Lord's Day - International KJV Sunday school Lesson, Outline for Teacher's and Student's

May 17

Lesson 12 (KJV)

Practice Justice

Devotional Reading: Psalm 86:1–13

Background Scripture: Jeremiah 21

Jeremiah 21:8–14

8 And unto this people, thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

9 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.

10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

11 And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the Lord;

12 O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury [goes] out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

13 Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the Lord; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?

14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the Lord: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.

Key Verse

O house of David, thus saith the Lord; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor.—Jeremiah 21:12a

Justice and the Prophets

Unit 3: Called to God’s Work of Justice

Lessons 10–14

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

1. Summarize Jeremiah’s message to the people and the royal court.

2. Explain why God’s covenant people sometimes suffered (or seemed to suffer) more severely under His judgmental wrath than did their pagan enemies.

3. Write a testimony of a time when negative consequences resulted in repentance and a long-term benefit.

Lesson Outline

Introduction

A. “Unexpected” Misfortune

B. Lesson Context: Historical

C. Lesson Context: Jeremiah 21

I. To the People (Jeremiah 21:8–10)

A. [The] choice to Make (v. 8)

B. [The] Consequence to Consider (vv. 9, 10)

Groupthink

II. To the King’s House (Jeremiah 21:11–14)

A. Judgment (vv. 11, 12)

B. Punishment (vv. 13, 14)

Conclusion

A. The End of the Line

B. Prayer

C. Thought to Remember

HOW TO SAY IT

Ashurbanipal	As-shure-bah-nee-pahl.
Carchemish	Kar-key-mish.
Jeremiah	Jair-uh-my-uh.
Josiah	Jo-sigh-uh.
Nabopolassar	Nab-uh-puh-las-uhr or Nab-oh-poh-las-er.
Nebuchadrezzar	Neb-uh-kad-rez-er.
Nebuchadnezzar	Neb-yuh-kad-nez-er.
Nineveh	Nin-uh-vuh.
Pashur	Pash-uhr.
Zedekiah	Zed-uh-kye-uh.
Zephaniah	Zef-uh-nye-uh.

What Do You Think? How should we respond, if at all, to those whose prayers reflect their own desired outcomes more than openness to God’s will? Digging Deeper How should our responses differ, if at all, when those prayers come from people having varying levels of spiritual maturity?

What Do You Think? In what contexts could you use the counterintuitive nature of this choice facing the citizens of Jerusalem to illustrate the two eternal paths that exist for everyone to choose between? Digging Deeper In what contexts could such an approach be ineffective? Why?

What Do You Think? What filters can we use to evaluate claims that a given disaster today is from the Lord? Digging Deeper What can happen if we fail to do so?

What Do You Think? How would you respond to someone who says that the Lord’s promise to punish contradicts the claim that “God is love” in 1 John 4:8? Digging Deeper How would your response change, if at all, if talking with a sincere seeker rather than with a hardened skeptic who seems to have a list of “gotcha” questions?

 Prayer

Father, remind us daily that it’s either the narrow way of life or the wide gate of destruction. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Thought to Remember

Choose the way of life.

 Cotten, Christopher, Charles R. Boatman, et al. “Practice Justice.” The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2019–2020. Ed. Ronald L. Nickelson et al. Vol. 67. Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2020. 321. Print.