Deuteronomy 33:29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

Psalm 2:12b Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Psalm 89:15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance.

Psalm 119:1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

3 They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

Psalm 144:15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.

Isaiah 30:18b Blessed are all they that wait for him.

Luke 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

 

MEMORY VERSE: And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. —Revelation 14:13

 

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The people—the nation, the congregation—who put their trust in the Lord, walk in his ways, wait for him, make Him the Lord God, and keep His Word, His laws, and His testimony, shall be blessed, made happy, experience the privilege of being the Lord’s chosen inheritance, and enjoy His rest at the end of life’s labors.

 

WORD DEFINITIONS

 

Psalm 33:12 “Inheritance”: heritage; portion; treasured possession; peculiar treasure.

Psalm 89:15 “The joyful sound”: the joyful sound of the jubilee trumpet, which proclaimed liberty to the captives and restoration of all forfeited estates. “They shall walk”: they shall walk vigorously. “In the light of thy countenance”: in the Lord’s favor and goodwill; as in the Levitical blessing, “The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).

Psalm 144:15, Proverbs 29:18 and Deuteronomy 33:29 “Happy”: same word as blessed.

Revelation 14:13 “In the Lord”: Any persons that die united to Christ by a true and lively faith; however, often in Scripture in signifies for, so it also could mean a martyr who died for the Lord.

 

LESSON BACKGROUND

 

Today we focus not only on the individual who is proclaimed blessed by God, but on the blessed nation or people who have the special privilege to be the Lord’s own chosen treasure, His special jewel. There are several Old Testament passages that express this thought about the Israelites, including Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 4:20 and 7:6, Psalm 74:2 and Malachi 3:17.

Another reference to Jewish history is the “joyful sound,” which alludes to the trumpets blown to announce the feasts, particularly the year of jubilee, which was the fiftieth year following a period of seven sabbatical years (49 years). In this year, which began on the Day of Atonement, the land was given a rest, all slaves were set free, and land was returned to its original owner or his heirs.

The Scriptures in our lesson describe the blessed people as those who put their trust in the Lord, and wait on—lean on, attend upon—Him. They are undefiled and free from iniquity; they walk in the way of His law, keep His testimonies, and seek Him with their whole heart. They hear His Word, and do it. They experience His soul rest in this life, and in the life to come, enter into their final rest from all their labors, their good works coming behind them as a witness and testimony to those who follow after.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

 

DISCUSSION:

 

1. Special: Give the expressions that God used to describe His people.
2. The Blessed: Share the characteristics of this kind of nation or people.

 

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

 

A clear application of the Old Testament “chosen people” to the New Testament church is made in I Peter 2:9-10: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God…” Now, not only Jews but Gentiles too can share in God’s inheritance and be His special treasure.

The day of Jubilee is an important type that points to the soul rest that we have in Christ. Also, as slaves to satan and sin, because of Christ’s atonement, we are set free. The “land” which was stolen away by satan—our victory, our inheritance, our purity, joy, peace, the Divine presence—is redeemed back to us by the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We who were estranged from God are brought back into His family and made “one” with Him, just as freed slaves were united again with their families. Also in Christ, we who by sin and selfishness were estranged from each other are made one.

While we rejoice in the blessedness that Christ affords to each one of us individually, if we look deeper into the Word, we always find that wonderful plan He has for a people. He came to build a kingdom; establish a church; join together a body.

A very precious picture of this is found in yet another Old Testament example. The Queen of Sheba, in her quest to verify the greatness of Solomon’s kingdom, and the secret thereof, at last sank in amazement and exclaimed, “Happy are thy men, happy are those thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom.” This is fulfilled in Christ and the chosen, happy people who stand before Him, hear His Word, and keep it.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

 

REFLECTIONS

 

The prophet Isaiah had these words regarding the coming of Jesus Christ, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” When Jesus came down to earth from heaven, He created the kingdom of God within the heart of man. This kingdom could be present in any country, within any government rule and under any political power.

The disciples of Jesus were awaiting the setting up of an earthly kingdom. They were looking forward to conquering their oppressors. No doubt they had many conversations among themselves as to how Jesus would handle the hierarchy of this new kingdom and where they would rank. On the contrary, Jesus told them that the kingdom of God would be established within the heart of man. What a perfect plan! This superceded any literal kingdom and was the great mountain that Daniel prophesied of that filled the whole earth.

When governments imprison the saints of God, the kingdom that is within can sing of freedom divine. Under political powers seeking to dissolve or persecute the Church of God, the kingdom remains safely intact. Where hate rules, the child of God can love beyond all measure. This beautiful kingdom cannot be torn asunder, beaten, conquered, subdued or killed. No law can touch it, no power can annihilate it and no government can quench it.

As a partaker of this wonderful kingdom of God, I can truly say that I am blessed!

“I am lost in its splendor and beauty, To its ne’er fading heights I would rise,

Till I see the King come to receive me, And explore it with him in the skies.”

—Sis. LaDawna Adams