Master Teacher: January- March 2022

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Master Teacher is the teacher’s quarterly to be used with Adult Christian Life and College and Career. Each lesson contains extensive biblical exposition and specific instructions for the teacher. The outline of the lesson is reader-friendly, and includes suggestions for maximizing teacher/student interaction and topics for making the study informative and enriching.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Dec 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781681679112

Book preview

Lesson 1 for Week of January 2, 2022

UNDESERVED MERCY

UNIFYING TOPIC

Justice, Vengeance, and Mercy

LESSON TEXT

I. Cain Gets Angry (Genesis 4:1–7)

II. Cain Controlled by Anger (Genesis 4:8–13)

THE MAIN THOUGHT

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground. (Gen. 4:10, KJV)

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

Some people become angry when their best efforts don’t result in the anticipated outcome. How do people deal with their anger and disappointment? God punished Cain because he allowed his anger to turn to rage and then to murder.

LESSON AIM

To understand that anger is an indication of a change that has taken place in our life.

LIFE AIM

To avoid and manage situations that lead to intense anger.

BEFORE YOU TEACH

Consider . . .

Focus for College and Career—Young adults may be in competitive situations that lead to envy and jealousy resulting in anger and conflicts.

Focus for Adult Christian Life—To avoid and manage situations that can lead to intense anger.

Supplementary Study Materials

For further reference, see today’s lesson from Boyd’s Commentary and The New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition, #165.

Need more teacher helps? Visit www.rhboyd.com.

TEACHING STEPS

First Step: Invite the class to share personal situations in which they had to manage their anger.

Second Step: Read aloud the key verse and ask students to discuss the challenges with which Cain was confronted.

Third Step: Guide students to use commentaries and other references to discover various explanations for God accepting Abel’s sacrifice but not Cain’s sacrifice.

Fourth Step: Call on someone to read James 4:1–3. Discuss how envy, jealousy, and resentment lead to conflicts.

Fifth Step: Ask the group to focus on personal responsibility in the face of conflicts.

God’s Word in Life

On January 6, 2021, a mob assaulted the nation’s capitol. The news media focused on the words of Donald J. Trump urging his followers to march to the capitol to take back their country. Led by Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the House of Representatives chairperson, plans were made to impeach the president for crimes of insurrection. Those seeking the president’s impeachment were determined this president would never be able to run for the office of president again. The news media rightly focused on the president and his role in exciting the insurrection. His unproven claims that the 2020 election was stolen were frenzy-producing for many of his followers.

We also must begin to focus on the people who were involved in the insurrection. What were their motivations? These people feared they were losing their country. We had a group of people filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment. They were not controlled by the Spirit of God. They believed this country belongs to them. They believed other people were gaining control over what they desire for themselves. Therefore, the ends justified the means.

In today’s lesson from Genesis 4, Cain murdered his brother because he was motivated by sin. God accepted his brother Abel and his offering, and Cain’s resentment and anger at God was displaced onto his brother.

Connect with Learners: The Lord saw that Cain was angry, and He told Cain that he must master sin. How is it possible to master sin?

Introduction

The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were written primarily to the tribes of Israel on their way to take possession of the land the Lord had given to them. The Lord gave them His laws, statues, and commandments to obey and follow so they would be successful in the land they would possess.

The story of Cain and Abel shows that disunity among human beings began with Adam and Eve. Their children continued to be at odds with each other because sin means we disobey the Lord and do things our own way. These stories were presented so the tribes of Israel would know the rationale for God’s commands that they were to follow.

I. Cain Gets Angry (Genesis 4:1–7)

#MisplacedAnger

Cain showed that misplaced anger can lead to poor treatment of loved ones. Share your views and tag us @rhboydco. Use #rhboydco.

The story of Cain and Abel helps set the scene for the book of Genesis, which is rife with sibling rivalries and hatred. This, our first example of such, comes by way of the first two people to be birthed in Genesis. Adam and Eve, of course, were handmade by God. The brothers were birthed separately after Adam knew his wife (Gen. 4:1–2). Cain was the older brother and a farmer. The younger brother Abel was a shepherd. Thus the story helps to frame two classic motifs—the jealous older versus the younger sibling and the nomadic pastoral lifestyle against the stationary agricultural lifestyle. The former we watch play out in the stories of Ishmael/Isaac, Esau/Jacob, Leah/Rebekah, and the brothers/Joseph. Cain and Abel differ from these other stories in that blood was shed. However, in most of the other instances, bloodshed was at least considered. In this sense, the story acts as both a cautionary tale against fratricide and a foreshadowing to the difficulty of sibling relationships. It seems God, through this story and others, sent a message to us about the precious nature of sibling relationships. In all the other relationships mentioned, the siblings were able to work through their differences and even come to a place of mutual understanding. However, that did not happen in this story because Abel was dead. Everything is temporary—even slavery, as Joseph’s story teaches—except death.

The two brothers brought sacrifices to God according to their professions. Cain brought the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought the firstborn of his flock. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted and Cain’s was not. Interestingly, we are not told why God rejected Cain’s sacrifice. Many people have stated it was not offered in proper accordance to the Law. However, this story takes place at the beginning of biblical history and predates the Law. Therefore, Cain and Abel were not bound by the Law. With no reason given, we are left to rationalize Cain’s rejection with little help. God appears to be capricious, granting favor for reasons unknown to human beings. This is one of the lessons to take from the text: God’s favor is given to whom God decides and when God decides. We can become upset and act out against those around us, but our anger only impoverishes us from the rich relationships we can form with those around us. Cain was told to master the sin that crouched at his door. Instead Cain decided to let sin through the door, resulting in his murderous actions and subsequent