August 23
Lesson 12
A DEMAND FOR JUSTICE
DEVOTIONAL READING: Psalm 147:1–11
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 7; Isaiah 30:18–26
ZECHARIAH 7:8–14
8 And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,
9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassion's every man to his brother:
10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.
Photo: Hemera/Thinkstock
KEY VERSES
Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassion's every man to his brother: and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
—Zechariah 7:9, 10
GOD’S PROPHETS DEMAND JUSTICE
Unit 3: Advocates of Justice for All
LESSONS 9–13
LESSON AIMS
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Summarize Zechariah’s message of judgment against Israel.
2. Compare and contrast the stated consequences of Israel’s sin with modern situations and afflictions that might be said to be consequences of sin.
3. Identify one area of hardness in his or her heart and write a prayer for change.
Introduction
A. When Is It Too Late?
B. Lesson Background
I. God’s Requirements (ZECHARIAH 7:8–10)
A. What to Do (vv. 8, 9)
The Ultra-Wealthy and the Rest of Us
B. What Not to Do (v. 10)
II. Israel’s Refusal (ZECHARIAH 7:11, 12a)
A. Unhearing Ears (v. 11)
B. Unresponsive Hearts (v. 12a)
III. God’s Response (ZECHARIAH 7:12b–14)
A. Rising Anger (v. 12b)
B. Unflinching Determination (v. 13)
C. Sobering Results (v. 14)
Wastelands, Then and Now
Conclusion
A. “Give Me Thy Heart”
B. Prayer
C. Thought to Remember
HOW TO SAY IT
Amos
Ay-mus.
Babylon
Bab-uh-lun.
Babylonian
Bab-ih-low-nee-un.
Ezra
Ez-ruh.
Isaiah
Eye-zay-uh.
Jeremiah
Jair-uh-my-uh.
Nebuchadnezzar
Neb-yuh-kud-nez-er.
Zechariah
Zek-uh-rye-uh.
Krause, Mark S. et al. “A Demand for Justice.” The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2014–2015. Ed. Ronald L. Nickelson and Jonathan Underwood. Vol. 62. Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing, 2014. 434–435. Print.
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