Adult Bible Studies Summer 2023 Teacher/Commentary Kit

By Stan Purdum

A comprehensive Bible study plan and spiritual practices to deepen your relationship with God.

Hundreds of thousands of people each week have transformative encounters with God through Adult Bible Studies—Bible-based, Christ-focused Sunday school lessons and midweek Bible studies endorsed by the Curriculum Resources Committee of The United Methodist Church.

The Kit includes a Teacher Book and a Concise Commentary that are both supplementary and complementary to the Adult Bible Studies student book

The Teacher Book provides small-group leaders, teachers, and facilitators with additional biblical background and exposition, and suggestions for guiding group discussion. Printed with a larger font for ease of reading. Included to help leaders prepare and lead each week:
-As a comprehensive Bible study plan with more flexibility in terms of Scripture selection and topics.
-Additional information, as well as suggestions, is designed to help leaders and facilitators lead with confidence.
-Observation of the church seasons, including Advent and Lent.
-Suggestions for developing spiritual practices (prayer, confession, worship, mindfulness, solitude, community, hospitality, neighboring, service, and celebration).
-One font size in the student edition to accommodate all readers.
-No printed Scripture text allows you to choose your own Bible translation.

The Concise Commentary provides biblical commentary for the focal Bible passages used in Adult Bible Studies. Based on the Abingdon Basic Bible Commentary. Printed with a larger font for ease of reading. Included each week are:
-The focal Bible passages for each Sunday.
-The unit introductions.
-Commentary on the focal Bible passages.
-A pronunciation guide for Bible names and places.

Additional information about Adult Bible Studies, Summer 2023
Inspired by God
This summer, our Bible lessons follow the theme “Inspired by God” and help us look at the careful design of Scripture and the art and poetry through which it touches our hearts and minds. They then move into a consideration of one of Scripture’s most practical categories, wisdom literature, followed by a look at some of Scripture’s heroes, who might surprise us. The writer of the student book is Betsy Haas; the teacher book writer is Stan Purdum.

The Rich Literature of the Bible
The lessons in this unit look at some of the different kinds of writings we find in Scripture and how God speaks to us through writings such as the Law, the prophets, visions, and the psalms. They invite us to dwell within Scripture’s reality rather than a reality of our own construction.
Scriptures: Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 14 | Matthew 5:17-20 | Malachi 2:1-4 | Ezekiel 37:1-10 | Ephesians 2:4-7 | Psalms 51 | Colossians 3:16-17
Spiritual Practice: Study

Wisdom
Living with wisdom affects how we think, speak, act/behave, relate to God, and relate to others. What constitutes wisdom according to the Bible is not conventional wisdom about how to stay safe and healthy or how to prosper in life. Conventional wisdom tells us not to give aid or comfort to an enemy, whereas biblical wisdom teaches us the opposite. Conventional wisdom tells us to store up our grain in barns for tomorrow, whereas biblical wisdom encourages us to share what we have with those whose need is for today.
Scriptures: James 1:2-8 | James 3:1-12 | James 3:13-18| 1 Corinthians 1:10-25 | Ecclesiasters 3:1-8
Spiritual Practice: Guidance | Spiritual Direction

Heroes and Anti-Heroes
The men and women of the Bible who “save the day” are not the typical heroes of Western mythology. They do not have superhuman powers; they are not mighty warriors; they are not descended from the gods. They are ordinary men and women who use their status and situation to serve God’s purpose or people in need. The people who tradition prefers to make into heroes

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cokesbury
• Release date: Apr 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9781791020620

Stan Purdum

Stan Purdum served as a full-time parish minister in Ohio for a number of years and retired recently after serving part-time as a pastor. He also works as a freelance writer and editor. He holds an education degree from Youngstown State University, a master of divinity from Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and a doctorate in ministry from Drew University. Long an avid bicycle tourist, Stan has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including a cross-nation ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day and a trek that covered the entire length of US Route 62 (from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas), the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan is also the author of New Mercies I See, which is a collection of stories about God’s grace, and He Walked in Galilee, a study book on the ministry of Jesus. He writes regularly for Adult B

Book preview

Adult Bible Studies

Summer 2023 •Vol. 31, No. 4

Teacher

To the Teacher

Teaching the Lessons

The Spiritual Practice of Study

A Bible Timeline

Malachi’s 27 Questions (and Answers)

Reflections on Ezekiel and the Dry Bones

God’s Names

The Spiritual Practices of Guidance and Spiritual Direction

James as Wisdom Writing

The Ministry of the Wise in Israel

The Corinthian Correspondence

Ecclesiastes: An Edgy Spirituality

The Spiritual Practice of Forgiveness

Fulfillment of the Prophetic Word

The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved

Judas the Betrayer: Based on Matthew 27:3-10

The Son of Man or the Human One?

Editorial and Design Team

Jan Turrentine, Editor

Tonya Williams, Production

Editor Keitha Vincent, Designer

Administrative Team

Rev. Brian K. Milford, President and Publisher

Marjorie M. Pon, Associate Publisher and Editor, Church School Publications

Adult Bible Studies Teacher (ISSN 1059-9118). An official resource for The United Methodist Church approved by the General Board of Discipleship and published quarterly by Cokesbury, The United Methodist Publishing House, 810 12th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37203. Copyright © 2022 by Cokesbury. Send address changes to Adult Bible Studies Teacher, 810 12th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37203.

To order copies of this publication, call toll free: 800-672-1789. FAX your order to 800-445-8189. Telecommunication Device for the Deaf/Telex Telephone: [phone]. Automated order system is available after office hours, or order through Cokesbury.com. Use your Cokesbury account, Visa, Discover, or Mastercard.

For permission to reproduce any material in this publication, call 615-749-6268, or write to Permissions Office, 810 12th Avenue South, Nashville, Tennessee 37203.

Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Common English Bible, copyright 2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ are used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scriptures quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission (www.Lockman.org). Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 (Second edition, 1971) by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture taken from the Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version–Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.

Adult Bible Studies is available to readers with visual challenges through BookShare.org. To use BookShare.org, persons must have certified disabilities and must become members of the site. Churches can purchase memberships on behalf of their member(s) who need the service. There is a small one-time setup fee, plus a modest annual membership fee. At the website, files are converted to computerized audio for download to CD or iPod, as well as to other audio devices (such as DAISY format). Braille is also available, as are other options. Once individuals have a membership, they have access to thousands of titles in addition to ABS. Live-narrated audio for persons with certified disabilities is available from AUDIOBOOK MINISTRIES at http://www.audiobookministries.org/.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Meet the Writer

Stan Purdum served as a full-time parish minister in Ohio for a number of years and retired after serving part-time as a pastor. He also works as a freelance writer and editor. He holds an education degree from Youngstown State University, a master of divinity from Methodist Theological School in Ohio, and a doctorate in ministry from Drew University. Stan and his wife, Jeanine, live in Gallipolis, Ohio. They have three grown children.

To the Teacher

Writer Anne Lamott tells a story from Hasidic Jewish tradition about a rabbi who encouraged his people to study the Torah because it would put Scripture on their hearts.

Why on our hearts, and not in them? one of the people asked him.

Only God can put Scripture inside, the rabbi replied. But reading a sacred text can put it on your heart, and then when your hearts break, the holy words will fall inside.¹

Comfort. Reassurance. Peace. Hope. Certainly, we find these when we turn to Scripture. From the psalmist’s Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger because you are with me (Psalm 23:4) to the prophet’s Don’t fear, because I am with you; don’t be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will hold you with my righteous strong hand (Isaiah 41:10) to Jesus’ Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid (John 14:27), the Bible assures us of God’s presence with us, even in life’s darkest moments.

Scripture also guides us and gives us wisdom not just for being human but for being human in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Scripture connects us with our life Source and helps us see things from God’s perspective.

It’s not always easy to read; parts of it are quite troubling. As the late Rachel Held Evans said, I’m in no rush to patch up these questions. God save me from the day when stories of violence, rape, and ethnic cleansing inspire within me anything other than revulsion. I don’t want to become a person who is unbothered by these texts…. There are parts of the Bible that inspire, parts that perplex, and parts that leave you with an open wound. I’m still wrestling, and like Jacob, I will wrestle until I am blessed. God hasn’t let go of me yet.²

That’s why regular Bible study is so important and why your role as teacher or group facilitator is essential. At any given point in time, someone in your group is likely struggling. Someone else may be facing a critical decision. Another person may be mired in doubt. All come with questions in their minds; some are brave enough to allow them past their lips. Encourage the questions. Allow them to linger in the air. Within the pages of Scripture, we meet the God who loves us, sits with us, invites our questions, and understands our feelings.

While Christians tend to turn to Scripture to end a conversation, Evans said, Jews turn to Scripture to start a conversation.³ Not all our questions will be answered just now, but we find assurance that like Jacob, in our wrestling, we will be blessed.

Our lessons this quarter, written by Betsy Haas in the student book and Stan Purdum in this teacher book, lead us through some of the various styles of writing we find in the Bible and the God they reveal to us. They assure us of the wisdom we find there, and they remind us that God uses ordinary, flawed people like us to further the divine plan.

The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:16-17).

Jan Turrentine

[e-mail]

Teaching the Lessons

I once visited a church where the adult Sunday school class used Adult Bible Studies quarterly books, and I attended that week’s class session. Everyone sat in a circle and had a copy of the quarterly. The teacher covered the material by asking the person sitting next to him to read the first paragraph of the lesson aloud. He then had the next person read the second paragraph, the next person read the third paragraph, and so on around the circle. When they came to discussion questions, he had the class discuss those, and there was some good dialogue; but once the questions were over, he resumed the passing of the reading responsibilities around the circle, paragraph by paragraph.

Frankly, aside from the question breaks, I found it hard to stay engaged with that much reading and such minimal interaction. So for teaching the lessons of this whole quarter, let me encourage you to go beyond that technique. We have prepared lesson plans that include small bits of reading but that we believe will engender more dynamic class experiences.

For teaching the lessons of this quarter, there are two components: the student book, which typically each member of your class will have, and this teacher book, which only you will have. Between the two, you as the class leader will have more information about the Scripture passages than you can use in the time frame allotted for your class meeting.

Ideally, every class member will arrive having read the student lesson for that day in advance; but, in reality, that rarely happens. A few may have read it, but many, and often most, will not have gotten to it. Nonetheless, they have made the effort to get to class and deserve to have a thoughtful—and perhaps even a life-changing—encounter with Scripture.

Some weeks, the student lesson itself is so thorough that just teaching its content is sufficient. (But don’t just read it aloud!) On those occasions, you can consider the additional information in this teacher book as background for your own education about the Bible and as supplemental material to address questions that may arise from your class. The time you invest in reading the teacher lessons, even if you don’t use all the information from them during the class presentations, still benefits you and your growth in the Christian faith and discipleship.

Other weeks, the most effective class presentation may involve elements from both sources. Thus, in the Reflect section of the teacher lessons, we provide a plan that indicates how the information from both sources (and occasionally also from supplemental materials found elsewhere in this teacher book) might be used together to teach the class.

Helping others learn the lessons of Scripture is a privilege. Pray for your class members and God’s help, and accept the challenge to guide your fellow learners in grasping the intended points of each lesson.

God will bless you for doing so.

¹From Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, by Anne Lamott (goodreads.com).

²From Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again, by Rachel Held Evans (goodreads.com).

³From Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again.

Unit 1: Introduction

The Rich Literature of the Bible

This unit of lessons invites us to look at the Bible in terms of genres. While not covering all the genres included in Scripture, this unit touches on the Old Testament categories of Law, Prophets, visions, and Psalms—one each in the four lessons that comprise Unit 1. In each lesson, a passage from the Old Testament is coupled with one from the New Testament. Lessons 1 and 2 pair their Old Testament passages with readings from the Gospels and Lessons 3 and 4 pair their Old Testament passages with readings from the Epistles. Gospels and Epistles are genres in their own right.

Lesson 1 is based on a reading from Deuteronomy, which is a prime example of the Law genre. It helps us think about how covenantal law functions in the Christian life in the twenty-first century. Many readers find the legal material of the Bible to be challenging and some of it harsh when compared to our modern laws, but the covenantal laws of the Old Testament create a framework for building a society that fulfills God’s desire for shared abundance and a relationship with humanity. They set us on a trajectory toward the concept of justice and well-being for all.

Lesson 2, based on a reading from Malachi, takes us into the prophetic genre and helps us weigh whether promises of future deliverance and peace are sufficient to help us with the struggles of life in the here and now. The biblical concept of prophecy is not about predicting the future so that one can act in a way that guarantees one’s own advantage. Prophets are not soothsayers or seers, but through the prophets, God reminds us of our covenant relationship and calls us to return when we stray and receive forgiveness.

Through the prophets, God offers words of warning against social injustice and trust in worldly powers and human-made gods. Through the prophets, God offers comfort when we suffer the consequences of our errors and encouragement to find strength in God when we are afflicted. Through the prophets, God promises future deliverance and visions of lasting peace.

Lesson 3 is drawn from the Book of Ezekiel, which is prophetic literature, but it zeroes in on a vision Ezekiel had. Visions are often invitations to live according to the reality that God desires rather than the one constructed by us or others. Ezekiel’s vision invites us, insofar as possible, to look at our lives from God’s perspective.

Lesson 4 takes us into the Psalms, which, among other things, provide ways for us to speak to God. The psalms provide us with the language of faith during life’s challenges that might otherwise leave us speechless and floundering in doubt.

June 4 | Lesson 1

Stay in Your Lane

Focal Passages

Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 14; Matthew 5:17-20

Background Texts

Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Matthew 5:17-26

Purpose

To consider how covenantal law should function in Christian life in the twenty-first century

Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 14

¹Now if you really obey the Lord your God’s voice, by carefully keeping all his commandments that I am giving you right now, then the Lord your God will set you high above all nations on earth. ²All these blessings will come upon you and find you if you obey the Lord your God’s voice…. ¹⁴Don’t deviate even a bit from any of these words that I’m commanding you right now by following other gods and serving them.

Matthew 5:17-20

¹⁷"Don’t even begin to think that I have come to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I haven’t come to do away with them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸I say to you very seriously that as long as heaven and earth exist, neither the smallest letter nor even the smallest stroke of a pen will be erased from the Law until everything there becomes a reality. ¹⁹Therefore, whoever ignores one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called the lowest in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps these commands and teaches people to keep them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰I say to you that unless your righteousness is greater than the righteousness of the legal experts and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Key Verse: Don’t deviate even a bit from any of these words that I’m commanding you right now by following other gods and serving them (Deuteronomy 28:14).

Connect

Obedience is not a popular word in today’s culture. I was reminded of that when a young woman looking for a minister to officiate at her wedding approached me with a specific request. She wanted me to delete the word obey from the line in the marriage ritual where the bride vows to love, honor, and obey her husband. I was able to put her concern to rest quickly by telling her that obey had been dropped from the official marriage ceremony years before. She was glad to hear that, and I agreed that the removal of the term in the context of marriage was a good thing.

Obedience, however, is not an outdated notion, and it is a key concept in understanding the biblical worldview. One Bible dictionary explains it as follows: The text of the Bible is permeated with words that express or imply obedience. In the [New Revised Standard Version Bible], forms of the word group obey/disobey occur 283 times. When combined with related words that imply obedience (law, command, commandment, king, ruler), the number increases to 6,302. In addition, many biblical passages deal with the subject in profound ways without utilizing the specific vocabulary.¹

Thus, it’s one thing not to want obedience to be part of the marriage covenant or to intrude too far into our personal liberties, but it’s quite another thing to discard it when talking about the covenant between God and believers. Even in the realm of religion, we’d often prefer to keep our options open and opt for obedience’s opposite: freedom. But, in reality, obedience and freedom are directly connected.

For example, as US citizens, we have freedom but only within the bounds of the Constitution and the laws of the land. Freedom with no fetters at all, of course, will lead us into trouble where we’re likely to lose our freedom. And within the bounds of God’s way, we are free to live without moral guilt and free to make all kinds of personal choices that enhance our happiness. But if we kick over those traces, we are likely to get into entanglements that snare us.

All this comes into sharper focus with today’s Scripture readings that bring the idea of obedience to the covenantal law to our attention.

Inspect

How Is Deuteronomy New?

Deuteronomy is, in some ways, a repeating of the law of God as originally given to the Israelites through Moses at Mount Sinai near the beginning of Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan. That Law (a rendering of the Hebrew word torah) is often referred to in the Common English Bible as God’s Instruction (with a capital I; for example, Deuteronomy 1:5). That Instruction was first stated in Exodus 20–23. In Deuteronomy, which is set on the plains of Moab near the end of Israel’s wilderness period, Moses reiterated that divine Instruction for the Israelites.

The idea of Deuteronomy being a repeating of God’s law is reflected in the title of the book, which is derived from the Greek deuteronomium, which means second law. That term was used by the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint, in the rendering of Deuteronomy 17:18.

In another sense, however, the idea of Deuteronomy as a repeating of the earlier giving of the Law is misleading, for while the stating of the laws in Deuteronomy is in line with God’s Instruction as first given at Sinai, it is not identical. As they appear in Deuteronomy, the individual laws and commandments—often called instruction in the CEB (with a lowercase i; for example, Deuteronomy 11:1)—have been revised, reworked, and given new emphases, with the primary difference being their direction about where to worship God.

According to Exodus 20:22-26, the people of Israel were free during their wilderness years to worship the Lord with sacrifices wherever they resided. But in Deuteronomy, there is only one place chosen by God for the divine name to reside (Deuteronomy 12:5-14). As the Israelites moved into and settled Canaan, this designated sanctuary was first a shrine to the Lord and later the Temple in Jerusalem.

The insistence on a designated sanctuary raised practical issues, such as how sacrifices were to be offered, where and when to celebrate festivals, and how to make monetary gifts to God. And these practicalities necessitated revisions in some of the divine instruction. In addition, Deuteronomy also provides more motivations than Exodus for obeying God’s instruction.

Preacher and author Eugene Peterson notes that Deuteronomy is full of commands. A command, he said, is a word that calls us to live beyond what we presently understand or feel or want. … Everyone has choices to make. The choices are not trial-and-error guesses; they are informed by the commands of God. These commands do not restrict natural freedom; they create the conditions of freedom.²

Peterson points out that the first word addressed to Adam by his Creator is a command, which is found in Genesis 1:28: Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and master it….. Commands assume freedom and encourage response. Addressed by commands we are trained in responsibility.

The other key word in Deuteronomy is love (5:10; 6:5; 7:13; 13:3; 30:6). Moses said that choosing life and blessing means that his people will love God, walk in God’s ways, and observe God’s commandments. And this love is a two-way street.

Peterson said, Deuteronomy presents God in a loyal, committed relationship of love with his people. God is not a random thought. God is not a word to fill in the gaps of what we don’t know. God is actively, energetically dealing with people in love. Love is the key and characteristic word in the book. This love is both God’s character and his command. Because we are under this kind of God, there is no living worth the name that is not a participation in that love.³

We should note, too, that as Moses used the word love throughout Deuteronomy, it is always an action, never simply a feeling. God’s love in action delivered the Hebrews from Egypt. Israel’s love for God—and our love for God—is also to be active and demonstrated through obedience to God’s commandments.

And so, at some point, we sit, motors idling, at a fork, and in truth, there are only two choices: God’s way or the other way. As biblical commentator William Barclay said, All life concentrates on [us] at the crossroads.⁴

Why the Blessings and Curses List?

Deuteronomy’s restating of the Law/Instruction, with the revisions, is completed by the end of Chapter 26. That means our assigned passage from Chapter 28 is not a listing of more laws, but an epilogue of sorts to the laws with a readout of blessings to come upon those who obey God’s instruction, along with a much longer list of calamities to befall those who disobey them. The Focal Passage from Deuteronomy 28 includes only verses 1-2 and 14, which are the opening and closing statements from the blessings list, with verses 1-14 being the entirety of it. Verses 15-68 comprise the list of curses.

But why is this list of blessings and curses needed at all? After all, some of the laws already prescribe their rewards or penalties. Look, for example, at the divine instruction in Deuteronomy 24:10-13 about making loans to one’s neighbor. There, along with the commandment, is the reward for keeping it: The borrower will bless you, and you will be considered righteous before the Lord your God (Deuteronomy 24:13). On the other hand, consider the commandment in Deuteronomy 5:11 about the misuse of the Lord’s name. One should not do this because the Lord won’t forgive anyone who uses his name that way. The penalty is stated.

The additional list of blessings and curses, however, does have the effect of describing what life under the covenant with God is intended to be and what happens when that covenant is disregarded. While I have used the words rewards and penalties above, they can make us think that the whole purpose of the blessings and curses was simply to be a carrot-and-stick motivational tool. If that were the case, however, Israel’s connection with God would be reduced to little more than moralism.

But there’s something deeper going on here, and it has to do with the nature of the linkage to which God called the people of Israel: a covenant relationship. As a nation, Israel was a social, political, economic, and religious organism, in covenant with God. The Instruction (uppercase I) of God, with its individual instruction (lowercase i), spelled out how that relationship should be sustained and how Israel’s life and security could be maintained, as the blessing list affirms.

To deny or rebel against God would break the covenant, and the curses list described the sorts of things that would happen as a result. Thus, the curses were not curses in the formal sense, where a powerful individual pronounces I place a curse on you, but rather a broad declaration that failure to keep the covenant would result in calamitous consequences.

To disobey the divine Lord is to betray life itself as Israel understood it. Consequently, the choice is indeed one between life and death, for the blessing is life and the curse is death (compare Deuteronomy 30:15-20). The primary concern in this list is not with rewards or punishments; it is with the conditions that must be met if life, with all its hope and divine promise, is to be found.

All of this is reinforced in the underlying Hebrew vocabulary. The