C.A.C Sunday School Manual For March 8, 2020 God in the Administration of Man, Unit One: THROUGH THE PRIESTS / LESSON FOUR. PART 2. AFTER THE EXILE
CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH WORLDWIDE
God in the Administration of Man.
Unit One: THROUGH THE PRIESTS / LESSON FOUR.
PART 2.
II. AFTER THE EXILE (Ezra 1:1ff; 5:1-2; 7:1-28; Zechariah 3:1-10)
After they returned from exile, the people needed to be reoriented and guided in the proper way of worshipping God. Hence, Ezra the Priest, and Joshua, the High Priest, on the scene.
A. EZRA THE PRIEST (Ezra 1:1ff; 7:1-28)
And has extended mercy to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me (Ezra 7:28).
i. 1:1ff: The covenant-keeping God fulfilled His promise to bring His people back home (cf. Jer. 29:1ff). King Cyrus released them according to God’s Word (cf. Isa. 44:28; 45:1ff). He is in charge of all situations (Amos 3:6).
ii. 7:1-9: Ezra, a scribe and priest, was one of the three key leaders God caused to leave Babylon to Jerusalem. God worked through Cyrus to give him the religious and political power, with adequate provisions to lead the group of Jewish exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem, and restore the temple worship (cf. vv. 11:26). God was behind the scene.
iii. vv. 9-10,27-28: Ezra’s testimony in vv. 27,28 clearly reveals the secret of his successes — the hand of the Lord my God was upon me (v. 28). This couple higher many leaders go, today, the farther they become from the Chief Administrator. Can they really succeed? No way.
iv. God is as intimately involved in our lives as He was in Ezra’s life, and like Ezra, we are sometimes enabled to do the impossible. Ezra did the impossible, for the hand of the Lord, his God, was on him.
v. The sovereign God looks over and protects His children, always keeping His promises and providing encouragement through those He sends (5:1-2). Even when His plan seems to be interrupted, as with the rebuilding of Jerusalem, God steps in at the appropriate time to continue His plan.
vi. God has no abandoned projects; whatever great finishing, completion and branding.
B. JOSHUA THE HIGH PRIEST (Ezra 5:1-2; Zech. 3:1-10)
And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuked you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” (v.2).
i. v. 1: God appointed Joshua the high priest tí stand in for His people, in His presence. Why a privilege to stand in the presence of the Creator of the heavens and the earth! We are called to leadership, not by merit, but by God’s mercy. No bragging!
ii. v. 2: Although, God does not dispute the people’s sin, as represented by Joshua, He rebukes Satan for bringing a charge against those whom He alone had rescue from the fire.
iii. vv. 3-5: God assured His people, represented by Joshua the high Priest, that He had not only rescued them from destruction, but also taken their filthy garments and replaced them with clean clothes. This is an image justification; only God and God alone, removes the guilt of sin and clothes His people with pure garments (cf. Rom. 4:4-5; 5:1).
iv. vv. 6-10: The Lord gave Joshua words of encouragement, and later moved prophet Zechariah to symbolically crown him king, despite that he was already the high priest, to serve as an encouragement to him in his work of rebuilding the temple. Also, it points to the future Messiah who is both High Priest and King (Matt. 27:11; Heb. 6:20).
v. Ezra 5:1-2: The hand of God later came to Joshua to be instrumental in rebuilding the temple, as the spiritual leader and high priest who supported the effort (Hag. 1:1ff; 2:2-4). God’s is always in charge of His programmes.
vi. God’s presence and involvementa in man’s life will always bring about the impossible. In fact, it is never by force or struggling, but by God’s might (spirit) (Zech. 4:6).
LESSON DERIVED
1. God always has someone through whom He relays His mind to His people. Be one of such to your generation.
2. God has always provided righteousness, which renders the wearer presentable before the Lord.
QUESTIONS
1. Explain God’s role in the affairs of man through the priests.
2. To whom extent so you think God can arise and advocate on man’s behalf?
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
ANSWER TO QUESTION 1:
i. From a very long time ago, God has always ruled His people through the priests.
ii. God’s exploits in Egypt and among the children of Israel through Moses cannot be easily ignored.
iii. As far as this lesson is concerned, God worked through the prophet, Jehoiada to put out the wicked Athaliah (2 Kgs 11:1-4).
iv. God endowed Jehoiada with wisdom to do great exploits.
v. God inspired Jehoiada in leading the people and the king to renew their covenant with Him.
vi. God empowered Jehoiada in restoring true worship of Yahweh by destroying idolatry.
vii. He inspired the priests to assist the king in discovering the mind of God.
viii. God possessed Ezra with immense wisdom and understanding of the law and taught the people through him.
ix. God also rested His hand upon Ezra to do the impossible.
x. Also, the hand of God was upon Joshua, the High Priest, to become instrumental in rebuilding the temple.
xi. Even till date, God is still involved in the affairs of man, through the priests. Now, God has instituted the priesthood of all believers, through the finished work of Christ. All believers are priests of God with evidence of God’s Spirit in them (1 Cor. 6:19,20).
ANSWER TO QUESTION 2:
i. Man, firstly, is social; secondly, he is a creature; and lastly, he is sinful.
ii. Because man is social, he does things in groups with his fellow men, under the direction of a leader. Because he is a creature, he offers homage to His Creator. Because he is sinful, he must atone for his crimes against God.
iii. But, alas! How can sinful man advocate for himself? That is where God comes in!
iv. Jesus Christ, the God-man, satisfies all three of these most perfectly, as a Mediator between God and man. He is the new head of the human race, established by God to lead men in his worship of God, and to make the perfect reparation necessary to destroy sin.
v. God can go any length to advocate on man’s behalf; He already did that by allowing His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for the sin of sinful man (Matt. 1:21; Lk. 1:35; Jn. 3:16).
vi. What accounts for God’s intervention on behalf of man is His sacrificial, atoning and unconditional love. God is loving and has man at the centre of His programme. No wonder, He refused to spare Jesus but released Him to redeem the lost men. Don’t allow God’s efforts to go in vain. Reciprocate His love by acknowledging Him and standing for Him, through Jesus, His Son.
LIFE APPLICATION
When government fail, another governments succeed them. That is applicable to human government, but God’s government never fails! God, as the Administrator in the affairs of man, always has innumerable persons He can use at any time for His own purpose. Secular governments, have failed to bring man to his desired haven; it has also failed to lead man in the direction of God. But believers generally, are here called to arise, re-commit themselves to God, discover His mind and resolve to live within the confines of the counsel of God. Such men are the ones God desires for our nation and generation. They will become His priests to this corrupt generation and would be endowed by God with great abilities to do exploit (of discovery/rediscovery, restoration, renewal, repositioning and empowering) for God in these last days. You are the one He is looking for. Arise and let us be priests for God.
CONCLUSION
We thank God for successfully bringing us to the end of this two-week lesson, wherein the Holy Spirit has taken us on a joyful study of the administration of God in the affairs of man, through His Priests. You are God’s priest and He wants to use you too; may you receive abundant grace to prepare and present yourself for His use.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS FOR WEEK TWO
Mon. 2: John Catches the End-Time Vision (Rev. 4:1)
Tue. 3. John Sees the Vision of Heaven (Rev. 4:2-11)
Wed. 4: John Sees the Slain Lamb of God (Rev. 5:1-7)
Thurs. 5: John Hears Angelic Voices (Rev. 5:8-14)
Fri. 6: John Sees Jesus Opening the Seals (Rev. 6:1-12).
Sat. 7: John Sees Tribes of Israel Sealed (Rev. 7:1-8)