Music is a mnemonic device. We learn the alphabet best by singing it. Likewise, one of the best ways to memorize Scripture is to set it to song. The psalmists implicitly understood this connection between memory and music, between the message God gave them and melody as a vehicle for transporting that truth.
No wonder, then, that cries and pleas for God’s mercy and His justice are expressed melodically in the Psalms. In these divinely inspired lyrics, we encounter expressions of eager yearning and longing for God’s presence. We find fervent prayers and sacred songs of joy, of anger over injustice, of praise, repentance, trust, and even of believers wrestling with despair. These prayers and songs are expressed in beautiful and inspired terms.
Likewise, in the book of Proverbs we find similar themes and exhortations to depend on God’s justice and mercy. Through the vehicle of figurative maxims and aphorisms, the splendor of God’s infinite wisdom confronts us. In this encounter, God illuminates His people with divine directives to express compassion for the excluded, oppressed, and marginalized.
This lesson highlights songs of hope for those oppressed and in need of mercy and justice.
Teacher’s Aims
Challenge class members to recognize God’s passion for compassion and His intentional judgment in favor of those who suffer.
Invite students to listen to the pleading lyrics of the voiceless in Psalm 82, calling for God’s intervention in their behalf because earthly courts have failed to hear their cries.
Discuss the principles of righteous leadership that King David pledged to live by.
Enjoin your students to implement these principles in their smaller, more intimate circles of influence.
Assure class members that God will sustain and deliver the oppressed and the disadvantaged.
Emphasize the point that God calls us to be partners in His efforts.
Inspire class members to move toward imitating God.
Ultimately, as we journey toward understanding the themes of justice and mercy, seek with your class to answer the questions: Why do we, and the church, exist?
Part II: Commentary
Scripture: King David was the only person God described as “a man after mine own heart” (Acts 13:22). Yet, David was not without sin. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, sinning against her greatly, then arranged to have Uriah, her husband, killed. In response, the prophet Nathan approached the king with a convicting story of the rich man who took a poor man’s only lamb.
David’s verdict in 2 Samuel 12:5, 6 to Nathan’s parable was that the man should die and restore fourfold what he had extorted by stealing. When David was confronted with the fact that he was the extortioner, he did not excuse himself. His response was simple and straightforward: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13).
David repented deeply. As a consequence, God extended to him a mercy equally deep, for David himself did not have to die for his own sin and God allowed him to continue to reign over Israel. But the mercy that God extended to David did not eliminate the repercussions that included the death of four of his sons.1
In the aftermath of his fall and subsequent contrition, David wrote Psalm 51, one of his most moving poems. It expresses his full remorse and repentance. David asked God to forgive him and to extend mercy to him: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness. . . .
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me” (Ps. 51:1–3).
Discuss With Your Class: Why would God show so much mercy to King David and still allow the terrible consequences of his sins to happen? How do mercy and justice relate to each other?
Scripture and Illustration: “Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. Arise, O God, judge the earth” (Ps. 82:4, 8).
The Psalms reveal that people struggle to make sense of injustice and inequity in the world (see, for example, Psalm 73). Numerous, continuous, and senseless tragedies all over the world cause people to ask questions such as: Why do innocent people suffer at the hands of evil people? Why does God not prevent the violence from happening? When will the oppression and violence, which only seem to increase in intensity and frequency, ever end?
In the United States alone three exceptionally brutal mass shootings rocked the nation within 17 months, from late spring 2016 to the autumn of 2017, as follows:
November 5, 2017—A gunman walked into a worship service in a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, and shot and killed 26 people, leaving 20 seriously wounded.
October 1, 2017—In Las Vegas, Nevada, a gunman opened fire from his hotel room on the 32nd floor. He shot at a large crowd of people at an outdoor concert, leaving 58 dead and over 500 injured. This crime constituted the deadliest mass shooting committed by one individual in the United States.
June 12, 2016—A gunman killed 49 people and wounded over 50 others at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
Invite class members to read Psalm 73:2–16 and Psalm 82 aloud. What do these psalms teach us about the harsh reality of human oppression and injustice in this world?
End your discussion by reading the rest of Psalm 73. In verse 17, the psalmist says that he did not understand why the wicked prospered “until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end” (Ps. 73:17). How does the sanctuary doctrine, with its teaching of a judgment in which we must face our life’s record, help put this life, with its injustice and inequity, in the proper perspective? Read also 1 Corinthians 4:5 and 2 Thessalonians 1:3–10. How do these verses, along with Psalm 73, help you with your questions about the justice of God and the injustice in this world? (For further study, read Habakkuk.)
Illustration: Psalm 146:7–9 describes the activities of our God. As His people, we are invited to join Him in His work.
In light of this psalm, consider the following: a local pastor held a retreat every year for church leaders. At the most recent retreat, they wrestled with two questions:
Where is God active in our community?
Where, and how, does God want us to join Him?
If your class is large enough, break into smaller groups to respond to the pastor’s two questions. How can your class join God in what He is already doing in your community through other people and organizations? On a board, if available, list the good things that are happening in your church’s community. Ask your class how their church can join and support the good things that already are happening. Begin to lay plans. If you do not know what is transpiring in your community, make appointments to visit community leaders. Ask them about what is happening and how your church can help.
Illustration: As a train was leaving a large railroad station, the conductor began making his rounds to take tickets. He looked at the ticket of the first passenger and said, “Friend, I think you’re on the wrong train!” The man replied, “But the ticket agent told me this was my train.” The conductor decided to check with the ticket agent, and he discovered that he was on the wrong train!2
Discuss With Your Class: When a leader is lost, how can followers stay on the right track? In the aftermath of his sin against Bathsheba, how did King David stay on the right track, ruling with justice and mercy? Review Psalm 101 with your class.
Scripture: Drawing from John Stott, one advocate for justice and mercy lays out a portrait of the poor as found in the book of Proverbs. The portrait of the poor is based on three verses in Proverbs: Proverbs 14:31, 29:7, and 31:8. If possible, a few days ahead of time, assign each one of these three passages to different class members; ask them to prepare some comments on what their verse means to them. Invite them to share their comments with the rest of the class.
Proverbs 14:31—“He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.”
Our attitude about the poor is reflected in our attitude about God. Our attitude about God, in turn, is reflected in our attitude toward the poor. The poor have God-given dignity, and are of inestimable value. Take a paper money bill that has become worn and show it to the class. Ask them, “How much is the worn bill worth? Is it worth any less because it is creased and faded?”
Proverbs 29:7 (EXB)—“Good [Righteous] people care [know] about justice for [the rights of] the poor, but the wicked are not concerned [do not understand].”
Read this verse together, putting emphasis first on good (righteous) people, then on care, and then on justice. Discuss what each highlighted word looks like in action. How does this verse clarify what it means to be righteous or wicked?
Read 2 Corinthians 8:13, 14 in class. Notice: equality appears twice. The Greek word isoteis is used here for equality, and can mean fairness or justice—which, in turn, must be applied to all people. Show a picture of the scales of justice to illustrate the concept: equality = justice.
Proverbs 31:8 (NLT)—“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.” The King James Version poignantly renders the last part of this verse as: “in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.”
These verses clearly portray the third feature of the biblical portrait of the poor: The poor are powerless and voiceless. How can we, and our church, speak up for the powerless and voiceless? What place does advocacy in behalf of the poor and oppressed have in the mission of the church? Note how the Holy Spirit and Jesus play the role of Advocate in behalf of powerless humanity. See John 14:26 and 1 John 2:1. The Greek word paráklētos in John 14:26 is sometimes translated Advocate, Comforter, or Helper. Advocacy is a characteristic of God, and His Church should reflect His character.
Part III: Life Application
As you move to the application part of your class’s lesson study, here are two stories to share and apply:
1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a courageous advocate for justice and mercy and was imprisoned as a result. He wrote from prison: “Here and there people flee from public altercation into the sanctuary of private virtuousness. But anyone who does this must shut his mouth and his eyes to the injustice around him.”3
Ask Your Class: What does the above statement by Bonhoeffer mean to you? What implications does it have for living as an Adventist Christian where there is injustice and a lack of mercy?
2. Alex and several men in his church took turns spending the night at a homeless shelter. That is where Alex met Greg. Greg had just been released from prison and said, “Forgive me if I don’t smile a lot; I’m missing a tooth from a jailhouse fight.”The Holy Spirit nudged Alex to do something about Greg’s smile. Alex told Greg’s story to his Sabbath School class and to a compassionate dentist in the congregation. The generosity of the class and of the dentist resolved Greg’s problem. Greg tearfully said, “I don’t want to mess up my new look, so I’m not using tobacco anymore.”Then he added to his friend, “Look Alex! I’ve got my smile back.”Alex concluded that there is a relationship between Sabbath School and compassion. How can your class cause a story like that to happen?
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Music is a mnemonic device. We learn the alphabet best by singing it. Likewise, one of the best ways to memorize Scripture is to set it to song. The psalmists implicitly understood this connection between memory and music, between the message God gave them and melody as a vehicle for transporting that truth.
No wonder, then, that cries and pleas for God’s mercy and His justice are expressed melodically in the Psalms. In these divinely inspired lyrics, we encounter expressions of eager yearning and longing for God’s presence. We find fervent prayers and sacred songs of joy, of anger over injustice, of praise, repentance, trust, and even of believers wrestling with despair. These prayers and songs are expressed in beautiful and inspired terms.
Likewise, in the book of Proverbs we find similar themes and exhortations to depend on God’s justice and mercy. Through the vehicle of figurative maxims and aphorisms, the splendor of God’s infinite wisdom confronts us. In this encounter, God illuminates His people with divine directives to express compassion for the excluded, oppressed, and marginalized.
This lesson highlights songs of hope for those oppressed and in need of mercy and justice.
Teacher’s Aims
Part II: Commentary
Scripture: King David was the only person God described as “a man after mine own heart” (Acts 13:22). Yet, David was not without sin. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, sinning against her greatly, then arranged to have Uriah, her husband, killed. In response, the prophet Nathan approached the king with a convicting story of the rich man who took a poor man’s only lamb.
David’s verdict in 2 Samuel 12:5, 6 to Nathan’s parable was that the man should die and restore fourfold what he had extorted by stealing. When David was confronted with the fact that he was the extortioner, he did not excuse himself. His response was simple and straightforward: “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Sam. 12:13).
David repented deeply. As a consequence, God extended to him a mercy equally deep, for David himself did not have to die for his own sin and God allowed him to continue to reign over Israel. But the mercy that God extended to David did not eliminate the repercussions that included the death of four of his sons.1
In the aftermath of his fall and subsequent contrition, David wrote Psalm 51, one of his most moving poems. It expresses his full remorse and repentance. David asked God to forgive him and to extend mercy to him: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness. . . .
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me” (Ps. 51:1–3).
Discuss With Your Class: Why would God show so much mercy to King David and still allow the terrible consequences of his sins to happen? How do mercy and justice relate to each other?
Scripture and Illustration: “Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. Arise, O God, judge the earth” (Ps. 82:4, 8).
The Psalms reveal that people struggle to make sense of injustice and inequity in the world (see, for example, Psalm 73). Numerous, continuous, and senseless tragedies all over the world cause people to ask questions such as: Why do innocent people suffer at the hands of evil people? Why does God not prevent the violence from happening? When will the oppression and violence, which only seem to increase in intensity and frequency, ever end?
In the United States alone three exceptionally brutal mass shootings rocked the nation within 17 months, from late spring 2016 to the autumn of 2017, as follows:
Invite class members to read Psalm 73:2–16 and Psalm 82 aloud. What do these psalms teach us about the harsh reality of human oppression and injustice in this world?
End your discussion by reading the rest of Psalm 73. In verse 17, the psalmist says that he did not understand why the wicked prospered “until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end” (Ps. 73:17). How does the sanctuary doctrine, with its teaching of a judgment in which we must face our life’s record, help put this life, with its injustice and inequity, in the proper perspective? Read also 1 Corinthians 4:5 and 2 Thessalonians 1:3–10. How do these verses, along with Psalm 73, help you with your questions about the justice of God and the injustice in this world? (For further study, read Habakkuk.)
Illustration: Psalm 146:7–9 describes the activities of our God. As His people, we are invited to join Him in His work.
In light of this psalm, consider the following: a local pastor held a retreat every year for church leaders. At the most recent retreat, they wrestled with two questions:
If your class is large enough, break into smaller groups to respond to the pastor’s two questions. How can your class join God in what He is already doing in your community through other people and organizations? On a board, if available, list the good things that are happening in your church’s community. Ask your class how their church can join and support the good things that already are happening. Begin to lay plans. If you do not know what is transpiring in your community, make appointments to visit community leaders. Ask them about what is happening and how your church can help.
Illustration: As a train was leaving a large railroad station, the conductor began making his rounds to take tickets. He looked at the ticket of the first passenger and said, “Friend, I think you’re on the wrong train!” The man replied, “But the ticket agent told me this was my train.” The conductor decided to check with the ticket agent, and he discovered that he was on the wrong train!2
Discuss With Your Class: When a leader is lost, how can followers stay on the right track? In the aftermath of his sin against Bathsheba, how did King David stay on the right track, ruling with justice and mercy? Review Psalm 101 with your class.
Scripture: Drawing from John Stott, one advocate for justice and mercy lays out a portrait of the poor as found in the book of Proverbs. The portrait of the poor is based on three verses in Proverbs: Proverbs 14:31, 29:7, and 31:8. If possible, a few days ahead of time, assign each one of these three passages to different class members; ask them to prepare some comments on what their verse means to them. Invite them to share their comments with the rest of the class.
Our attitude about the poor is reflected in our attitude about God. Our attitude about God, in turn, is reflected in our attitude toward the poor. The poor have God-given dignity, and are of inestimable value. Take a paper money bill that has become worn and show it to the class. Ask them, “How much is the worn bill worth? Is it worth any less because it is creased and faded?”
Read this verse together, putting emphasis first on good (righteous) people, then on care, and then on justice. Discuss what each highlighted word looks like in action. How does this verse clarify what it means to be righteous or wicked?
Read 2 Corinthians 8:13, 14 in class. Notice: equality appears twice. The Greek word isoteis is used here for equality, and can mean fairness or justice—which, in turn, must be applied to all people. Show a picture of the scales of justice to illustrate the concept: equality = justice.
These verses clearly portray the third feature of the biblical portrait of the poor: The poor are powerless and voiceless. How can we, and our church, speak up for the powerless and voiceless? What place does advocacy in behalf of the poor and oppressed have in the mission of the church? Note how the Holy Spirit and Jesus play the role of Advocate in behalf of powerless humanity. See John 14:26 and 1 John 2:1. The Greek word paráklētos in John 14:26 is sometimes translated Advocate, Comforter, or Helper. Advocacy is a characteristic of God, and His Church should reflect His character.
Part III: Life Application
As you move to the application part of your class’s lesson study, here are two stories to share and apply:
1. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a courageous advocate for justice and mercy and was imprisoned as a result. He wrote from prison: “Here and there people flee from public altercation into the sanctuary of private virtuousness. But anyone who does this must shut his mouth and his eyes to the injustice around him.”3
Ask Your Class: What does the above statement by Bonhoeffer mean to you? What implications does it have for living as an Adventist Christian where there is injustice and a lack of mercy?
2. Alex and several men in his church took turns spending the night at a homeless shelter. That is where Alex met Greg. Greg had just been released from prison and said, “Forgive me if I don’t smile a lot; I’m missing a tooth from a jailhouse fight.”The Holy Spirit nudged Alex to do something about Greg’s smile. Alex told Greg’s story to his Sabbath School class and to a compassionate dentist in the congregation. The generosity of the class and of the dentist resolved Greg’s problem. Greg tearfully said, “I don’t want to mess up my new look, so I’m not using tobacco anymore.”Then he added to his friend, “Look Alex! I’ve got my smile back.”Alex concluded that there is a relationship between Sabbath School and compassion. How can your class cause a story like that to happen?