Background (this is lesson 12 of 39)
Two important things to remember from the book of Joshua are (1) how the people all said, "AMEN" and (2) agreed not to be afraid of sacrificing unintentional sin even when people around them were sacrificing intentional sin. Today there is evidence that people are living by different standards. The last Church (chapter) compared how people can accept God's grace or chase prosperity. When we accept God's grace, we can line our witness testimony up with the Chief Cornerstone by sacrificing unintentional sin and turning from intentional sin. However, the world will not make this easy. When we choose to face prosperity, we will not show mercy to the people accepting God's grace. The next Church (chapter) explains how behaviors of accepting God's grace or chasing prosperity can escalate into sharing God's mercy or pride. The prophet Obadiah explained how Esau chased prosperity and then behaved like a proud eagle.
Learning Objectives for Psalms:
I can build a temple that accepts God's grace and shares mercy.
I will not build a temple that chases prosperity with pride.
Essential Questions:
Can emotions hinder us from sharing mercy with our neighbor?
Do you think it is wise to fear the Lord?
When pride gets in the way, will someone share mercy?
Definition:
Pride -
high self-efficacy -
The Issue:
Students will read pages 35-38 in The Pattern of Sound Teaching.
After students read the information ask them, "What do you want to talk about?"
After students read pages 35-38 in The Pattern of Sound Teaching ask them if they know anyone who is angry at the world (committing abominations). When we come to find trust under the wings of God, these are the wings of mercy. When we meet someone who is mad at the world (committing abominations), we can choose to have pride and think, "I am better than that person." "I will not help them." "They are stupid." or we can share mercy with our neighbor. In the story, we read about how Ruth chooses to share mercy with Naomi who was mad at the world (committing abominations).
How did Naomi make a choice that did not align with the word of God: Naomi only feared the Lord. Naomi did not focus on the mercy that the Messiah was going to bring. People in the Old Testament had a message of fear and mercy, just as we do today. They feared God because God was punishing the people who were serving false gods. The word of God included a message of how to hide in the wings of God's mercy by looking forward to believing that the Messiah would bring mercy.
Naomi and her husband and two sons, Mahlon and Kilion, left Judah to relocate to Moab because there was a famine in Judah. In Moab, they found food; however, the people were different. The Moabites hated the God of Israel (Hebrew). They served a false god of bronze named Chemos or Moloch. Moloch was a false god who only punished people. This false god did not show mercy to anyone. When Ruth moved to Moab, she was being taught a message that only included fear. There was no message of mercy being taught. The word of God is a message that teaches us to fear the Lord and share God's mercy with our neighbors. We have to include fear with mercy and mercy with fear. When we leave one of the two out of the message it is not the word of God. False teachers today are not teaching people a message that includes fearing the Lord. They are teaching people to tolerate intentional acts (sin). People today are taught to be proud of their intentional sins. The word of God teaches a message of fearing the Lord because God will send people to eternal hell if they do not share God's mercy with their neighbor. The word of God teaches us how to build our temple with the Chief Cornerstone to line up our witness testimony to include sharing mercy with our neighbor. Fearing the Lord is a way to contain our dark emotions from fighting back against a person. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This is the word of God.
Ruth shared a message of how a neighbor can offer mercy to another neighbor with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi was only focusing on the wrath of God, and Naomi did not include mercy in the message. Naomi was angry with the world. Have you ever met someone like this? Ruth was nice to Naomi no matter what Naomi said or did. Ruth shared mercy with Naomi, by hiding in the protection of God's wings to contain her emotions. When we hide beneath God's wings, we get wisdom. Wise people will share God's mercy and fear the Lord. Fearing the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
The Stem Activity:
We are back to our initial question: How can the creation know what the Creator wants? Students will then take on the role of a creator. Twelve sheets of paper, tape, and books are needed for this. Students will watch the following video again. Then they will be put in groups and decide on which structure they will design for their group. Each group will be given a piece of paper and pencil and they will design how they can use 12 sheets of paper to build a structure like in the video. The goal is to create a structure that will hold the most books. Today two groups will then test the structures to see who designed the structure to hold up the most books in the lessons that continue this horizontal teaching pattern to be vertical. Students who did not test their structures yet will have a chance to test their structure during when we get to lessons 22, 27, and 32 (in the book of 1 Samuel, (lesson 22 out of 39) in the book of 2 Samuel, (lesson 27 out of 39) in the book of 1 Kings, (lesson 32 out of 39) in the book of 2 kings). However, groups are not allowed to change their structure once a group goes. We will video each group as they videoed the group below.
As we designed structures, God designed us. The relationship between the Creator and creation is not easy to understand. Does the tower understand that it is supposed to hold up books? How can God teach us to enter into a covenant relationship? How can the creation understand the Creator?
BLOG
Students will write about how they can align their witness testimony with the Chier Cornerstone (Jesus' sacrifice) and share mercy with others the way Christ shared mercy by looking up five Bible verses that talk about fearing the Lord and five Bible verses that discuss God's mercy. Please post these 10 Bible verses in the blog.
Next Lesson:
What does it look like when people only focus on fearing God or God's mercy? When Naomi only focused on fearing God, she was not sharing mercy with others. By the end of the book of Ruth, Ruth had shown Naomi mercy, and Naomi began to hide in God's mercy wings to contain her dark emotions!
The next book, lesson eight, 2 Chronicles teaches us to Awaken to know that we need to build a temple that teaches people to share mercy with their neighbor. God revealed a plan to Solomon to build a temple, so people could come and worship together and share God's mercy. The people who are saying AMEN to the word of God can teach people who are not saying AMEN to the word of God: the wisdom to fear the Lord, so they will share a message that includes mercy with their neighbor.
"The best way to teach someone what something is, is for the person to know what it is not."~ Melody of Churches Island
"True communism can only be understood by someone who has lived in a capitalistic society."~ Melody of Churches Island
"Behaviors are controlled with fear of punishment or anticipation of reward." ~ Melody of Churches Island
"Intentional sin is human nature while unintentional sin is when we turn to do something else." ~ Melody of Churches Island
"The word of God will teach us how to control our dark emotions by fearing God." ~ Melody of Churches Island
"In teaching someone the word of God is it important to teach people how to build a temple with the Chief Cornerstone that includes fear and mercy." ~ Melody of Churches Island
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