C.A.C Sunday School Manual For February 14, 2021: Topic – DEFENDS THE GENTILES’ RIGHTS 

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 C.A.C Sunday School Manual For February 14, 2021: Topic – DEFENDS THE GENTILES’ RIGHTS 

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CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH WORLDWIDE

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
(KINGDOM OF GOD FAMILY)
JANUARY – JUNE 2021
UNIT ONE
Gentile Administration Before the Exile
Date
February 14th, 2021.
Lesson
TWO / DIVISION II
II. DEFENDS THE GENTILES’ RIGHTS (Genesis 161ff; 21:1ff; 25:12; 2 Samuel 21:1ff)
To defend someone’s right is to fight for them to get what they deserve or what belongs to them, either by legal means or by enforcement. God is the Defender of the defenceless. He defended even people who were considered not to be His people, and thus should not have been defended. He will defend you and ensure you get all He has for you
A. IN THE CASE OF HAGAR THE EGYPTIAN (Gen. 16:1-12; 21:1-21)
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skill with water, and gave the lad a drink (21:19)).
i. 16:1-4: Sarai brought the idea of turning Hagar into a baby-making machine, and Abram bought into it without recourse to God who controls all things. Whether they knew it or not, God was watching. Beware of what you do, the Ruler of the universe is watching (Psa. 139:7; Jer. 23:24)!
ii. vv. 5,6: Did Sarai remember the sovereignty of God to turn things around when she was luring Abram to allow her (Sarai) deal harshly with the maid? Do you remember that you don’t have the final say when dealing harshly with those at your mercy? (Prov. 14:21, 31; 17:5; 22:2, 16; 28:15,27).
iii. vv. 7-12: The intervention of God here shows that He is watching all actions, reactions and inactions, and rises in defence of even the gentiles: He ordered Hagar back home to submit to her lords, most especially, for the to-be-born son’s sake, and covenanted with her.
iv. 21:1-11: The rivalry between Sarai and Hagar continues, and the later was at the receiving end. Yet, God was in control.
v. vv. 12:13: The omnipresent God saw that it was time for Ishmael to leave. After all, he had taken some things, including Abraham’s religion. He ordered Abraham along that line.
vi. vv. 14-21: Also, when Hagar least expected God’s intervention at that critical time when the boy was about dying, God saved the boy’s life in line with His sovereign will. Who can query Him? (Psa. 115:3) God was even with the lad.
vii. No one would expect that God would intervene in the case of Hagar, a mere gentile slave, but God did, to show His impartiality, justice and love for all, irrespective of status, race or background. Expect His intervention in your life (Acts 10:34).
B. IN THE CASE OF THE GIBEONITES (2 Sam. 21:1ff)
They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God heeded the prayer for the land (v. 14).
i. The Gibeonites had deceived Joshua and his people into entering an all-important covenant of peace with them … to let them live, binding on both parties, as long as the earth would remain (Jos. 9:1ff).
ii. v. 1: The sovereign Lord allowed famine on His own people for 3 years. Thank God for David who quickly consulted the Lord on why He allowed such. Thank God for the revelation — breach of contract against gentiles.
iii. v. 2: The Gibeonites were Canaanites living about 6 miles northwest of Jerusalem. The Israelites had settled down in Canaan. King Saul, through a misdirected zeal for the children of Israel and Judah, worked against the covenant with the Gibeonites. Such a zeal can be dangerous (cf. Rom. 10:2; Phil. 3:6).
iv. vv. 3-6: David desired to put things right (restitution) to appease the impartial God. That God didn’t stop David from acceding to the Gibeonites’ request shows His concern for gentiles also. God’s love and care are universal transcending all barriers (cf. Jn. 3:16ff).
v. vv. 7-14: God allowed David to take the remedial steps, and that out a halt to the venting of God’s wrath on the people.
vi. Had Saul lived to see God’s reaction to his unwise choice of wasting the Gibeonites, he would not believe that God could go that far for the sake of mere Gibeonites, deceivers, who were condemned as hewers of stones and fetchers of water among the Israelites. What a marvellous God we serve!
LESSON DERIVED
1. If God didn’t allow His people (Israel) to cheat the gentiles, then, we must be careful the way we deal with those outside Christ’s camp, today.
2. God is the defender of the defenceless. He has a way of dealing with cheats and helping the cheating out, whether a believer or not.
QUESTIONS
1. Does God still fight for the rights of His people, today?
2. Does God still defend the rights of gentiles (unbelievers), today?
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
ANSWER TO QUESTION 1
i. Of course, God still fight for the right of His people.
ii. God is unchanging, unchangeable, yet capable of changing all things. His Word is immutable; what He says, He would do.
iii. In His Word, He promised defence for the defenceless. He also promised to be the Father to the fatherless, Helper to widows, and to rescue the oppressed.
iv. He had obviously defended the defenceless in the past: Jerusalem against the onslaught of Sennacherib; Daniel in lions’ den; the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace; Peter from the prison miraculously; just to mention a few.
v. What He did in the past, He is doing now, because of His unchanging nature. The oppressed, less-privileged, fatherless, widows, vulnerable and downtrodden should rest assured that God is there for them. He is fighting your course. Your portion shall not become another’s. Only make sure you are on His side.
vii. Those holding you captive or depriving you of your right are not powerful than God. God will restore to you those things that those who seem or claim to be more powerful than you have taken away from you. He has the power above all powers.
ANSWER TO QUESTION 2
i. As we have rightly said, God is the God of all – Jews and Gentiles, white and black, great and small, etc. (Acts 10:34).
ii. He never fails in caring for all persons. In fact, in His deep love for all humanity, He offered His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as ransom for our redemption.
iii. Jesus is not given as a Saviour for Christians or Jews alone. He is the offering for the whole human race (Jn. 3:13-21), God’s provision for our undeserved redemption and salvation.
iv. God has Gentiles in His eternal agenda; He expects everyone (Jews and Gentiles) to come to Him in repentance (Acts 10:44; 11:18; 13:44-50).
v. From the onset, God did not create only the Jews, but He made man in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26, 27). He created Adam, and then Eve, from whom all other humans came. The Jews/Gentiles dichotomy came as a result of God’s redemptive more, starting with the gracious choice of a people/nation to reach others.
vi. God decided to choose a people (Jews) from the entire human race for Himself through whom He chose to show His love for all nations (Gen. 12:1ff).
vii. The love that God has for man that made Him appointed man as leader of all creatures, is not sectional, but general. So, gentiles have a place in God’s eternal redemptive plan.
viii.Eventually, when the Jews failed to reveal, preach and demonstrate the love of God to the Gentiles, God, in His infinite power, came to do it by Himself, through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
ix. Therefore, God’s justice is not spiteful of anyone. He is fair, righteous and deals equally with everyone, Jew or Gentile (Acts 26:23; Rom. 1:16).
LIFE APPLICATION
Are you powerful or privileged? Don’t oppress or despise the less-privileged or powerless. God does not favour oppression in anyway. When your victims decide to cry to God, He would rise to defend them, and you will be facing God in the battle you can never win.
To the oppressed, downtrodden, debased, less-privileged and anyone whose right is taken or has been taken away, God is right on course to fight on their behalf. If He wouldn’t allow the people of old to be cheated or deprived, He would not allow you to be deprived of your rights or dues. That is why you must trust His judgment and leading. He is Omniscient and Omnipotent.
CONCLUSION
This is the end of the second lesson in this series of Sunday school. The Holy Spirit has helped us to know that God is the Defender of all, Jews and Gentiles. God’s impartiality and justice will never allow Him to take sides in any matter. Whatever anyone deserves, is what God would give him; no partiality. He is the righteous Judge who has no favourites, except those who love Him and walk according to His purpose for their lives. Most assuredly and refreshing. He can neither be bribed nor hoodwinked into perverting justice in favour of the highest bidder. May the Holy Spirit assist us to internalise this invaluable teachings that are meant to restructure our society and the legal system. God being the Governor and Judge of all nations, persons, and actions, and make us worthy to reign with Him ultimately, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READING FOR WEEK TWO
Mon. 8: God Stops Israel From Hurting Edom (Deut. 2:1-7)
Tue. 9: God Stops Israel From Hurting Moab (Deut. 2:8-15)
Wed. 10: God Stops Israel From Hurting Ammon (Deut. 2:16-25)
Thur. 11: God Moderates Satan’s Attack On Job (Job 1:9-12; 2:4-8)
Fri. 12: God Has Mercy On Repentant Gentiles (Jon. 3:5-10)
Sat. 13: God Chides Jonah For Being Parochial (Jon. 4:6-11)

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