Study Focus:Gen. 3:7, 21; Exod. 34:1–10; 1 John 1:5–10; Isa. 61:10; Hosea 6.
This week’s lesson responds to last week’s examination of the nature of sin. Last week, we considered the hopelessness that our sinful condition generates. This week we will consider God’s response to the human problem of sin.
After humanity fell, God did not remain at a distance in heaven, indifferent to our misery. At the appointed time, Jesus, the Son of God, came down in the likeness of human flesh to undertake a rescue operation. God, in the person of His Son, died for our sins. At the cross, Christ paid the high price of justice for our salvation. Since that time, the Lord Jesus has interceded in heaven for us to secure our place with Him in His kingdom. And now, at the time of the end, Christ pleads with us through His Spirit to change our sinful ways, which lead to death, and to accept instead His gift of eternal life. The only solution to the problem of sin is to hear God’s call to repent (Hosea 6).
Last week, we learned that, as sinners, we are in a lost condition apart from Christ and, thus, are walking in darkness (1 John 1:6). This week, we will learn how to walk out of darkness into God’s marvelous light (1 John 1:7). Without the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, our sin is unforgivable, and we are slaves to sin and death (Gen. 2:17, Rom. 5:12). In this week’s lesson, we will explore how we stand alive in Christ, amazed at God’s wonderful gift of grace (Exod. 34:1–10). Without this gift, we are like Adam and Eve at the Fall, ashamed of our nakedness (Gen. 3:7). This week, we also will see how God’s grace covers us as it covered a penitent Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21, Rev. 7:13–17, Matt. 22:12).
Part II: Commentary
God’s Call to Repentance (Hosea 6). The Hebrew word shub refers to the physical action to “return.” This verb also expresses the spiritual concept of “repentance.”
The verb shub is a keyword in the book of Hosea. Repentance is a major theme throughout the book. The verb shub refers to the return of the prophet Hosea’s wife, Gomer, who has become a prostitute and has strayed from her husband (Hos. 2:7). Gomer’s unfaithfulness to her marriage vow symbolizes Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. So, shub also is used to refer to the return (repentance) of Israel to God (Hos. 3:5).
In Hosea 6, the verb shub, “return,” appears in the beginning of the chapter (Hos. 6:1), where it refers to the repentance of Israel toward God, and then again at the end of the chapter (Hos. 6:11). This “inclusio” is a literary device that connects the repentance of Israel to the promise of her return from the exile. Again, the actual situation of the prophet with his adulterous wife is used as a visible metaphor to represent the similar situation of Israel toward God. In this passage, the prophet reminds Israel of her present “torn” condition because of God’s tearing Israel apart (Hos. 6:1), just as a lion would do to its prey (Hos. 5:14). Then the prophet promises that God will revive Israel on the third day, which is an allusion to God’s spiritual resurrection of Israel.
In the ancient Near East, it was believed that a deceased person could be declared dead only after three days of corruption. The reference to the “three days” implies that the revival was, indeed, a resurrection, as it were, from the dead. The same analogy is applied in the New Testament to the resurrection of Jesus Christ on “the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4, NKJV). (Note that in ancient Jewish counting, three days are counted as if the third day has been engaged in full.) The parallel between the two resurrections, Israel’s and Christ’s, does not just allow for a typological reading of the passage relating the resurrection of Israel (returning from captivity) to the resurrection of Christ. From the New Testament perspective, the parallel also contains the spiritual lesson that repentance would ensure the promise that God would “revive” His people, just as God resurrected His Son (1 Cor. 15:20; compare with 1 Cor. 15:23).
Walk in God’s Light (1 John 1:5–10). In Hosea, we heard God’s call to repent, to walk back to God. In John’s letter, we hear God’s call to walk in God’s light. John’s letter begins with a reference to the “beginning” (1 John 1:1), an allusion to the event of Creation, “concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1, NKJV). The same association of thoughts is found in the prologue of John’s Gospel, in which the beloved disciple uses the phrase “in the beginning” (John 1:1), thus alluding to the first word of Genesis, bere’shit, “in the beginning” (John 1:1; compare with Gen. 1:1). In John’s Gospel, light and life are connected: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4, NKJV). Likewise, in his letter, John speaks about the God of life (1 John 1:1, 2) as being the God of light (1 John 1:5). John uses the cosmic event of Creation as an argument to convince us to walk in God’s light. Because God, the Creator and Source of life, is “light,” we must walk in His light (1 John 1:7). Another reason this principle is important is predicated upon the fact that outside of God’s light, we are not only in darkness, unable to see the right way; we are also sinful, and, therefore, in absolute need of Christ’s cleansing and forgiveness (1 John 1:9). John insists, then, on the fact that we all sin. No one can claim anything to the contrary (1 John 1:10).
In the book of Ecclesiastes, we find the same warning. After having shown the state of confusion that characterizes the search for wisdom (Eccles. 7:10–18), the wise man warns that it is impossible for men to find wisdom by themselves (Eccles. 7:23). The only certainty that he has found in this life is that “God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (Eccles. 7:29, NKJV). Therefore, Ecclesiastes emphasizes that no one on earth can merit salvation, because we are all sinners (Eccles. 7:20). Solomon, therefore, concludes that the only way out of this trouble is through God (Eccles. 7:18).
God’s Character (Exod. 34:1–10). God is the One who initiates the first move in reconciling us to Himself. He is the One who extends the offer of forgiveness to us. Israel experienced this reality after they worshiped the golden calf (Exod. 32:1–6). This “great sin” separated them from God. No human action or merit could bridge the chasm between heaven and earth. To symbolize this separation, Moses broke the tablets of the law, which he had just gotten from God’s hands (Exod. 32:15, 16). Moses then stood before God and pleaded with Him to forgive the people for their “great sin” (Exod. 32:31–35). To Moses, who asked God to reveal Himself in His glory (Exod. 33:18), God responded by revealing the grace of His forgiveness (Exod. 33:19). The text under consideration, Exodus 34:1–10, is the fulfillment of that promise. The focus and emphasis of God’s declaration in these verses are based on His grace, which is expressed through five words:
“Merciful,” from the Hebrew word rekḥem, “womb,” evokes the intimacy of the bond of an expectant mother with the baby in her womb.
“Gracious” relates to the idea of something that is given “for free” (kḥinam).
“Longsuffering” (lit. “long of nose”) refers to the immense span of God’s patience.
“Goodness and truth” together refer to the tension between love and justice.
On the day of judgment (Dan. 7:9–15, Dan. 8:14), God’s grace ensures His forgiveness and mercy to His people.
New Robe (Gen. 3:21, Rev. 7:13–17). The reason Adam and Eve felt the vulnerability of their nakedness is that they lost the original garment of light that clothed them. This garment of light reflected the divine appearance (see Ps. 8:5; compare with Ps. 104:1, 2).
Adam and Eve’s solution to the problem of their nakedness was to cover themselves, an error that Paul will denounce as righteousness by works (Gal. 2:16). By doing so, the human couple was, in fact, taking God’s place. This usurpation was repaired later when God came to clothe them (Gen. 3:21). Indeed, the event of God’s clothing Adam and Eve is told in Genesis 3:7, in terms that recall the human manufacture of garments. The same verb in the same form, wayya‘asu/waya‘as, “they made”/ “He made,” is used in both passages. The echo of this verb in both verses means that only God has the right and the capacity to cover sinners. God inculcated this lesson through the institution of sacrifice, pointing to the future sacrifice of Christ. God’s use of the skin of an animal implied that the animal was killed or that it was sacrificed (Lev. 5:5–10, Lev. 7:8). Thus, the sacrificial garment, loaded with its Messianic promise, replaced the human-made garments.
The story in Genesis of the change of garments made by God has typological significance. Figuratively, it points to the future robe of righteousness that God will grant to the saved ones (Rev. 3:5, Rev. 3:18, Rev. 19:8), who will attend the marriage supper of the lamb (Rev. 19:9; compare with Matt. 22:12).
Part III: Life Application
Teacher’s Tip: What is the relationship between love and justice? To begin an exploration of this profound question with your class, ask for a volunteer to read the short reflection on this topic below. Then discuss the following questions.
For Reflection: Love and Justice. In Hebrew, the word tsedeq means “love” or “justice,” depending on the context.
Why is justice without love not justice, and love without justice not love?
Ask your students to find examples from the Bible, history, or current events that illustrate this truth. Invite them to present their findings to the class.
Adjust My Preferences
Welcome! Please set your reading preferences below.
You can access this panel later by clicking the
preference icon
in the top right of the page.
Key Text: 1 John 1:9
Study Focus: Gen. 3:7, 21; Exod. 34:1–10; 1 John 1:5–10; Isa. 61:10; Hosea 6.
This week’s lesson responds to last week’s examination of the nature of sin. Last week, we considered the hopelessness that our sinful condition generates. This week we will consider God’s response to the human problem of sin.
After humanity fell, God did not remain at a distance in heaven, indifferent to our misery. At the appointed time, Jesus, the Son of God, came down in the likeness of human flesh to undertake a rescue operation. God, in the person of His Son, died for our sins. At the cross, Christ paid the high price of justice for our salvation. Since that time, the Lord Jesus has interceded in heaven for us to secure our place with Him in His kingdom. And now, at the time of the end, Christ pleads with us through His Spirit to change our sinful ways, which lead to death, and to accept instead His gift of eternal life. The only solution to the problem of sin is to hear God’s call to repent (Hosea 6).
Last week, we learned that, as sinners, we are in a lost condition apart from Christ and, thus, are walking in darkness (1 John 1:6). This week, we will learn how to walk out of darkness into God’s marvelous light (1 John 1:7). Without the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, our sin is unforgivable, and we are slaves to sin and death (Gen. 2:17, Rom. 5:12). In this week’s lesson, we will explore how we stand alive in Christ, amazed at God’s wonderful gift of grace (Exod. 34:1–10). Without this gift, we are like Adam and Eve at the Fall, ashamed of our nakedness (Gen. 3:7). This week, we also will see how God’s grace covers us as it covered a penitent Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21, Rev. 7:13–17, Matt. 22:12).
Part II: Commentary
God’s Call to Repentance (Hosea 6). The Hebrew word shub refers to the physical action to “return.” This verb also expresses the spiritual concept of “repentance.”
The verb shub is a keyword in the book of Hosea. Repentance is a major theme throughout the book. The verb shub refers to the return of the prophet Hosea’s wife, Gomer, who has become a prostitute and has strayed from her husband (Hos. 2:7). Gomer’s unfaithfulness to her marriage vow symbolizes Israel’s unfaithfulness to God. So, shub also is used to refer to the return (repentance) of Israel to God (Hos. 3:5).
In Hosea 6, the verb shub, “return,” appears in the beginning of the chapter (Hos. 6:1), where it refers to the repentance of Israel toward God, and then again at the end of the chapter (Hos. 6:11). This “inclusio” is a literary device that connects the repentance of Israel to the promise of her return from the exile. Again, the actual situation of the prophet with his adulterous wife is used as a visible metaphor to represent the similar situation of Israel toward God. In this passage, the prophet reminds Israel of her present “torn” condition because of God’s tearing Israel apart (Hos. 6:1), just as a lion would do to its prey (Hos. 5:14). Then the prophet promises that God will revive Israel on the third day, which is an allusion to God’s spiritual resurrection of Israel.
In the ancient Near East, it was believed that a deceased person could be declared dead only after three days of corruption. The reference to the “three days” implies that the revival was, indeed, a resurrection, as it were, from the dead. The same analogy is applied in the New Testament to the resurrection of Jesus Christ on “the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:4, NKJV). (Note that in ancient Jewish counting, three days are counted as if the third day has been engaged in full.) The parallel between the two resurrections, Israel’s and Christ’s, does not just allow for a typological reading of the passage relating the resurrection of Israel (returning from captivity) to the resurrection of Christ. From the New Testament perspective, the parallel also contains the spiritual lesson that repentance would ensure the promise that God would “revive” His people, just as God resurrected His Son (1 Cor. 15:20; compare with 1 Cor. 15:23).
Walk in God’s Light (1 John 1:5–10). In Hosea, we heard God’s call to repent, to walk back to God. In John’s letter, we hear God’s call to walk in God’s light. John’s letter begins with a reference to the “beginning” (1 John 1:1), an allusion to the event of Creation, “concerning the Word of life” (1 John 1:1, NKJV). The same association of thoughts is found in the prologue of John’s Gospel, in which the beloved disciple uses the phrase “in the beginning” (John 1:1), thus alluding to the first word of Genesis, bere’shit, “in the beginning” (John 1:1; compare with Gen. 1:1). In John’s Gospel, light and life are connected: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4, NKJV). Likewise, in his letter, John speaks about the God of life (1 John 1:1, 2) as being the God of light (1 John 1:5). John uses the cosmic event of Creation as an argument to convince us to walk in God’s light. Because God, the Creator and Source of life, is “light,” we must walk in His light (1 John 1:7). Another reason this principle is important is predicated upon the fact that outside of God’s light, we are not only in darkness, unable to see the right way; we are also sinful, and, therefore, in absolute need of Christ’s cleansing and forgiveness (1 John 1:9). John insists, then, on the fact that we all sin. No one can claim anything to the contrary (1 John 1:10).
In the book of Ecclesiastes, we find the same warning. After having shown the state of confusion that characterizes the search for wisdom (Eccles. 7:10–18), the wise man warns that it is impossible for men to find wisdom by themselves (Eccles. 7:23). The only certainty that he has found in this life is that “God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (Eccles. 7:29, NKJV). Therefore, Ecclesiastes emphasizes that no one on earth can merit salvation, because we are all sinners (Eccles. 7:20). Solomon, therefore, concludes that the only way out of this trouble is through God (Eccles. 7:18).
God’s Character (Exod. 34:1–10). God is the One who initiates the first move in reconciling us to Himself. He is the One who extends the offer of forgiveness to us. Israel experienced this reality after they worshiped the golden calf (Exod. 32:1–6). This “great sin” separated them from God. No human action or merit could bridge the chasm between heaven and earth. To symbolize this separation, Moses broke the tablets of the law, which he had just gotten from God’s hands (Exod. 32:15, 16). Moses then stood before God and pleaded with Him to forgive the people for their “great sin” (Exod. 32:31–35). To Moses, who asked God to reveal Himself in His glory (Exod. 33:18), God responded by revealing the grace of His forgiveness (Exod. 33:19). The text under consideration, Exodus 34:1–10, is the fulfillment of that promise. The focus and emphasis of God’s declaration in these verses are based on His grace, which is expressed through five words:
On the day of judgment (Dan. 7:9–15, Dan. 8:14), God’s grace ensures His forgiveness and mercy to His people.
New Robe (Gen. 3:21, Rev. 7:13–17). The reason Adam and Eve felt the vulnerability of their nakedness is that they lost the original garment of light that clothed them. This garment of light reflected the divine appearance (see Ps. 8:5; compare with Ps. 104:1, 2).
Adam and Eve’s solution to the problem of their nakedness was to cover themselves, an error that Paul will denounce as righteousness by works (Gal. 2:16). By doing so, the human couple was, in fact, taking God’s place. This usurpation was repaired later when God came to clothe them (Gen. 3:21). Indeed, the event of God’s clothing Adam and Eve is told in Genesis 3:7, in terms that recall the human manufacture of garments. The same verb in the same form, wayya‘asu/waya‘as, “they made”/ “He made,” is used in both passages. The echo of this verb in both verses means that only God has the right and the capacity to cover sinners. God inculcated this lesson through the institution of sacrifice, pointing to the future sacrifice of Christ. God’s use of the skin of an animal implied that the animal was killed or that it was sacrificed (Lev. 5:5–10, Lev. 7:8). Thus, the sacrificial garment, loaded with its Messianic promise, replaced the human-made garments.
The story in Genesis of the change of garments made by God has typological significance. Figuratively, it points to the future robe of righteousness that God will grant to the saved ones (Rev. 3:5, Rev. 3:18, Rev. 19:8), who will attend the marriage supper of the lamb (Rev. 19:9; compare with Matt. 22:12).
Part III: Life Application
Teacher’s Tip: What is the relationship between love and justice? To begin an exploration of this profound question with your class, ask for a volunteer to read the short reflection on this topic below. Then discuss the following questions.
For Reflection: Love and Justice. In Hebrew, the word tsedeq means “love” or “justice,” depending on the context.