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
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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