Preschool
Repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
God’s Love for Zion
Memory Verses
Primary
The kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
Junior
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
Background Scripture: Micah 4; Zephaniah 3
Lesson Scripture: Micah 4:1-8; Zephaniah 3:14-17
Introduction
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). John was surely speaking of the redeemed, those who had been gathered into one body. Recognizing the love that God has conferred upon Zion is what we will consider in this lesson.
Key Verse
He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye (Deut. 32:10).
Lesson Scripture
Micah 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.
5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
6 In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;
7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.
8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
Zephaniah 3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15 The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
17 The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Studying the Lesson
This lesson is taken from the prophets Micah and Zephaniah. Micah was a contemporary with Isaiah and Hosea, and he prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Zephaniah prophesied some years later while Josiah was king. It is believed that Zephaniah was a great grandson of King Hezekiah. Both spoke of pending judgment; however, in our lesson text they were holding out a message of hope, peace, and prosperity. God’s love was being shown to his people despite their waywardness, promising them restoration.
Notably, the words in Micah 4:1-3 are nearly identical to those of Isaiah 2:2-4. It seems the Lord saw fit that both of these prophets would speak about the coming of the New Testament kingdom (2 Cor. 13:1). The house of the Lord would be established in a prominent place, like an elevated city. People and nations would be drawn to God’s saving grace. This kingdom was to be for all people, “of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Rev. 5:9), a gathering place of believers with God in their midst. It was to be a place where God’s truth would be taught and practiced. Weapons of conflict would be laid aside, and peace would control men’s hearts, creating a place of security and rest where every man could be blessed with contentment. We are blessed by these words as we ponder how they are fulfilled in our day, the gospel era.
The words of Zephaniah and Micah depict God’s love by explaining how He would deliver his people not only from their enemies but also the judgments that had been over them because of their sins. Ultimately, the greatest manifestation of love was for God to dwell in the midst of his creation. God rejoices over his people with joy; they rest in his love, and He rejoices over them with singing. How deep is his love for the church!
Practical Truths for Today
Who is God? Our finite minds grasp so little of how limitless, incomprehensible, and indescribable God is; his judgments are unsearchable and his ways past finding out (Rom. 11:33). Nevertheless, He does reveal Himself to his children in ways that remain hidden to others. “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever” (Deut. 29:29). The vast treasure of God’s goodness and wisdom and the way for people to live happy and free are found in his Word, and the Holy Spirit opens the believer’s understanding of these things. So it is with God’s love and how it is made known to the church.
The great and only God, the Creator of all things, has brought forth man and, despite his fall, has continually shown his love to him in making a way of salvation for him through Jesus. He, together with all of heaven, rejoices when a sinner repents and when the saved faithfully continue to serve Him.
God’s wisdom and love established the church, uniting believers together in one body. He has laid the foundation, set Christ as the chief cornerstone, and has established what He wants the church to be by his Word. We must quantify the words of Jesus and the apostles to know just how they are to touch our everyday life. The Holy Spirit will guide us in meditation and application as we comprehend God’s love in his guidance.
Satan wants to distort our understanding of God and his love. He wants to cause us to worship a god of our own making, to follow a false concept about Jesus, to doubt the church, and to water down the doctrine as taught in the Word. Satan is seeking to discredit God by causing us to lose faith in Him and the truth; he tells people they can be called by the name of the Lord yet do whatever they please (Isa. 4:1). However, God is the same as He always has been, his Word is unchanging, and He has promised to be with his people to the end (Matt. 28:20). Loving the truth, seeking it, and embracing it at any cost will enable us to see God’s love in his judgments, his doctrine, and in his people.
God sent his Son whom He so dearly loved for the redemption of man, and he, in turn, laid down his life for his bride, the church. God then made Jesus to be the Head of the church, “that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell” (Col. 1:18-19). The beauty and glory of Zion is found in Jesus. In Him we find the authority of God’s earthly government. The church has had no earthly founder but has come down from heaven to earth. It is how God dwells among his people (Rev. 21:3).
Zion, now representing the visible church, is the true spiritual dwelling place of God’s presence on this earth. Come what may, the gates of hell cannot prevail against her (Matt. 16:18). We can have confidence that with the Lord in the midst of the church (Zeph. 3:15), there will be answers for even the most difficult questions until the closing moments of time. God will continue to manifest his love through the instrumentality of the brotherhood. As we look back through the years, we can see how He has not only kept but also led the church through difficult times in this way. As brethren met in counsel to address worldly trends, divisive spirits, how to maintain the peace doctrine in times of war, and other perplexing issues, there was direction. We have this assurance that it can always continue to be so.
As Jesus is precious and dear to us, may the church be beloved and precious to us also, even as she is beloved and precious to God and his Son.
Questions
- Should our love for Zion be in proportion to our love for God and his Son?
- The church is precious to the Lord. How can it become more precious to us?
- How are the doctrine and counsels of the church a manifestation of God’s love?
- How does God’s love for the church reflect through our lives to one another and the world about us?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).