Monday, July 29, 2013

The Basics of Ethics Youth Sunday School Lesson



The Basics of Ethics Bible Study


What kept going wrong?

Read the following passages and answer the questions below in order to identify the cycle that Israel was involved in.

Judges 21:25 – "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (English Standard Version).

Judges 3:7-12 – "And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 12And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD…" (English Standard Version).

1) Judges 21:25 is the last verse in the Book of Judges. It is a kind of summary of the book's content. What does this verse say was the basis on which the Israelites based their ethics?

Their own, personal judgment.


2) Israel thought it was okay for everyone to do what was right in their own eyes, but what did this attitude to lead to in the eyes of God?

Evil. People doing what is right in their own eyes, rather than God's eyes, is evil.


3) Why were the Israelites under the power of a foreign king?

God punished them.


4) What did the Israelites do in response to being under the power of a foreign king?

They cried out to the Lord.


5) What did God do in response to the Israelites' crying out to Him?

He raised up a judge to deliver the people.

6) What does it mean for the land to have rest? What must have happened have this period of rest to come on the land?

The people had repented. God had no reason to bring war onto it.


7) Did the Israelites continue in repentance? What did they do?

No. They did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

The Basics of Ethics Bible Study

What kept going wrong?

Read the following passages and answer the questions below in order to identify the cycle that Israel was involved in.

Judges 21:25 – "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (English Standard Version).

Judges 3:7-12 – "And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. 12And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD…" (English Standard Version).

1) Judges 21:25 is the last verse in the Book of Judges. It is a kind of summary of the book's content. What does this verse say was the basis on which the Israelites based their ethics?

____________________________________________________________________________________


2) Israel thought it was okay for everyone to do what was right in their own eyes, but what did this attitude to lead to in the eyes of God?

____________________________________________________________________________________


3) Why were the Israelites under the power of a foreign king?

____________________________________________________________________________________


4) What did the Israelites do in response to being under the power of a foreign king?

____________________________________________________________________________________


5) What did God do in response to the Israelites' crying out to Him?

____________________________________________________________________________________

6) What does it mean for the land to have rest? What must have happened have this period of rest to come on the land?

____________________________________________________________________________________


7) Did the Israelites continue in repentance? What did they do?

____________________________________________________________________________________
The Basics of Ethics Lecture Notes


In the period of history described in the Book of Judges…
Israel had no monarchy.
Israel was not a nation so much as a federation of tribes.
God raised up charismatic leaders from time to time to lead the federation of tribes.
Refrain in Judges: "Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord."
This is a moral judgment on a national level.

Contemporary situation:
75% of all Americans believe that there are no moral absolutes.
1960's slogan: "Everyone ought to do their own thing."
Modern slogan: "Just do it!" Do what? Your own thing.
Only moral absolute is the right to "do your own thing".

The point is:
God pronounced judgment on Israel, during the time of the Judges, for "doing their own  thing."
What they were doing was evil. This is not a relative statement. God has absolute   standards.
Certain patterns of human behavior are deemed evil, objectively, because they violated the  law of the Judge.

When "Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord"…
1) God pronounced a moral judgment.
2) God delivered them over to their enemies (Divine punishment).
3) "Israel cried out to God".
4) God raised up judges to deliver them.
5) Israel repented out of gratitude to God.
6) "Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord".

What is sin?
Doing what is right in our eyes, rather than God's eyes, "doing our own thing", is the very  definition of sin.
"Sin is any want of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God" (Westminster  Larger Catechism, Question 24).
"Evil is disobedience to the law of God."

Definition of sin presupposes that…
1) there is a God and
2) God has a moral law that forms the ethical basis for humankind

The relevance of God's moral law:
God's moral law applies to everyone. Everyone will be held accountable to God's moral  law.
All humans exist in a covenant with God as their Creator, whether they know it or not.

Where does the moral law come from?
"Autonomy" –"law from self"
We are accountable only to ourselves as individuals.
Only God is a law unto Himself.
Wanting to be autonomous, wanting to be like God, wanting to "do your own thing"  was the first sin.

"Heteronomy" – "law from another"
We are accountable to somebody else.
"Theonomy" – "law from God"
The heteronomous other is God.
We are accountable to God.

God is not bound by anything outside Himself.
The law of God is determined by His Own character.
God's character does not change. It is the same for all eternity. Therefore God's basic  moral law does not change but remains in effect for eternity.
The concept of moral relativism is in direct contradiction to God's eternal moral law.
One cannot be a Christian and believe that there are no moral absolutes. Being a Christian  means submitting oneself to God's authority.


Discussion Questions:
1) If we are to live by God's moral law, how do we know what God's moral law is?
2) How do we know what parts of God's Law in Scripture are part of God's eternal moral law and what parts are temporary commands?
3) What could you say to a non-Christian to try to convince them to follow God's moral law?
4) What could you say to someone who identifies themselves as a Christian, but who says things like, "God accepts me just the way I am and He just wants me to be happy. God would never want to put any kind of strict standards on me or punish me"?

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