2018 2019 TOWNSEND PRESS - newmtmoriahmbc.org

[Pages:143]2018?2019 TOWNSEND PRESS

Sunday Interim

School Publishing Board National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

Rev. Derrick Jackson Executive Director Copyright ? 2018

Townsend Press, Nashville, Tennessee. A division of the Sunday School Publishing Board, NBC, USA, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without expressed permission in writing from the Sunday School Publishing Board, 330 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee 37201-1188. E-mail: customercare@.

The Commentary lesson expositions have been developed from the International Sunday School Lessons Series, 2010-2016 Cycle, copyright ? 2008 by the Committee on the Uniform Series of the National Council of Churches USA. The Home Daily Bible Readings are prepared by the Committee on the Uniform Series, copyright ? 2008. Used by permission.

Bible passages are taken from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright ? 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.? Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture passages marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and are used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright ? 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version. Copyright ? 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are 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.

Scripture quotations marked NLT taken from the New Living Translation, copyright ? 1996, are used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified? Bible. Copyright ? 1954, 1958, 1962,

1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ()

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version? (ESV?), copyright ? 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ASV are taken from the American Standard Version.

*Some Scripture passages may represent the writer's paraphrase. __________________________________ Writers: Dr. Cleo LaRue; Dr. Christopher Jackson; Editors: Rev. Wellington A. Johnson Sr.; Rev. Emmanuel Reid; Qualitative Editor: Tanae C. McKnight Murdic; Associate Editor: Regina Hoosier; Copy Editor: Yalemzewd Worku; Layout Designer: Royetta Davis; Cover Designer: Donn S. Jobe Sr.

ISBN: 978-1-939225-68-9

CONTENTS

Six-year Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v List of Printed Texts ............................................................................................................................................................... v Preface ..................................................................................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................................................ viii Know Your Writers ............................................................................................................................................................... ix

Fall Quarter, 2018--God's World and God's People General Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 September: UNIT I--God Created the World

2 God Created the Heavens and Earth (Genesis 1:1-13) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 9 God Created Plants and Animals (Genesis 1:14-25) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 16

God Created People (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:4-7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 23 God Created the Family (Genesis 2:18-24; 4:1-2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 30 God Creates, Humans Sin (Genesis 3:8-17, 20-24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

October: UNIT II--God Destroys and Re-creates

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7 Noah's Steadfast Faith (Genesis 6:9b-22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 14 God Is Always Working (Genesis 10:2; 11:10, 27, 31-32; 12:1-4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 21 Abraham and Sarah Birth God's People (Genesis 18:9-15; 21:1-7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 28 Isaac and Rebekah Continue the Legacy (Genesis 24:12-21, 61-67) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

November: UNIT III--God Blesses and Re-creates Regardless 4 A Troubled Birth (Genesis 25:19-34) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

11 Jacob Receives Isaac's Blessing (Genesis 27:5-10, 18-19, 21-29) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 18 Jacob Forms a Relationship with God (Genesis 28:10-22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 25 God Blesses Jacob and Rachel (Genesis 30:22-32, 43) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Winter Quarter, 2018?2019--Our Love for God General Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 December: UNIT I--God Commands Our Love, Respect, and Obedience 2 Love and Devotion (Deuteronomy 6:1-9) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 9 Choose to Love and Serve God (Joshua 24:1-3 13-15, 21-24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 16 Love and Worship God (Psalm 103:1-17, 21-22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 23 Jesus: God's Loving Promise (Luke 1:26-31; 2:22, 25-35) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 30 Modeling God's Love (Matthew 25:31-46) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

January: UNIT II--Loving God by Trusting Christ 6 Hold Fast to God's Love (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5; 2 John 4-11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 13 Submit to God in Love (James 4:1-10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 20 Submit to God in Christ (Philippians 1:12-21) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 27 Devote All to Christ (Philippians 2:1-11) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

February: UNIT II--Loving God by Trusting Christ 3 Renounce Everything for Christ (Philippians 3:7-14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 UNIT III--Love Songs that Glorify God 10 Pondering God's Steadfast Love (Psalm 48:1-3, 9-14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 17 Praising God's Mighty Works (Psalm 66:1-9, 16-20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 24 Living with God's Loving Assurance (Psalm 91:1-8, 11-16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

Spring Quarter, 2019--Discipleship and Mission General Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 March: UNIT I--Call to Discipleship 3 Called to Humility and Hospitality (Luke 14:7-14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 10 A Costly Call (Mark 1:16-20; Luke 14:25-33) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251 17 Calling the Lost (Luke 15:11-24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 24 Calling to Salvation (Luke 19:1-10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

UNIT II--Call to Ministry 31 Called to Discipleship (Matthew 4:12-22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

April: UNIT II--Call to Ministry 7 Call and Mission (Matthew 10:1-15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 14 Called to Remember (Matthew 26:1-13) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

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21 Called to Proclaim the Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301 28 Call and Commissioning (Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:6-8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

May: UNIT III--The Spread of the Gospel 5 Called to Righteousness (Romans 3:21-31) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

12 Called to Life in the Spirit (Romans 8:1-14) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 19 The Call of the Gentiles (Romans 11:11-24) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 26 Called to New Life in Christ (Romans 12:1-8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344

Summer Quarter, 2019--Living in Covenant

General Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353 June: UNIT I--A Fulfilled Covenant

2 Jesus Institutes the New Covenant (Mark 14:17-24; Hebrews 8:6-7, 10-12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355 9 Jesus Seals the New Covenant (Mark 15:6-15, 25-26, 33-39) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 16 The New Covenant's Sacrifice (Hebrews 9:11-22) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 23 Hearts United in Love (Colossians 2:1-15) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

UNIT II--A Heartfelt Covenant 30 Jesus Teaches about Right Attitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

July: UNIT II--A Heartfelt Covenant 7 Jesus Teaches about Fulfilling the Law (Matthew 5:13-20) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 14 Jesus Teaches Us to Love One Another (Matthew 5:21-32) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 21 Jesus Teaches about Transforming Love (Matthew 5:38-48) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417 28 Jesus Teaches about Spiritual Discernment (Matthew 7:1-6, 15-23) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426

August: UNIT III--Covenant: A Personal Perspective 4 A Covenant between Friends (1 Samuel 18:1-5; 19:1-7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435 11 A Mother-Daughter Covenant (Ruth 1:6-11, 14-18) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444 18 A Covenant to Marry (Ruth 3:1-6, 8-12, 16-18). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453 25 Marriage: A Covenant of Mutual Love (Ephesians 5:21-33) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462

2016?2022 SCOPE AND SEQUENCE--CYCLE SPREAD

ARRANGEMENT OF QUARTERS ACCORDING TO THE CHURCH SCHOOL YEAR, SEPTEMBER THROUGH AUGUST

Fall 2016 GOD?SOVEREIGNTY

Sovereignty of God Isaiah; Matthew;

Hebrews; Revelation

Winter 2016?2017 CREATION

Creation: A Divine Cycle Psalms; Luke; Galatians

Spring 2017 LOVE

God Loves Us Psalms; Joel; Jonah;

John; Romans; Ephesians; 1 Peter; 1 John

Summer 2017 CALL

God's Urgent Call Exodus; Judges; Isaiah;

Jeremiah; Ezekiel; Amos; Acts

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Fall 2017 COVENANT Covenant with God Genesis; Exodus; Numbers; 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel; Nehemiah; Jeremiah; Ezekiel; 1 Corinthians; Titus; Hebrews

Fall 2018 CREATION God's World and God's People

Genesis

Fall 2019 FAITH Responding to God's Grace Genesis; Exodus; Numbers; Deuteronomy; 1 Samuel; 1 Kings; Luke; 2 Corinthians; Galatians; 1 Thessalonians; 1 Peter; 2 Peter

Fall 2020 LOVE

Love for One Another Genesis; Leviticus; 1 Samuel; 2 Samuel; Luke; John; Acts; 1 Corinthians; James; 1 John;

2 John; 3 John

Fall 2021 WORSHIP Celebrating God Exodus; 2 Samuel; Ecclesiastes; Psalms; Mark; Luke; Acts; Revelation

Winter 2017?2018 FAITH

Faith in Action Daniel; Matthew; Acts; Ephesians; Colossians;

1 Timothy; James

Winter 2018?2019 LOVE

Our Love for God Deuteronomy; Joshua; Psalms; Matthew; Mark; Luke;

Philippians; 2 Thessalonians; James; 2 John Winter 2019?2020

WORSHIP Honoring God 1 Chronicles; 2 Chronicles; 1 Kings; Ecclesiastes; Matthew; Luke

Winter 2020?2021 CALL

Call in the New Testament Isaiah; Matthew; Mark; Luke; John; Acts; Romans; 1 Corinthians; Hebrews; 2 Timothy

Winter 2021?2022 JUSTICE

Justice, Law, History Genesis; Exodus;

Deuteronomy; 2 Samuel; 1 Kings; Ezra; Job; Isaiah; Nahum; Luke

Spring 2018 WORSHIP Acknowledging God Genesis; Exodus; Leviticus; 2 Chronicles; Psalms; Luke; John; 2 Corinthians; Hebrews; Revelation

Spring 2019 CALL

Discipleship and Mission Matthew; Luke; Acts; Romans

Spring 2020 JUSTICE Justice and the Prophets Esther; 1 Kings; Psalms; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Hosea; Amos; Micah; Habakkuk; Zephaniah; Zachariah; Malachi; Matthew; Mark; 1 Corinthians

Spring 2021 COVENANT Prophets Faithful to God's

Covenant Exodus; Joshua; 1 Kings; 2 Kings; Ezra; Nehemiah; Isaiah; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Ezekiel; Amos; Jonah; Luke

Spring 2022 GOD?LIBERATION God Frees and Redeems

Deuteronomy; Ezra; Matthew; John; Romans;

Galatians

Summer 2018 JUSTICE

Justice in the New Testament

Matthew; Luke; Romans;

2 Corinthians; Colossians

Summer 2019 COVENANT Living in Covenant Ruth; 1 Samuel; Matthew; Mark; Luke; John; Ephesians; Colossians; Hebrews

Summer 2020 GOD?WISDOM Many Faces of Wisdom Genesis; Leviticus; 1 Kings; Job; Proverbs; Ecclesiastes; Matthew; Mark; Luke;

John; James

Summer 2021 FAITH

Confident Hope Matthew; Mark; Luke; Romans; 2 Corinthians;

Hebrews; 1 John

Summer 2022 CREATION Partners in a New

Creation Isaiah; John; Revelation

LIST OF PRINTED TEXTS

The Printed Scriptural Texts used in the 2018?2019 Townsend Press Sunday School Commentary are arranged here in the order in which they appear in the Bible. Opposite each reference is the page number on which Scriptures appear in this edition of the Commentary.

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Reference

Page Reference

Page

Genesis 1:1-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 142 Matthew 4:12-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Genesis 1:14-25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

13

Matthew 5:1-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Genesis 1:26-31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew 5:13-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .400

22 Genesis 2:4-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew 5:21-32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408

23 Genesis 2:18-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew 5:38-48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417

. 32 Genesis 3:8-17, 20-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew 7:1-6, 15-23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. 41 Genesis 4:1-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 Matthew 10:1-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

33

284 Matthew 25:31-46 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Genesis 6:9b-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Matthew 26:1-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50

293 Matthew 28:1-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Genesis 10:2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 301 Matthew 28:16-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Genesis 11:10, 27, 31-32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

59 Genesis 12:1-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark 1:16-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

60 Genesis 18:9-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark 14:17-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

. 67

Mark 15:6-15, 25-26, 33-39 . . . . . . . . . . . 365

Genesis 21:1-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Luke 1:26-31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Genesis 24:12-21, 61-67 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Luke 2:22, 25-35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Genesis 25:19-34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Luke 14:7-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

85

Luke 14:25-33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Genesis 27:5-10, 18-19, 21-29 . . . . . . . . . . . 251

95

Luke 15:11-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Genesis 28:10-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Luke 19:1-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

104

267 Acts 1:6-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Genesis 30:22-32, 43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 Romans 3:21-31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

114 Deuteronomy 6:1-9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319

.125 Joshua 24:1-3 13-15, 21-24 . . . . . . . . . . . Romans 8:1-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

133 Ruth 1:6-11, 14-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Romans 11:11-24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

444

335

Ruth 3:1-6, 8-12, 16-18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Romans 12:1-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

453

344

1 Samuel 18:1-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435 Ephesians 5:21-33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462

1 Samuel 19:1-7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435 Philippians 1:12-21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Psalm 48:1-3, 9-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 187 Philippians 2:1-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Psalm 66:1-9, 16-20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 196

Psalm 91:1-8, 11-16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Philippians 3:7-14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Psalm 103:1-17, 21-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Colossians 2:1-15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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383 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 James 4:1-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Hebrews 8:6-7, 10-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 2 John 4-11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Hebrews 9:11-22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

PREFACE

The Townsend Press Sunday School Commentary, based on the International Lessons Series, was developed consistent with the curriculum guidelines of the Committee on the Uniform Series, Education Leadership Ministries Commission, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Select Christian scholars and theologians--who themselves embrace the precepts, doctrines, and positions on biblical interpretation that we have come to believe--are contributors to this publication. By participating in Scripture selection and the development of the matrices for the Guidelines for Lesson Development with the Committee on the Uniform Series, this presentation reflects the historic faith that we share within a rich heritage of worship and witness.

The format of the Townsend Press Sunday School Commentary lessons consists of the following: the Unit Title, the general subject with age-level topics, Printed Text from the King James Version and the New International Version of the Bible, Unifying Lesson Principle, Objectives of the Lesson, Points to Be Emphasized, The Chronological Setting of the Lesson, The Geographical and Cultural Setting of the Lesson, Prominent Characters in the Lesson, Key Terms in the Lesson, Topical Outline of the Lesson--with the Biblical Background of the Lesson, Exposition and Application of the Scripture, Concluding Reflection (designed to focus on the salient points of the lesson), and the Home Daily Bible Readings. Each lesson concludes with a prayer.

The Townsend Press Sunday School Commentary is designed to be an instructional aid for persons involved in the ministry of Christian education. While the autonomy of the individual soul before God is affirmed, we believe that biblical truths find their highest expression within the community of believers whose corporate experiences serve as monitors to preserve the integrity of the Christian faith. As such, the Word of God must not only be understood, but it must also be embodied in the concrete realities of daily life. This serves to allow the Word of God to intersect in a meaningful way with those realities of life.

The presentation of the lessons anticipates the fact that some concepts and Scripture references do not lend themselves to meaningful comprehension by children. Hence, when this occurs, alternative passages of Scripture are used, along with appropriate content emphases, that are designed to assist children in their spiritual growth. There will, however,

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remain a consistent connection between the children, youth, and adult lessons through the Unifying Principle developed for each session.

We stand firm in our commitment to Christian growth, to the end that lives will be transformed through personal and group interaction with the Word of God. The challenge issued by the apostle Paul continues to find relevance for our faith journey: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15, NRSV). May we all commit ourselves to the affirmation expressed by the psalmist: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105, NIV).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Townsend Press Sunday School Commentary is recognized as the centerpiece of a family of church-school literature designed especially to assist teachers in their presentation of the lessons as well as to broaden the knowledge base of students from the biblical perspective. Our mission has been and will always be to provide religious educational experiences and spiritual resources for our constituency throughout this nation, as well as many foreign countries. To achieve this end, the collaborative efforts of many people provide the needed expertise in the various areas of the production process. The editorial personnel, too numerous to list, approach their respective tasks with the dedication and devotion of those who serve God by serving His people. This Commentary is presented with gratitude to God for all those who desire a more comprehensive treatment of the selected Scriptures than is provided in the church-school quarterlies, and it is intended to be a complementary resource to the quarterlies.

This Commentary came into being as a result of employees with expertise in their assigned areas whose self-understanding is that of "workers together with God" and partners with those who labor in the vineyard of teaching the Word of God in order to make disciples and nurture others toward a mature faith.

Our gratitude is expressed to Dr. Cleo LaRue, expositor for the Fall and Spring Quarters, and Dr. Christopher Jackson, expositor for the Winter and Summer Quarters, for their devotion to the development of the respective lessons. These two writers bring diversity and a broad spectrum of ministerial, theological, and educational experience to bear on the exposition and application of the Scripture.

The task in which we are all involved would be meaningless and fruitless were it not for the many readers for whom this publication has been so diligently prepared. The faithfulness of our constituency has been enduring for more than a century, and we consider ourselves blessed to be their servants in the ministry of the printed Word--exalting the living Word, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We pray that God's grace will complement our efforts so

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