expr:class='"loading" + data:blog.mobileClass'>

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

The Law of Moses, Senior - I, Lesson - 12

SENIOR

AGE GROUP: 14 - 15 YEARS

STANDARD (GRADE): IX & X

LESSON – 12

THE LAW OF MOSES

Click this link to get Senior lessons 1 - 15

What is the “Law of Moses”?

The Law of Moses or the Mosaic Law refers to the laws God gave Moses on Mount Sinai during their forty years sojourn in the desert after their release from Egyptian slavery. The Law of Moses can refer to the provisions of the Mosaic covenant or the entire Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) in general also.

Picture credit: Tanny Keng, https://treasureboxmy.blogspot.com/

Mosaic Covenant:

The Mosaic covenant also refereed to as the Sinaitic Covenant or Mount Sinai Covenant is a conditional covenant (to understand conditional covenant, refer to Lesson – 7) between God and the nation of Israel. It is also called as the Sinai Covenant but is commonly called the Mosaic covenant since it was given and revealed through Moses. The Mosaic covenant was made only with the nation of Israel (Exodus 19:3-6), and all the other nations called as the gentiles were not part of the Mosaic covenant. The gentiles who are not part of the Mosaic covenant are under the “Law of the Conscience” (Romans 2:14 – 16). The Mosaic Covenant is otherwise called the “Old Covenant”.  

The 613 Commandments:

The Jewish Talmud which is a compilation of the writings of ancient Jewish rabbis state that there are 613 commandments in the Mosaic covenant; 248 positive commandments (do’s) and 365 negative commandments (do not’s) (1). (Rabbis are the religious leaders of Judaism who are qualified in Hebrew Bible and Talmud) Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, known by the acronym “Rambam” was the author of the Mishneh Torah, considered by some to be one of the greatest codes of Jewish law. He has compiled a list of the 613 commandments which is the most widely accepted list.

Example: (The first 3 commandments compiled by him are)

1. To know that God exists (Ex. 20:2; Deut. 5:6).

2. Not to entertain the idea that there is any god but the Eternal (Ex. 20:3).

3.  Not to blaspheme (Ex. 22:27), the penalty for which is death (Lev. 24:16). (2) 

Which is the greatest commandment?

When Jesus Christ lived on this earth, there were a sect of Jews called the Pharisees who they tried to strictly follow every single one of the 613 laws. They also had their own understanding of the law which they tried to thrust on the Israelites. Consequently, great confusion existed among the Israelites as to the purpose and observance of these Laws. One of the Pharisees an expert in religious law wanted to test Jesus, and asked Him a question saying, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus answered and said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Jesus Christ gave the summary of the entire Law of Moses saying that “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Components of the Mosaic Law:

There have been several attempts by theologians to classify the Mosaic Law into categories. Thomas Aquinas, an ancient Christian theologian is credited with forming the tripartite or threefold division of the law (3). The three categories are

1.      Moral laws

2.     Ceremonial laws

3.     Judicial / Civil laws

The moral laws gave the moral standards by which the Israelites ought to live as a chosen nation. The moral law included the Ten Commandments and also various regulations regarding justice, respect, and conduct with one another. Penalties for failure to obey these commandments are also given in the moral law.

The earliest known Ten commandments in stone tablets, 
Photo credit: Matt Roppolo/Heritage Auctions, HA.com via AP

The ceremonial laws consisted of ordinances, ceremonies, rituals and sacrifices related to the Tabernacle, worship and religious life of the Israelites. All these ceremonial laws pointed to the Messiah and the future redemption of the entire mankind through Jesus Christ. 

They included instructions on

Ø  Worship and Purification Rituals (e.g., sacrifices and other ceremonies regarding “uncleanness”),

Ø  Remembrances of important events and God’s deliverance in Israel (e.g., feasts and festivals),

A sukkot booth to made to celebrate the sukkot festival, Photo credit: Effi B.

Ø  Specific regulations meant to show the separation of Israelites from their pagan neighbors (e.g., circumcision, clean and unclean food, clothing restrictions etc.),

Tzitzit is a specially knotted ritual tassel attached to the corner of the garment to fulfill the commandment given in Numbers 15:38 - 40, Photo credit: Etan J. Tal

Ø  Signs that point to God’s salvation plan and the coming Messiah (e.g., the Sabbath, Passover, and the redemption of the firstborn).

A Jewish man wearing a tefillin or phylacteries on his forehead, tefillin is a black box containing four hand-written texts from the Bible. They do this to fulfill the commandment given in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, in which the Israelites were commanded to wear certain words on the hand and between the eyes. Photo credit: https://free.messianicbible.com/
Mezuzah is a piece of parchment paper inscribed with Hebrew verses kept inside a decorative case and hung on the doorpost to fulfill the law in Deuteronomy 6:4-9

The Judicial / Civil Laws gave various instructions for the government of the nation of Israel as a Theocracy. Theocracy means a nation ruled by God; or God is the King and Judge of the Nation.

Jesus Christ and the Law of Moses

Jesus was often faulted by the Pharisees of not following the law. The problem with the Pharisees was that they were only concerned with the external appearance of keeping the Law rather than the inward purpose and spirit of the Law. Their good deeds merely consisted of meticulous attention to ceremony and ritual requirements and great emphasis to man-made ordinances and to the external forms of law observance , but forgot almost completely the true requirement of the law itself—“Justice and mercy and faith” (Matthew 23:23). Further, the Pharisees considered their own traditions as important as the Word of God , and even enforced their teachings on the people. 

For example, in the Mosaic Law, one of the commandments is to keep the Sabbath holy, which means that the Jews had to rest and were not supposed to work on Saturdays. But to clarify this, the religious scholars created thirty-nine separate categories of what “work” means, and within those thirty-nine categories there are many sub-categories. So, to observe the commandment of not working on the Sabbath, there are literally thousands of sub-rules to follow, including how many steps you can take, and how many letters you can write on the Sabbath. (4) These traditions deprived the law of Moses of its true motive and thus robbed the law of its power and direction it could give the children of Israel.

Christ fulfilled the demands of the Mosaic law, which called for perfect obedience or else imposed a “curse.” He fulfilled the law of Moses in that, He was the only human being to perfectly obey all aspects of the law at all times with its true motive.  His was the only perfect life.  He met all the requirements of the law of Moses. Jesus is the substance of the shadows portrayed in the Law, the antitype of the types mentioned such as the Passover lamb, and the very personification of all the moral proclamations of the law. Christ did not simply do away with the law, He ended or fulfilled it. Christ was the end of the law in that He fulfilled it. 

Not to abolish but to fulfill the Law:

Jesus Christ, during his days on earth emphasized that, “He did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.” The Law of Moses was the shadow of things to come, but the reality was in Christ Jesus (Hebrews 10:1). So how did Jesus Christ fulfill the Law of Moses?

Christ came to fulfill the Ceremonial Laws in every detail. He was the Antitype of all the types and shadows of the ceremonial law — the Tabernacle and Temple with their sacred objects and sacrificial offerings. By one sacrifice for sins forever, Jesus, our Great High Priest has done away with the need for the various ordinances and rituals in the Ceremonial law.

The Civil law given to the Nation of Israel as a Theocracy, for a specific period, until the appearance of Messiah too has passed on. The Israelites indicated their rejection of Theocracy when they said, “We too want a king like other nations!”. Our Lord, Jesus Christ announced the demise of Theocracy when the Kingdom passed from Israel to the Church. ‘The kingdom of God’, said Jesus to the Jews, ‘will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit’ (Matt. 21:43). That ‘people’ is the Church which is to be found among all nations.

The Mosaic Moral Law included moral principles that were applicable to the Nation of Israel as a chosen nation, and there were also universal moral principles that are applicable to all mankind (e.g., do not steal, do not murder), that were given by God to mankind even before the time of Moses. So, we are obligated to follow those moral rules, not in virtue of them being in the Mosaic law, but because they are universal for all people. We have to distinguish between these as we consider how we relate to the Mosaic covenant now.

Old Covenant Vs New Covenant

As mentioned in the beginning of the lesson, the Mosaic covenant was made only with the nation of Israel, and all the other nations called as the gentiles were not part of the Mosaic covenant and were under the “Law of the Conscience” (Romans 2:14 – 16). The Mosaic Covenant, otherwise called the “Old Covenant” was replaced by the “New Covenant” by Christ Jesus. The Israelites under the Mosaic covenant, and the gentiles under the Law of Conscience, were both brought under the new covenant after the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection.

Covenant of Law Vs Covenant of Grace

The Old Covenant was established through laws. The Old Testament Israelites were required to fulfill these laws for their justification, and there was punishment for those who did not fulfill these laws, they were saved through their “works” in fulfilling the law of Moses. The new covenant was established through the revelation of grace and truth. Those who believe in Christ Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles, do not have to fulfill any of the laws given by Moses for their justification and salvation, instead they are justified through their “faith” in Lord Jesus by the grace of God. (Note: As Christians although the work of fulfilling of the Law of Moses for our salvation does not apply to us, but once we are saved we have other works to do such as good works [Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14; 3:1; 3:8] and the works of faith [2 Thessalonians 1:11; James 2:14 – 26])

New Covenant– The Covenant of Grace and Truth

There are two aspects that are essential and inseparable when talking about the New Covenant, they are “grace and truth.” According to John 1:17, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Our Lord Jesus Christ incarnated into this world as a human full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Grace can be defined as “unmerited favour.” Kindness, goodness and mercy that is shown to an undeserving person can be called grace.

Truth was revealed by Christ Jesus. According to John 17:17, “the word of God” is the truth. The words of God are spirit-breathed and written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16,17) and they are the truth.

There is a recent Christian movement wherein a “sort of grace” is preached leaving out the truth of the word of God regarding repentance and sanctification in the New Covenant. Truth without grace would end up as another law, leading to judgement and condemnation. Grace without truth revealed by Christ Jesus would be a twisted grace, mentioned in the book of Jude verse 4, leading people to eternal damnation. We have to know the grace of God in truth (Colossians 1:6); and also have to test whether we are standing in the true grace of God (1 Peter 5:12).

Note to Teachers:

1)     This is a very important lesson that would help to understand the foundational doctrines of Christianity, hence this lesson requires thorough study and adequate preparation before teaching.

2)    It would be beneficial to go slow with the lesson and teach it in 2 0r 3 classes.

Reference:

(1)              Hencht, M. The 613 Commandments (Mitzvot). Chabad–Lubavitch Media Centre. Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/756399/jewish/The-613-Commandments-Mitzvot.htm

(2)             Maimonides: The Rambam. The life and works of Moses Maimonides (1135-1204). Chabad–Lubavitch Media Centre. Retrieved November 22, 2021 from https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/889836/jewish/Maimonides-The-Rambam.htm

(3)             Bayes J. F. (2017). The Threefold Division of the Law. The Christian Institute. Retrieved November 23, 2021 from https://www.christian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/the-threefold-division-of-the-law.pdf 

(4)      What are some Sabbath observance rules that the Pharisees made? Retrieved on November 24, 2021 from https://bibleask.org/rules-pharisees-made-sabbath-observance/

Memory Verse: For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant - Hebrews 9:15

  Click this link to learn how to organize VBS / Retreats

For Sunday School activities and stories in English https://jacobsladderactivity.blogspot.com/

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY 

I.      Give one-word answers: 

1. The gentiles who are not part of the Mosaic covenant are under the “………………………………………………..”

2. According to Jewish Talmud, there are ………………. commandments in the Mosaic covenant.

3. …………………………… means a nation ruled by God; or God is the King and Judge of the Nation.

4. According to John 17:17, “…………………………….” is the truth. 

II.   Give short answers:

1. What is a “Mosaic Covenant”?

 

 

2. What are ceremonial laws?

 

 

3. What are the “works” Christians have to do?

 

 

4. Why is grace and truth both essential to understanding the new covenant? 

 

III.          Give brief answers:

 1. What did Jesus mean when he said “I came not to abolish, but to fulfill the law?

 

 

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Achan Troubles Israel, Intermediate - I, Lesson - 12

INTERMEDIATE

AGE: 12 - 13 YEARS

STANDARD/GRADE: VII & VIII

Permission is granted only for free distribution among Sunday School children.

No part of this document can be modified, sold or used for any commercial purpose.

LESSON – 12

ACHAN TROUBLES ISRAEL

 

The Israelites, after their deliverance from the Egyptian slavery made a long journey towards Canaan, led by Moses. The leader of the Israelites Moses passed away at the age of 120 years, before they entered Canaan. After the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites towards Canaan. The Israelites had to cross the overflowing Jordan River before they could enter Canaan. God did a miracle and made the Jordan River to turn back and the Israelites walked across the dry river. Although the Israelites had arrived at Canaan, they had to capture the Canaanite cities from various Canaanite tribes, before they could make it their homeland.

The Capture of Jericho

The first Canaanite city the Israelites came across was the huge walled city of Jericho. God gave a special plan to conquer Jericho. Accordingly, Joshua and the Israelites walked around the city of Jericho for seven days. When they circled the city for the seventh time on the seventh day, the priests blew the trumpets and the children of Israel gave a loud shout. Miraculously, the wall of Jericho collapsed and the men marched straight in through the collapsed wall and captured the city of Jericho. Joshua gave an important command saying that the city and all that is in it are doomed by the Lord for destruction. Hence, they should not take any cursed materials from Jericho to their homes. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron (all the articles that could be purified by fire) are sacred to the Lord and must go into the Lord’s treasury.

Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org.

The Defeat at the City of Ai

The next Canaanite city Joshua laid his eyes on was the city of Ai. Joshua sent some of his men to spy out Ai. The men went around Ai. They came back to Joshua and told him that only few soldiers were needed to capture Ai, since it was a small city with few men. So, Joshua sent around three thousand men. But surprisingly, the battle was not easy; the Israelites suffered loss and thirty-six soldiers were killed. The Israelite men returned in defeat and the Israelites were disheartened. Joshua, the leader of the Israelites tore his clothes, put dust on his head and fell face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. Joshua was confused. He was wondering why the defeat had happened and worried that the enemies of Israel might destroy them after their defeat at Ai.

Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org.

Sin in the Camp

The Lord spoke to Joshua and told him to get up from the ground; he had to do a clean-up work of the Israelite camp, before they could defeat Ai. The Lord revealed that there is sin in the Israelite camp. One of them had disobeyed God’s command and had stolen the accursed stuff from Jericho that should have gone into God’s treasury. God told them that, it was the reason for their defeat and why they couldn’t stand before their enemies. God instructed Joshua to sanctify the people and remove the accursed thing from the camp. The person who stole the cursed thing from Jericho, and who caused the defeat of the Israelites at Ai should also be punished and removed from the camp.

Achan is Identified

Early the next morning, Joshua called all the Israelites together by their tribes. Joshua had to identify the person who had caused the trouble for Israel and remove the accursed stuff from the camp. When the Israelites came together, the tribe of Judah was identified as the tribe. Next, the particular clan (or big families) from the tribe of Judah had to be found. The clan of the Zarhites was marked. Then it was found that the guilty person was from the family of a man named Zabdi. Zabdi brought his entire household man by man and Achan was identified. (It is not specifically stated in the Holy Bible, how the guilty person was singled out. It could have been through casting lots which was common in the ancient world).

Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org.

Achan’s confession

Joshua asked Achan to give glory to God and confess his sins. Achan admitted that he had stolen the spoils from Jericho. He had taken a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels* (Refer Notes) of silver, a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels and hid them under his tent. Achan had taken things that belonged to God’s treasury. Perhaps he thought that he could bury the things he stole under his tent and that no one would ever find out. He forgot that the Lord sees everything. Nothing can be hidden from the Lord. Achan told Joshua that the things he had stolen were buried inside his tent. Joshua sent messengers, who went to Achan’s tent and found the stolen stuff buried under his tent and brought them to Joshua.

Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org.

Why have you troubled us?

Joshua and the Israelites brought Achan and the stolen stuff to a place called the Valley of Achor. Then Joshua said to Achan, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” So, the Israelites stoned him to death and they raised a heap of stones there called the Valley of Achor.

Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org.

Joshua defeats Ai

After the accursed person and the stuff were removed from the camp, God comforted and strengthened Joshua and promised that he would hand over Ai into their hands. God gave them specific instructions and showed them how to approach Ai and to capture the city. Joshua did as God instructed him and they captured Ai.

Remains of the city of Ai found during archaeological excavations, biblearchaeology.org

Teachers Notes:

Shekel was used as a unit of weight in ancient Israel and was later used as a currency. One ancient shekel was around 11 grams. The currency of Israel is still called shekel, although there are differences between the ancient shekel and the new shekel.

First Temple era, Two shekel weight, Shai Halevi, Israel Antiquities Authority
Shekel coin from the Second Temple period at the Rockefeller Museum, Creative Commons License

Bible Portion: Joshua 6 - 8

Memory Verse: Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5)



ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY 

I. Give one word answers:

1. The first Canaanite city the Israelites came across was the huge walled city of ……………………..

2. Joshua sent around ……………………… men to capture Ai.

3. Achan was from the clan of ........................

4. Joshua and the Israelites brought Achan and the stolen stuff to a place called the ………………………... 

II. Give short answers:

1. What was the important command given by Joshua about the things in Jericho?

 

 

2. What was the reason given by God for the Israelites defeat at Ai?

 

 

3. Why did Joshua call all the Israelites together by their tribes?

 

 

4. What did Achan steal from Jericho? 

 

 

III. Give brief answers:

 

1. Write about the defeat at the city of Ai?

 

  

Monday, October 4, 2021

The Walls of Jericho Tumble Down, Junior - I, Lesson - 12

JUNIOR

AGE: 10 - 11 YEARS

STANDARD/GRADE: V & VI

Permission is granted only for free distribution among Sunday School children.

No part of this document can be modified, sold or used for any commercial purpose.

LESSON – 12

THE WALLS OF JERICHO TUMBLE DOWN

In the previous lessons we learnt about the Israelites long journey towards Canaan, led by Moses, after their deliverance from the Egyptian slavery. The leader of the Israelites Moses passed away at the age of 120 years, before they entered Canaan. After the death of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites towards Canaan. The Israelites had to cross the overflowing Jordan River before they could enter Canaan. God did a miracle and made the Jordan River to turn back and the Israelites walked across the dry river. Even though the Israelites had entered the land of Canaan, they had to capture the Canaanite cities from various Canaanite tribes, before they could make it their homeland. 

The first Canaanite city the Israelites came across was the city of Jericho. Jericho was a walled city, which means it was surrounded and protected by a huge wall. The people of Jericho had heard about the Israelites and so they had tightly shut the city, none came out and none came inside the city. 

Moody Publishers / FreeBibleimages.org.

Unlike modern days, sophisticated battle weapons were not available to capture a tightly shut walled city. They had to climb the wall using ladders and ropes or they had to dig a tunnel beneath the wall or they had to make a breach in the wall by breaking it or they had to lay siege to the city until the people in the city are forced to surrender after their supplies ran out. But God spoke to Joshua and gave him a different battle plan to destroy the wall of Jericho and to capture the city.

                God promised Joshua that he would hand over Jericho into their hands, but they had to follow His instructions. All the Israelite men of war had to go around the city of Jericho once a day for six days with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant with them. On the seventh day they had to circle the city seven times. When they circle the city for the seventh time on the seventh day, the priests had to blow the trumpets (Refer to teacher’s notes below) and the people had to shout with a great shout, then the wall of the city would fall down flat. This battle plan was unheard of and unlike anything that an army would normally use in a similar situation. How can a walled city tightly shut be captured by marching in circles and shouting loudly? Anyone without faith in the Lord would have thought the battle plan was absurd, but not Joshua who had assisted Moses and seen God’s miraculous deliverance throughout their journey. 

Moody Publishers / FreeBibleimages.org

Early the next morning, Joshua got his men ready to go around the city. The priests carried the ark of the covenant with them as they marched around the city walls of Jericho. There were also seven priests blowing trumpets and marching ahead of the priests who carried the Ark of God. 

Moody Publishers / FreeBibleimages.org.

There were armed men marching in front of them and behind them. All this time the trumpets (Refer to teacher's notes below) were sounding. But Joshua had commanded the army not to give a war cry or raise their voices, or say a word until the seventh day. (A war cry is a yell or chant used by the warriors in the army during a battle to encourage each other). The army and the priests circled the city and returned to camp and spent the night there. They marched around the city in a similar way, once a day for six days.    

The trumpet (shophar / ram's horn) blown by the priests   

Then on the seventh day, the armed men and the priests circled the city seven times. When they circled the city for the seventh time on the seventh day, the priests blew the trumpets.

                                   

Moody Publishers / FreeBibleimages.org.
Joshua commanded the army saying, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! Joshua also said that the city and all that is in it are doomed by the Lord for destruction. Hence, they should not take any cursed materials from Jericho to their homes. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron (all the articles that could be purified by fire) are sacred to the Lord and must would go into the Lord’s treasury. When the trumpets sounded, the men gave a loud shout, and the wall of Jericho collapsed and came tumbling down. The men marched straight in through the collapsed wall and captured the city. 

Moody Publishers / FreeBibleimages.org.
Excavated remains of the walls of Jericho (1)

Teachers’ Notes:  The trumpets used in the battle of Jericho are the shophar or the ram’s horns. In the Holy Bible, two types of trumpets are mentioned.

1.    Trumpets made of silver (Numbers 10:1-10) called as “chatzotzra” in Hebrew. They can be used only by the priests.

2.   Trumpets made of ram’s horn also called as Jubilee trumpets or jubilee horn called as “shophar” (Joshua 6:5) or “jobel” (Exodus 19:13) in Hebrew. (1) 

Reference:

1)   Case, D. (2016, September 19). Walls of Jericho. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/5690/walls-of-jericho/

2)  Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]. Text Courtesy of Internet Sacred Texts Archive. 

Bible Reference: Joshua 6

Memory Verse: By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. (Hebrews 11:30)

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Fill in the blanks:

1. The first Canaanite city the Israelites came across was the city of …………………….

2. The priests carried the ……………………… as they marched around Jericho.

3. When they circled the city of Jericho, the priests blew the ……………..

4. On the …………………… day, the armed men and the priests circled the city seven times.   

Give short answers:

1. Why did the people of Jericho tightly shut their city?

 

 

2. What did the army and the priests do on the first day of marching?

 

 

3. What articles taken from Jericho were added to the Lord’s treasury?

 

 

4. What made the Jericho walls to collapse? 

 

 

Answer in brief:

1. What was the battle plan given by God to capture Jericho?