• Psalms 30-36
• Psalms 31:23 – “The Lord preserves the faithful.” This is still true today!
• Psalms 32:1 – See Romans 4:4-8. The blessed man is the one who trusts not in his own works to save him, but has faith in God that is sufficient to cause him to obey God’s commandments.
• Psalms 32:9 – See John 6:44-45.
• Psalms 34:14 – See I Peter 3:10-12.
• Psalms 34:15-18 – See I Peter 3:12.
• Psalms 34:18 – See Isaiah 66:2.

• Last lesson
  • Status of women in Old Testament times
    • Scriptural limitations
    • Roles filled by women
• This lesson
  • How women were regarded in Old Testament times
  • What changed going into the 1st century
• How women were considered in Old Testament times
  • Included in the covenant – Deuteronomy 29:9-12
  • Sources of wisdom – II Samuel 14:1-21
  • Wisdom personified as feminine – Proverbs 7:4; 8:1-6
  • Having great prudence – I Samuel 25:23-42
  • Wife is a very good find – Proverbs 19:L14; 18:22
• How women considered – continued:
  • Life of a women on par with life of a man – Exodus 21:22-29
  • Books of Ruth, Esther, Song of Solomon
  • Book of Judith (uninspired)
    • Apocryphal book that tells the story of a rebel named Judith
• Status of women in Old Testament
  • Marriages were arranged
    • Between father and prospective husband
    • Love was not a factor
    • Maintenance of tribal inheritance was
  • Emancipated widows free to seek their own
    • Ruth a good example
    • Wise woman of Tekoa presumably made choice
  • Beyond that, status was what she made of it
• Cultural changes approaching 1st century
  • Encroachment of Hellenism throughout society
    • Embraced by some
    • Abhorred by others
    • Unavoidable by any
    • Numbness brought about by time
  • Gradual acceptance of cultural “norms”
    • Included many aspects of society
    • One change was women’s status
• Effects of Hellenization on women
  • Neither seen nor heard
    • Harem system had roots in Hellenism
    • Woman’s place was in the home
    • Women not to be educated or to teach
    • Women to be “hidden” in public
  • Diminished legal standing
    • Could not testify in court
    • Disallowed from owning property

• The primary argument against Bible classes is that there is no direct Biblical example for them. This is true, but examples are not the only way we learn what a church is authorized to do.

Authority

General

Specific

Specific

Expedient

Addition

I Corinthians 11:24-25 (Lord’s Supper)

Take

His Supper

Saint

Container / hour (I Corinthians 14:16)

Different supper / sinner

Genesis 6:4

Build

Ark

Noah

How obtained / bound

Different boat / builder

I Timothy 5:16

Relieve

Widows indeed

Local church

Buy / rent

Different widow / organization

Philippians 4:15-16

Collective support

Teacher of the Word

Local church

Dollars / house

Different teacher / organization

Acts 20:28; I Peter 5:2

Feed

The flock among you

Local church

Gospel meeting / Bible classes

Different flock / organization

• Matthew 6:10
• The kingdom is coming
  • Isaiah 9:1-7
    • Matthew 4:12-17
    • Luke 1:31-33
  • Daniel 2:31-45
• The kingdom is at hand
  • Matthew 3:1-2; 4:17; 6:10; 10:7; 16:18-19, 28
  • Acts 1:6-8
• Acts 2
  • Acts 2:1-4, 29-39
• The kingdom is here now
  • Colossians 1:13-14 – Paul was in the kingdom!
  • Revelation 1:9 – John was part of the kingdom back then, so it must have already existed!
• Why this matters
  • It helps us to not be carried away by false doctrines
    • “The kingdom is in the future.”
      • Revelation 20:1-7
    • “The kingdom came in 1914.”
      • Danuel 4:23-25
      • Nothing in Daniel 4 points to a larger fulfillment.
  • It reminds us to serve King Jesus now!
    • John 18:33-37

• Psalms 22-28
• Psalm 22:
  • John 8:28-29
  • John 16:31-32
  • Psalms 22:1 – It appeared to those around David (and later Jesus) that God had forsaken David (and Jesus). God had not in fact forsaken either one.
  • Psalms 22:7 – See Matthew 27:39
  • Psalms 22:9-11 – David had a lifetime trust in God.
  • Psalms 22:12-18 – These verses are definitely Messianic prophecies about Christ.
  • Psalms 22:31 – The last phrase is more properly translated, “It is finished.”
• Psalms 23:3 – Our purpose in life is to live for His name’s sake.