months and study about commitment from that perspective.

The Book of Exodus is part of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. I have an old Lutheran baptismal certificate that refers to Exodus as the second book of Moses. Most Bible scholars agree that Moses was the author of the first five books of the Bible.

This lesson begins with some very sad words, “A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” There are times today when one has to wonder the same, not just of our political leaders, but also of our supposed spiritual leaders. Often the “new” seems to have no connection to the past. In fact we are told almost continuously to forget the past and get with the new. I am happy to report that there are instances when the new sometimes returns to the old.

As of January 1, 2009 there are two subtle changes within the United Methodist Book of Discipline. Both involve the oath of membership. When we receive new members, we will now say; “To be loyal to Christ through The United Methodist Church and do all in their power to strengthen its ministries”. That is an improvement over pledging our loyalty to a particular Church. Another improvement is:"To faithfully participate in its ministries by their prayers, their presence, their gifts, their service, and their witness".

Both of these changes reflect the very lesson that we are learning in this study. The midwives loyalty was to their God not to Pharaoh. They also carried their witness to a higher calling than that of a king. These midwives were willing to risk there lives in order to save the lives of new born sons. Even though they seemed to mislead the king, God rewarded them with families of their own. If only the king had known a little about Joseph, he may have realized how futile his efforts would be to suppress this group of workers that believed in a miracle working God. As with most groups, the more they were persecuted, the stronger their faith grew. Even today we see that people are returning to the churches as times become harder. Our economic times could be a warning, we have become a people “that did not know Joseph”.

As we approach the season of the Epiphany, there is an old tradition that I want to bring to your attention and also to initiate this year in our Thursday night Bible Study, it is called “The Chalking of the Door”. This is an old Scottish tradition, that the church recognizes as a way to start a new year and is something that all of us can do at our home.

There are several Liturgies that you can find on the internet for your own use, the United Methodist, the Evangelical Lutherans, as well as the Roman Catholics and others offer suggestions on doing this service. The basic premises is to chalk your door post or lintel as the Israelites did with blood, with the following marks: "20 C M B 09". Chalk is used because it is from the earth and is used in instruction. The C M B may stand for the names of the three wise men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, although these names are traditional and not found in the Bible, or C M B may stand for the Latin “Christus Mansionem Benedicat," meaning "May Christ bless this dwelling," much the same way we use the Greek monogram of Christ (I H S) in our churches.

I hope each of you have glorious new year, and may we continue to challenge ourselves to a new commitment of service and new commitment to serve our Lord and Savior more fully in 2009.