Bible Study Series: Where Did Black History Begin? : 1 Kings 10:1-14

 WHERE DID BLACK HISTORY BEGIN?

1 Kings 10:1-14

 

African History is intertwined with Jewish History.  It is good to remember we were freed from slavery in America.   Slavery didn’t begin in America.  It has its roots in Egypt, an African nation.

 

I can only imagine that slavery was the method God used to grow 

Nations to be blessed by Him for greatness.

 

LET’S LOOK AT SOME BLACK HISTORY

WHERE DID THE RACES OF THE WORLD BEGIN?

 

Noah Sons

According to Adam Clark's Commentary, Noah's sons were given authority over the whole earth.

Remember that after the flood, Noah and his family were the only people

On earth.

 

Genesis 10:1

Eusebius and others believe that Noah was commanded by God to make a will and bequeath the whole of the earth to his three sons and their descendants in the following manner:

 

To Shem, all the East;

To Ham, all Africa;

To Japheth, the Continent of Europe with its isles, and the northern parts of Asia.

 

CONSIDER THIS. ALL THE RACES OF THE WORLD ARE DESCENDANTS OF NOAH’S SONS

 

POWERFUL PEOPLE OF AFRICA

Genesis 10:6-9

6 The sons of Ham were

Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. ( The name Ham in Hebrew means burnt, black

Or hot.)

8 Cush was the father of Nimrod, who grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth.

Genesis 10:10

Nimrod a black man was the first King on earth.

 

All the Pharaohs of Egypt were black kings

Psalms 105:26-28

26 He sent Moses his servant,

and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

27 They performed his miraculous signs among them,

his wonders in the land of Ham. (Remember Ham was given charge of Africa)

 

 

 

 

Hagar                   

Genesis 25:12

Now, these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:

Genesis 25:13

They dwelt in Arabia Petraea, and extended themselves on the east toward Arabia Deserta.

 

ISRAEL

The nation of Israel was born during 400 years of slavery in Africa(Egypt)

Genesis 15:13-14

 Then the Lord said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years.

Israel, God’s chosen nation was born in Africa. Therefore Jesus Christ has African ancestors.

 

All over the world, Black people in America, are called African Americans.

We can have one white parent and one black parent, and we are still

African American. We can have one Asian parent and one Black parent

And we are still considered African Americans.

By the same world standard of assigning race, the Jews, therefore, are African Israelites or African Jews.

 

 

Tirhakah , King of Ethiopia

2 Kings 19:9-10

9 Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the Cushite king [of Egypt], was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: 10 "Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you

 

Simon of Cyrene

An African man was selected by God to carry the Cross of Jesus

 

 

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM AN AFRICAN QUEEN

Queen of Sheba, Ethiopia queen named Makeda

 

1 Kings 10:1-14

When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan — with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones — she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

 

6 She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness."

 

10 And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

 

11 (Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir, and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. 12 The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)

 

13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.

 

This African queen was large and in charge.

She was smart. She asked questions first.

Before she traveled to Jerusalem, the center of religious activity,                                       she did her homework. She researched Solomon

And all his works.

 

BASED ON WHAT SHE HEARD

She decided to come to see for herself. She was impressed by

Solomon’s love for the Lord.

 

WHAT WE CAN DETERMINE ABOUT HER FROM THE TEXT?

The Queen of Sheba loved the Lord.

She Loved the study of the Word.

She was intelligent.

She investigated the Word.

She was generous

She brought her church (Hiram) with her

She encouraged Solomon with her praise.

She praised the Lord       

 

WHAT THE QUEEN OF SHEBA WAS

She supported the church

She was a rich black woman

     Rich in the spirit

     Rich in the knowledge

     Rich in wisdom

     Rich in leadership skills

She was powerful black woman

She was a devoted black woman

She was a leading Black woman

She was a black woman with authority   BWWA

She was a black woman with power.

She was a respected black woman.

She had a desire to learn

She was a generous Black Woman

 

WHAT SHE DID TO STUDY THE LORD

The Queen of Sheba went to the source of the Word.

     She heard the Word.

     She didn’t deal with hearsay.

     She checked what she heard about Solomon for herself

    She spent time with the man of God

    She went out of her way to get to the Lord

    No distance too far to get to the Lord

 

WHAT THE QUEEN OF SHEBA BECAME

She was a Black missionary

She took the Word back to her country

She humbled herself before the man of God

She brought gifts to honor the Lord.  She honored Solomon with

Presence

 

She blessed the Lord and Solomon blessed Her

 

BLACK HISTORY DID NOT BEGIN IN AMERICA, IT BEGAN WITH THE LORD

 

BLACK HISTORY DID NOT BEGIN IN AFRICA. IT BEGAN WHEN GOD DEDICATED

AFRICA AS A CONTINENT.

 

HERE ARE MY SUGGESTIONS

1.     AFRICAN AMERICANS SHOULD STOP LOOKING AT THEMSELVES AS

AS SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS BECAUSE GOD MADE YOU FIRST

2.     AFRICAN AMERICANS SHOULD QUIT LOOKING AT AFRICA AS THEIR

BIRTHPLACE, BUT GOD AS THEIR BIRTH CONTINENT

 

 

 

This Week's Sundauy School Lesson, "Resestablishing Our Worship Of God", Ezra 6:13-22. 6/26/2022

 REESTABLISHING OUR WORSHIP OF GOD

 

Ezra 6:13-7:1

 

BACKGROUND

Because of the sins of Israel, in  597 BC, God sent King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to

Destroy Jerusalem and the temple.  The people were taken captive for 70 years.

In  539 BC, King Cyrus signed a decree that the Jews were to be released to return to Israel.

 

In 519 BC, King Cyrus decreed that walls around Jerusalem and the temple

Be rebuilt.  The returning Jews rebuilt the walls but did not rebuild the Temple.

The Jews rebuilt their own homes but left the Temple rebuilding for another time.

 

18 years had passed and the work on the temple never got started

Haggai the prophet was prompted by the Lord to motivate the people to rebuild

The temple.

Haggai 1:1-3

1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest:

2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built.'"

Haggai 1:14

 They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius.

 

 

 

 

GOD’S DIRECTION TO REBUILD THE TEMPLE

V:13 Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. 14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

A.      As long as a believer is ignoring the commands of the Lord, he may leave you alone.

1.       But the moment you start following God’s command, the Devil will raise opposition.

2.       For 18 years the work on the temple had been delayed by the Jews to rebuild their

Home.

3.       The devil showed up the moment the work of the Temple was restarted.

 

Ezra 5:3-6

 

3 At that time Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates went to them and asked, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?" 4 They also asked, "What are the names of the men constructing this building?"  5 But the eye of their God was watching over the elders of the Jews, and they were not stopped until a report could go to Darius and his written reply be received.

B.      When your focus is on God’s work, He will step in to silence the enemy.

1.       God will use the evilness of the enemy to prompt His Work.

2.       Tattenai and Shethar-Bozenai went to King Darius complaining about God’s Work.

3.       King Darius researched his archives and found the original decree to rebuild the

Temple by King Cyrus.

Ezra 6:3-5

 In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:

Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be ninety feet high and ninety feet wide, 4 with three courses of large stones and one of the timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.

C.      When you trust God and follow His commands, He will remove any objection and bring you

The help you need.

1.       God’s plan for your life will not be stopped by the enemy.

2.       Tattennai and Trans-Euphrates the opposition, were commanded by the king

To provide all that was needed to rebuild the temple and all the animals

Needed for the sacrifice to the Lord.

 

 

 

CELEBRATING IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

V:16 Then the people of Israel — the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles — celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy.

A.      We harm ourselves and our families when we neglect the work of God.

1.       Look at the warning the Lord gave to Israel

Haggai 1:9-11

You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the Lord Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the oil and whatever the ground produces, on men and cattle, and the labor of your hands."

2.       It was not the enemy that caused Israel’s problems, It was their disobedience.

3.       For 18 years, they did not enjoy the prosperity that God intended because

They ignored God’s command to rebuild the temple.

B.      The moment the temple was completed, God opened up His Joy to them.

1.       There is a song that says Oh what peace we forfeit all because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

2.       Following God does not eliminate troubled times, but allows us to have peace

And joy through them.

 

COME TO THE HOUSE OF GOD WITH A SACRIFICE

V:17 For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs, and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel. 18 And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

A.      When God gives us victory over the enemy, therefore, we ought to offer Him sacrifices out of Love and gratitude.

1.       The sacrifices the Israelites offered to Lord, He provide through the hands of

        King Darius.

2.       All that we have in our possession, God made available to us through the work He

Blessed us with using the talents He gave us.

B.      We can’t worship the Lord any way we want.

1.       We are to follow God’s commands.

2.       The Jews had not been able to worship in the temple for 70 years.

They re-establish the order of worship given by King Solomon (1 Kings 8:5)

3.       Because of their poor condition, they offered what God had given them.

Compared to what Solomon offered in the dedication of the first temple

What Jews offered was just a small fraction.

4.       God is not concerned about the size of the offering, but the heart behind the

Offering.

C.      They consecrated the priest according to the Book of Moses. Lev 8, Numbers 8

1.       They re-established the order and schedule of the Priest in the

Temple worship.

2.       The best example we have of how to worship the Lord is in the Word of God.

3.       According to Numbers 8 the priest were purified and set apart for

The work in the Temple.

4.       Once we accepted Christ as our savior, we were set apart as

Priest to the work of God.

5.       We purify ourselves by asking for forgiveness and repenting and

Devoting ourselves to the Lord.

 

CELEBRATING OUR VICTORY OVER SIN

V:19 On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated Passover. 20 The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their brothers the priests, and themselves. 21 So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors to seek the Lord, the God of Israel.

A.      The returning Jews from captivity celebrated the Passover festival on the day and month

Established by Moses,

1.       They showed their renewed devotion to the Lord by following the procedures written

In the Law of Moses.

2.       They had been in captivity for 70 years in a nation that did not honor God

3.       God placed them in captivity as a punishment.

4.       You could expect that the returning Jews still had a love for idols.

5.       It showed in their neglect to build the temple for 18 years after returning

From captivity,

B.      They had to be instructed to separate themselves from Gentile practices.

1.       They were glad to be back in the promised land.

2.       They were glad to have completed the temple

3.       They considered rebuilding their home over the command to rebuild the temple.

4.       God showed them mercy by releasing them from captivity,

But their hearts were not devoted to God.

5.       As a result of them putting their homes over the Temple rebuilding.

They suffered financially because of failed crops and lost revenue.

6.       Putting god first ensures our success.

 

 

 

FILLED WITH JOY IN THE CELEBRATION

V:22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria, so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

A.      God puts people in our lives to remind us of His holiness.

1.       God’s plan for His people does not change because of disobedience.

2.       God gave them prophets to remind them that it was He, the one true God

Who released them from captivity and gave them the help of the

Enemy to rebuild the temple.

B.      We ought to find joy when we reflect on what God has done for us.

1.       We ought to have a renewed dedication to worship the Lord according to

His commands.

2.       They celebrated the feast of the Passover for seven days with Joy.

3.       Notice it was the Lord who was the source of their joy.

4.       The rebuilding of the Temple was a sign of love God had for them

5.       The rebuilding of the Temple was a sign that God is on the throne

And the center of our worship.

6.       The Passover is a sign of the power and authority of God over mankind.

C.      The death angel passed over us with the death of Jesus on the cross.

1.       The Israelites had to continue to make sacrifices of animals as a symbol of

The permeant atonement of sin of the coming Messiah.

2.       Every time we celebrate the Passover we are commanded to do

It is the remembrance of Jesus Christ.

3.       All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, therefore

All need the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.

 

 

Rev. M. Mitchell

 

 

Bible Study Series: Delight Yourself In The Lord In Troubling Times , Psalms 37:1-4

 DELIGHT IN THE LORD THROUGH TROUBLING TIMES

Psalms 37:1-4

 

We are bombarded every day with bad news. It's on the radio. The TV, the

Internet. Mass shootings, drive-by shootings, the war in Ukraine, inflation, rising

Gas prices, rising food prices, and empty shelves in the grocery stores are

Few of the things that fuel conversation.  You wonder when will things get

Back to normal?

 

We can get so involved in the world situations, that we easily forget

That God is in the midst of all of this. While it looks like the world is spinning

Out of control, we should not forget that God is in control.

 

King David was a man that live in the midst of wars and family problems.

He recommends that We delight ourselves in the Lord.

 

Psalms 37:1-4

V:1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

 

Don’t worry about evil folk. They won’t be here too long. We are going to have crazy presidents, crazy dictators, mass murders, and powerful people who push their special selfish interests at your expense.

The good news is they won’t be here too long.   God says SOON they will die. God knows their end.

WE have must endure to the end of the SOON time

Jesus has promised us that He got this. Folk that troubles you won't be

Here too long. The promise is SOON they will be gone.

In the meantime, don’t worry.

 

WHAT TO DO WHILE GOD IS WORKING IT OUT?

V:3.  Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

A.      TRUST IN THE LORD

              DO GOOD

             THE PROMISE:       DWELL IN THE LAND

                                              ENJOY SAFETY AND GOD’S PROVISIONS

B.     MENTAL ATTITUDE

           DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD

           THE PROMISE: HE WILL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART

 

Psalms 37 gives you confidence in God if you are one of his.

 

ARE YOU ONE OF GOD’S PEOPLE?

 

Jesus gave us the definition of God’s people

Mark 3:34-35

"Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

 

YOU WERE CHOSEN TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS

John 14:21

 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

 

GOD LOVES YOU IN THE MIDDLE OF TROUBLING SITUATIONS

GOD WANTS YOU TO BE DELIGHTED IN THE TROUBLING SITUATIONS

I want to focus on the word delight

There are two words in the Hebrew language that the describe delight

      Hepes   to bend toward

      Rasa       to take pleasure in

 1 Samuel 15:22

"Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

To obey is better than sacrifice,

and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

God delights in YOUR obedience

 

Proverbs 12:22-23

 The Lord detests lying lips,

but he delights in men who are truthful.

God delights in us when we are truthful

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life

 

Proverbs 15:8

 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,

but the prayer of the upright pleases him.

GOD DELIGHTS IN OUR PRAYERS

 

We are encouraged to delight in what delights the Lord

Psalms 1:2

 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law, he meditates day and night.

For in my inner being I delight in God's law.

 

 

WHAT DOES DELIGHT IN GOD LOOK LIKE?

 

Delighting in God consists of the following things:

(a) Loving God

Matthew 22:37

 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

 

I love my wife. I say it to her several times a day.

I need to develop the habit of saying the same to the Father.

 

I LOVE YOU FATHER

 

(b)Esteeming Christ

Jesus said if I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself.

Life is not about us.

When we make life about ourselves, we are blind to everything

Around us..

When we make life about Jesus, we see the world all its

Possibilities.

(c) Thinking about God

We are bombarded all day with what’s going on in the world.

The world’s activities are on the radio, the tv, and the internet.

 

If our conversations are about what’s going on around us,

We can easily forget God is involved.

When we put God in the conversation about the world, we

Begin to see that God has a purpose for what's going on.

 

Romans 8:28

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose

 

(d)Desiring Fellowship

We can only have fellowship in the Lord when we have right standing with Him.  Our soul desire should be to have fellowship with Him because it is through fellowship that we know His love.

1 John 1:7

 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship

 with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all   

 sin.

 

(f) Striving to Please God

      It should be our soul desire to please the Lord

      Colossians 1:10

      And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and    

      may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing   

      in the knowledge of God.

 

When we please God, He makes available to us the desires of our hearts.

 

DELIGHTING IN GOD DOES FOUR THINGS

 

(a) It unites us with Christ

(b) It lifts us above ourselves

(c) It brings us to adore Christ

(d) It helps the soul towards more spiritual and holy life.

 

DELIGHTING IN GOD AFFECTS OUR PRAYERS

 (a) Increased Boldness in Prayer

He that has his delight fixed on God has the boldness to speak to Him (Job 22:26).

(b) Increased Prayer

Delight in God will help a Christian to multiply his prayers (Job 22:27).

(c) Increased Fervency in Prayer

Delight in God will help with great fervency in prayer. The word rendered prayer may also be rendered as “many strong prayers.”

(d) Increased Freedom in Prayer

Delighting in God will help a Christian to tell all his mind to Him (Job 22:27).

 

 

THE GREATNESS OF DELIGHTING IN GOD

 

1.   DELIGHTING IN GOD IS INCOMPARABLE

Psalms 111:2-3

 

        Great are the works of the Lord;

        they are pondered by all who delight in them.

 

 

 

2.  DELIGHTING IN GOD MAKES DUTY PLEASANT

    Psalms 112:1

    Praise the Lord.

    Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

    who finds great delight in his commands.

 

 

3.  DELIGHTING IN GOD HELPS US BEAR AFFLICTION

Psalms 119:92

if your law had not been my delight,

I would have perished in my affliction.

 

 

4.  DELIGHTING IN GOD has great benEfits

Isaiah 61:10

 I delight greatly in the Lord;

my soul rejoices in my God.

For he has clothed me with garments of salvation

and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,

NIV

 

5.  DELIGHTING IN GOD GIVES US THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS

Psalms 37:4

         Delight yourself in the Lord

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

 

My brothers and sisters

 

Live delighting yourself in the lord

 

 

CLASS EXERCISE

 

hOW MANY TIMES SHOULD YOU dELIGHT IN THE LORD?

   ONCE A DAY,  oNCE A wEEK , ONCE A YEAR

 

hOW DO YOU DELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORD?

 

dOES dELIGHTING yOURSELF IN THE lORD MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

 

WHAT IS THE MINIMUM nUMBER OF TIMES TO SAY I LOVE YOU LORD?

 

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF TIMES TO SAY I LOVE YOU?

 

IS DELIGHTING YOURSELF SELFISH?

 

 

 

 

rEV. m. mITCHELL