David: A Song of Praise and Worship

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TUESDAY

August 2

David: A Song of Praise and Worship
David’s understanding of God and the salvation He offered shaped not only his own life, but his spiritual leadership and influence over his people. His songs and prayers reflect a deep sense of awe for the God he loved and knew as a personal friend and Savior.
According to 1 Chronicles 16:7, David presented to Asaph, his chief musician, a new song of thanksgiving and praise on the day that the ark was moved to Jerusalem. This praise psalm consists of two important aspects of worship: the revelation of God as one worthy of worship and the appropriate response of the worshiper. In this song, David first calls worshipers to active participation in worship.
Read the entire song in 1 Chronicles 16:8–36. Notice how often the following action words and expressions are used, especially in the first part of the song: give thanks, sing, call on His name, seek the Lord, make known, talk of, declare, give glory to, proclaim, remember, and bring an offering. David then recited some of the reasons why God is worthy of our praise and worship.
What were some of the events of the past that the people of Israel were to make known to others? 1 Chron. 16:8, 12, 16–22. What special acts of God were they to remember? Vss. 12, 15. 

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The psalmist’s rehearsal of the covenant takes up nearly a third of this thanksgiving hymn. In what way does the covenant relate to worship? 

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The covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was based on His ability, as their ruler, to make them a great nation, to bless them, and to bring them into the Promised Land. Their part was to love, obey, and worship Him as their Father and God. However different our context today may be, the same principle still holds.
Meditate on the ways David calls us to worship God. In our own time, place, and context, how can these same ideas be reflected in our corporate worship of the Lord?

Two Lines of Worshipers

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TUESDAY

June 28

Two Lines of Worshipers
In Genesis 4, we start getting a hint of the moral degradation that was coming after the Fall. Lamech became a polygamist, and then got involved in some sort of violence that brought fear into his heart. In contrast, Genesis 4:25-26 shows that some folks were seeking to be faithful, for at that time “men began to call on the name of the Lord” (NKJV).
Read Genesis 6:1–8. What process do we see taking place here and why is it so dangerous? What results did this lead to? 

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Little by little, the two classes of worshipers began to merge (Gen. 6:1–4). Yet, in spite of the great wickedness in the earth, there were holy men of giant intellect who kept alive the knowledge of God. Though only a few of them are mentioned in Scripture, “all through the ages God had faithful witnesses, truehearted worshipers.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 84. The wickedness of the human heart, however, became so great that the Lord had to wipe humanity out and start over.
Hence, the Flood.
What was the first thing the Bible records Noah as doing after he came out of the ark, and why is that important? Gen. 8:20.

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How fascinating that the first thing Noah does is worship. And central to that worship is the sacrifice. This is the first record of the patriarchs building a place of worship, an altar on which to offer their sacrifices. Thus, before doing anything else, Noah acknowledges his total dependence upon the Lord and upon the coming of the Messiah, who will give His life in order to redeem humanity. Noah knew that he was saved only through God’s grace; without it, he would have perished with the rest of the world.
How do you daily show your acknowledgment of God’s grace in your life? Or more important, how should you show that acknowledgment?

Putting Off, Putting On

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TUESDAY

June 21

Putting Off, Putting On
Read Colossians 3:1–10. As you do, realize that in verse 10, the verb to put on is from the same verb, to be clothed, that appeared in the previous verses we have studied. With that in mind, what are these texts saying to us?

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Scholars see in these verses, as in some of the other ones we’ve looked at, references to the idea of baptism. (Where in the texts do you see a hint of that?) In no uncertain terms, we are shown again the idea of renewal, of regeneration, of something made better than it was before. In Christ we are no longer the same people we once were, living as we once did. Here, too, Paul is very clear in linking what we experience of Christ now with what we will experience when He returns. Indeed, how we respond to Christ’s first coming will decide what happens to us at His second coming!
Read Ephesians 4:22–24 (yes, the Greek verb in verse 24 is to clothe). What point is Paul stressing here, as well?

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Notice the contrast between the “old man” and the “new man.” In principle, the “old man,” the former self, has died (symbolized by baptism), and a “new man,” a new creation in Christ, results. Here, too, the idea of being “clothed,” either in Christ or in the “new man,” arises in the context of Christian behavior. Read the verses that come before and after. We are dealing with a transformation of character, of actions, of a person’s whole moral being. This motif, this idea, keeps recurring. As baptized Christians, we are new people in the Lord; to be “clothed” in Christ isn’t a metaphor just for justification, for Christ’s righteousness covering our sins and giving us a new legal standing before God. Being clothed in Christ means being a new person, one “created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24).
Go back over the verses for today, looking at specific commands regarding behavior. In what areas do you need change? If you are struggling, why not seek out someone you can trust and ask for help in how you can better live out the principles taught in Scripture?

“Nor Rend His Clothes”

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TUESDAY

June 14

“Nor Rend His Clothes”
“And he that is the high priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not uncover his head, nor rend his clothes” (Lev. 21:10).
Read Matthew 26:59–68. What can we read into the high priest’s rending of his garments in response to Christ’s answer to him? See also Mark 15:38, Heb. 8:1.

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The high priest rent his clothes to symbolize that Jesus was to be put to death. Tearing his garments symbolized Caiaphas’s righteous indignation and signified his horror over Jesus’ allegedly blasphemous claim to be the Son of God. Mosaic law forbade the high priest from tearing his ecclesiastical clothes (Lev. 10:6, 21:10), because his garments symbolized the perfection of God’s character. To tear those robes would be to profane God’s character, to mar its perfection. Thus, the irony was that Caiaphas was guilty of breaking the very law he defended. It made him unfit for his office. More sobering than that, the penalty for tearing his garments was death. The great irony in all this was that Jesus, who had done nothing wrong, was to be put to death at the instigation of the very priest who, through his actions, deserved death.
The symbolism of that rending was profound. This was the beginning of the end of the entire earthly sacrificial system and priesthood. A new and better one was soon to be inaugurated, with Christ as the new High Priest ministering in the sanctuary in heaven.
The clothes of the earthly high priest, so full of symbolism and significance in their time, were soon to become symbols of a system that was now devoid of all meaning and about to end. How terrible that the religious leaders were so blinded by hatred, jealousy, and fear that when Christ came—the One to whom their whole religion pointed—many of these leaders (but not all) missed Him, and it was the common folks who accepted Jesus as the Messiah and took up the work that these priest themselves should have been doing.
In what ways could we be so caught up in our own sense of self-righteousness, our own sense of moral and spiritual superiority, that we could be blind to the important truths that the Lord wants us to learn?

Those Who Came to the Feast

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TUESDAY

June 7

Those Who Came to the Feast
With the rejection of two calls, the king now sent out another one, this time to “as many as ye shall find” (Matt. 22:9), and ordered his servants to invite them to the wedding. This time, however, the reception was different, because, according to the text, they went out and “gathered together all as many as they found” (Matt. 22:10).
Read the rest of the parable (Matt. 22:9–14). Who were the ones who came to the wedding feast? What does it mean that some who came were “both bad and good”?

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Have you ever noticed that some of the meanest, nastiest, and most hateful people are professed Christians? Or that some of the most judgmental, condemnatory, hypocritical, and downright evil folks are those who go to church, who claim the promises of salvation, and who profess assurance of salvation?
This is nothing new. How do we understand, for instance, the faith of the Crusaders, so dedicated to the Lord Jesus that they pillaged and plundered their way to the Holy Land? One eyewitness reported that "our troops boiled pagan adults in cooking pots. They impaled children on spits and devoured them grilled." How could those horrors have been done in the name of Jesus?
It's easy (you say): These people weren't real Christians. But how do you know? How can you judge their hearts, what they were taught, what opportunities they had to know better? Might not some have later repented, claiming the same promises of forgiveness and grace that we do? What about the horrendous acts of those who turned out to be, it seems, pretty pious souls? Who are we to judge hearts?
We shouldn't judge—but God does, should, and will (Rom. 14:10; Heb. 10:30; Eccles. 12:14; Dan. 7:9, 10). Seventh-day Adventists call it the "investigative judgment," and it is revealed in this parable.
Think through some of the things that have been done by professed Christians through history, and sometimes in the name of Jesus, too. How does this parable help us understand how God will deal justly with them?

You Can Go Home Again

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TUESDAY

May 31

You Can Go Home Again
In the early part of the twentieth century, novelist Thomas Wolfe wrote a literary classic, You Can’t Go Home Again, about a man who leaves his humble family origins in the south, goes to New York, makes it big as a writer, and then seeks to return to his roots. It wasn’t an easy transition; hence the title of the book.
In the story of the prodigal, who is the one who makes the long journey in order to be reunited with his father? Contrast that to, for instance, the parable of the lost sheep and lost coin (Luke 15:4–10). What might be the important difference here?

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Perhaps in the two other parables, the lost objects didn’t even know that they were lost (certainly the case with the coin), and they couldn’t make it back even if they tried; whereas, in the case of the prodigal, he walked away from the “truth,” as it were, and it was only after he was in the darkness (see John 11:9, 10) did he realize just how lost he was. All through salvation history, God has had to deal with those who, having light, have purposely turned away from that light and gone their own way. The good news of this parable is that, even in their cases, even those who turned their backs on Him, even after knowing His goodness and love—God still is willing to restore them to the position that they once held in His covenant family. Just, though, as the young man chose on his own free will to leave, he had to choose by his own free will to come back. It works the same way with all of us.
What’s interesting, too, about these parables is the context in which they are being told. Read Luke 15:1, 2. Look at the different people who are listening to what Jesus is saying. What a powerful message it should be to us all that instead of giving warnings about end-time apocalyptic events or about doom and judgment upon the unrepentant, Jesus gives parables showing the Father’s earnest love and care for all of those who are lost, regardless of the situation that led to their being in that position.
Have you known folks who have walked away from God? What hope can you take from this story that all is not lost? How important that we all pray for those who still haven’t learned the lesson that the prodigal so painfully did.

The Angel of the Lord

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TUESDAY

May 24

The Angel of the Lord
So far, in Zechariah 3, we’ve focused on two personages, Satan and the high priest Joshua. But there’s a third personage, clearly the central figure in the narrative: “the Angel of the Lord.”
Who is “the Angel of the Lord?” See Exod. 3:2–14, Zech. 3:1, 2.

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What we see here, in a graphic form, is a microcosm of the great controversy, a battle that is waged over every soul who has given his or her life into the hands of Jesus, the Lord, in faith and repentance. Remember the context: Israel, severely chastised, “humbled themselves before God, and returned to Him with true repentance.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 468. It was at this time that Satan’s work as the accuser was revealed. What exactly he said, we aren’t told, but given biblical history, given what we know about human nature, it probably wasn’t a pretty picture.
Read Zechariah 3:1–3. What does the reality of Joshua’s garments tell us?

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The fact that Joshua as the high priest was deemed the one in filthy garments only highlights the depth of sin. From the earliest days of the covenant between God and Israel, the priesthood as a whole, the Levites, and the high priest in particular were special even among the chosen nation, called out by the Lord for a unique role and function in Israel, a holy role and function (Exod. 38:21, Num. 1:47–53, 3:12). They, of all Israel, should have been symbolically in the cleanest of garments.
All that aside, the rest of the chapter makes it clear that, despite their past, despite their shortcomings, “the Angel of the Lord” is there to defend them against the accusations of Satan, regardless of how true or false those accusations are. “The Angel of the Lord,” Jesus, is there to save and redeem. This is, without exception, the most important truth in all Scripture.
How crucial that we never forget, regardless of our unworthiness, the role of “the Angel of the Lord” in our behalf. How can we keep this truth before us at all times, yet not deceive ourselves by drawing false conclusions from it? What might some of those false conclusions be? Be prepared to discuss your answer in class on Sabbath.

Garments That Do Not Last

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TUESDAY

May 17

Garments That Do Not Last
As we saw earlier, Isaiah spent a lot of time warning about judgment, but he interspersed those warnings with encouraging promises from God. After an explanation of the Lord’s devastation of the earth, Isaiah spoke to those in Israel who had, in sincerity, looked forward to the fulfillment of all the promises but who had forgotten the many instances when the Lord led His people through difficult times.
Read Isaiah 51:6–8. What message is the Lord giving to the people? What contrasts are presented? What hope, as well?

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Who hasn’t seen how easily, and quickly, clothing can be damaged or wear away? It doesn’t take much, does it, and the finest and richest apparel can be ruined. What an apt parallel for this world and the folks on it. How quickly we’re here, how quickly we’re gone. James, in the New Testament, likens our existence to a “vapor” or a “mist” (James 4:14). Welsh poet Dylan Thomas urged his dying father to “not go gentle into that good night” but to “rage, rage, against the dying of the light.” We can rage all we want, but sooner or later, like a garment, we are gone.
And yet, look at what else Isaiah talks about there: God’s salvation, God’s righteousness, the garment of Christ’s righteousness, which alone brings salvation, a salvation that lasts forever. The Lord here is pointing us to the only two options humans face: dissolution and eternal death, or eternal life in a new earth, one that will not “wear out like a garment” (vs. 6, NIV) but will remain forever. From Adam and Eve in Eden until the day of Christ’s coming, these have been and remain the two ultimate fates of all humanity. They’re mutually exclusive, too, meaning it’s either one or the other. Which one is a decision only we, as individuals, can make for ourselves.
Read Isaiah 51:7, words addressed to those who know what is right, who have God’s law in their hearts. What should that mean to us today? How does having the law in our hearts help us know what is right? Is knowing what is right enough in and of itself to cause us to do right, or is more needed? If so, what?

Blessed Is He Whose Sin Is Covered . . .

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TUESDAY

May 10

Blessed Is He Whose Sin Is Covered . . .
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Ps. 32:1).
For a whole year after his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba, David refuses to confess his sin, even to himself. But as Psalm 32 tells us, he suffers severe agony of mind and body as a result of his silence.
Read Psalm 32:3–5. In what ways does David use poetic imagery and symbolic language to describe what happens to him when he refuses to confess his sin? According to verse 5, what does David do to end his suffering?

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With lies and bloodshed David covers his sin of adultery, but the weight of his own guilt crushes him. As Psalm 32 shows, though, David casts himself in true humility and repentance on the sure mercy of God. In his cry for forgiveness, David does a number of things that are instructive for all who seek God’s covering of forgiveness. (1) David makes no excuse for his sin. (2) He makes no attempt to justify himself. (3) He does not find fault with God’s law for condemning him. (4) He blames only himself for his sin. (5) He genuinely hates the sin that separated him from God and turns from it. And God covers it.
David conceals his sin (Ps. 32:3, 4); God covers it (vss. 1, 2). What is the difference between our concealing and God’s covering? Before the righteousness of Christ can cover sin, what must be done to it?

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God does not overlook sin. But sin is covered, meaning its guilt is no longer to be imputed, or brought against, the sinner when it is repented of. Confession alone is incomplete without repentance. We must not only be sorry for our sin, we must turn away from it in God’s power. God can forgive and cover all sin. His grace not only forgives sin but accepts the repentant sinner as though he or she never sinned! That is the power of Jesus, our Substitute, upon whom God lays the sin. In this way Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the repentant sinner.
How readily do you acknowledge before God your own sin and wrongdoing? If not, in the end, are you deceiving God or only yourself? Dwell on the implications of your answer.

The Wearing of Sackcloth

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TUESDAY

May 3

The Wearing of Sackcloth
In the Elijah narratives, clothing comes into play with other characters, as well.
Ahab, the king of Israel, wished to purchase a vineyard that was next to the palace. It belonged to Naboth, a Jezreelite. When Naboth refused to sell it and Jezebel heard about it, she became incensed and cleverly laid a plot for Naboth’s demise. After Naboth’s death, Ahab took possession of the vineyard, not realizing that Elijah had been instructed to meet him there.
“ ‘You shall speak to him, saying, “Thus says the Lord:
‘Have you murdered and also taken possession?’ ” And you shall speak to him saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours’ ” ’ ” (1 Kings 21:19, NKJV).
Elijah’s mission to face Ahab on several serious issues should have produced a fair amount of stress, but he seemed strong and willing, at least here, to follow the instructions from his Lord even though he knew his life could be in danger. Now he must tell Ahab what denunciations the Lord has pronounced on him besides the one about the dogs licking his blood.
Read 1 Kings 21:21–29. How are we to understand Ahab’s response, especially in light of what those verses say about the kind of man he was?

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When Ahab heard these words, he presented himself to the Lord in an exceedingly humble way (1 Kings 21:27), which included him tearing his clothes, putting on sackcloth, and even refusing to eat. The rest of the chapter implies that his repentance and humility must have been genuine. The tearing of his robe, a common action in that time to represent horror and sorrow, revealed that he truly accepted the truth of what Elijah said to him. How deep, how long lasting that repentance went, the text doesn’t say; what it does say is that the rending of his robe revealed the sincerity of his heart at that time.
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Cor. 7:10, NIV). Read the immediate context of that verse. What is Paul saying here, and how can we apply this warning to our own lives?

Priestly Garments

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TUESDAY

April 26

Priestly Garments
“And these are the garments which they shall make; a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office” (Exod. 28:4).
As one studies the earthly sanctuary model, it should be clear that nothing was left to chance. God gave the priests explicit instructions on what was to be done. This also is apparent when it came to the garments that the priests were to wear. Everything was done according to exact instructions.
Read Exodus 28, the description of the clothing that was to be made for Aaron, the high priest, and for the priests in general. Without getting caught up in intricate details, what spiritual lessons can we take in general from what is being presented here?

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“The pattern of the priestly robes was made known to Moses in the mount. Every article the high priest was to wear, and the way it should be made, were specified. These garments were consecrated to a most solemn purpose. By them was represented the character of the great antitype, Jesus Christ. They covered the priest with glory and beauty, and made the dignity of his office to appear. When clothed with them, the priest presented himself as a representative of Israel, showing by his garments the glory that Israel should reveal to the world as the chosen people of God.”—Ellen G. White, The Youth’s Instructor, June 7, 1900.
A great deal has been written over the centuries about the supposed meaning and symbolism of each color and fabric and stone and chain and the like. Whatever their individual meanings, together they represented the perfection and holiness and beauty and dignity of “the great Antitype,” Jesus our true High Priest who ministers in the sanctuary in heaven (Heb. 8:1, 2).
Notice, too, in the texts the idea of the priests bearing various things (Exod. 28:12, 29, 30, 38, 42). This, of course, is a crucial theme in the whole plan of salvation, which the priesthood and sanctuary symbolized: the idea of Jesus, our Substitute, bearing in Himself our sins and taking upon Himself the punishment for them. All of this was foreshadowed through the sanctuary service and the clothing of the priests, filled with symbolism that represented the character and work of Jesus in our behalf.

The Coat of Many Colors

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TUESDAY

April 19

The Coat of Many Colors
The bad character of the brothers stood out even more in contrast to the character of Joseph.
“There was one, however, of a widely different character—the elder son of Rachel, Joseph, whose rare personal beauty seemed but to reflect an inward beauty of mind and heart. Pure, active, and joyous, the lad gave evidence also of moral earnestness and firmness. He listened to his father’s instructions, and loved to obey God. The qualities that afterward distinguished him in Egypt—gentleness, fidelity, and truthfulness—were already manifest in his daily life. His mother being dead, his affections clung the more closely to the father, and Jacob’s heart was bound up in this child of his old age. He ‘loved Joseph more than all his children.’ ”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 209.
Read Genesis 37:3, 4. How did this act by their father make the situation worse?

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The costly coat, given to Joseph by a doting father and beautifully woven in a variety of colors, certainly was finer than any of his brothers’ cloaks and was a kind of garment usually worn by people of distinction. The brothers no doubt assumed that their father would bestow further honors upon this child, and that could mean that he would get the birthright. They easily could have read into it that Joseph would get the greater inheritance. Whatever the father meant by giving Joseph the coat, and it could simply have been a token of love and nothing more, it was a big mistake, for it fanned even more the flames of hatred in the brothers’ hearts toward Joseph.
In a sense, the coat symbolizes earthly honors, earthly distinction—earthly and, therefore, so temporal and superficial in the end. In writing the story, however, Moses placed the coat in the context of Jacob loving Joseph more than the other children, and thus it was also central in the context of their hatred for him and what that hatred led to.
Have you ever been given a worldly honor? How good did you feel at the time? How long before the euphoria or the sense of satisfaction or whatever good feeling you had wore off, and the honor came to mean little or nothing? What lesson should you take from that? See 1 Cor. 9:24–26.

The Test

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TUESDAY

April 12

The Test
Last week’s lesson talked about a crucial truth: the freedom that God allows all His moral beings. Again, without that freedom, they might be able to do “moral” things, in the same way that a house alarm that protects people from crime does something “moral,” yet who would call the alarm itself “moral”? In the same way, beings who have no choice but to do the right thing aren’t “moral,” either. Only free beings can be moral ones.
A simple test was given to Adam and Eve, to see whether they would—in their freedom—obey the Lord. It was, in a sense, a time of probation for these free creatures. Freedom means just that, freedom, and they had to prove that they would do the right thing with the freedom given them.
Read Genesis 2:15–17, the probationary test given to Adam (and, eventually, Eve). Think about the environment in which this test was given. Why did that environment make their transgression that much more egregious?

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Read Genesis 3:1–4. Look carefully at what Satan said to Eve. What unfortunate truth did he mix in with all his lies?

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It’s interesting that the tree was of both “good and evil.” God, obviously, didn’t want to keep Adam and Eve from good. Indeed, the whole world God had created, including them, was good, even “very good” (Gen. 1:31). It was from the knowledge of evil that the Lord wanted to spare them.
Which is not hard to understand, is it? Even in our fallen world, what parent doesn’t want to protect his or her children from the knowledge of evil? How much more so, then, did God want to protect Adam and Eve from evil, as well, from the knowledge of the one thing that would cause them to lose their garments of light and to know shame, suffering, and death?
Evil doesn’t always come in blatant manifestations, which are so easy to see and detect and, often, avoid (after all, how many people are serial killers and the like?). There are, however, very subtle manifestations of evil. What might these be? How can we learn to identify these forms of evil and then to protect ourselves from them?

The Fall of a Perfect Being

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TUESDAY

April 5

The Fall of a Perfect Being
However hard it might be for us, with our limited view of reality, to envision it, Lucifer must have been an incredible-looking being. Look at the description of him again in Ezekiel 28: wise, beautiful, dressed in all these majestic stones. He must have been something!
If we look carefully at Ezekiel 28:13, we can notice an interesting point. After talking about all these precious jewels that were his covering, the text says, “ ‘ “on the day you were created they were prepared” ’” (NIV). Lucifer’s coverings, his garments, as they were, simply reflected his exalted position. As we’ll see throughout this quarter, garments can reveal a great deal about our station and position. Thus, if garments hint at anything, it was that Lucifer was an exalted and lovely being, one with power and influence.
Read Ezekiel 28:17. According to this text, what helped bring Lucifer’s downfall? What important message should we take from this for ourselves?

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The irony in all this is that however wonderful Lucifer’s coverings, however beautiful his person, however wise he was, where did it all come from? Of course, whatever Lucifer had, whatever he achieved, whatever the wonderful “garment” that covered him, it all was only from God. Again, we are dealing with a created being: his covering, his beauty, his wisdom were all gifts from God. Without the Lord, he would have had nothing and been nothing.
And yet, somehow, a being who lived closest to God forgot that important point.
Read Deuteronomy 8:1–18. What principle is found here that is reflected in what happened to Lucifer?

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How easy, especially in times of prosperity and wealth, to forget just how dependent we are upon the Lord for everything. What daily and practical things can we do to help us keep from falling into the trap of looking at our “beautiful garments”—our wisdom, our success, our prosperity, in whatever form these come—and forgetting just how dependent we are on the Lord for it all?

Without the Law

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TUESDAY

March 29

Without the Law
A preacher stood before a congregation and declared: “Jesus Christ has changed my life. I am a radically new and different person than I was before.
“However, after 25 years of being a Christian, if there is one truth that my experience has taught me—an experience judged and tested by the Word of God—it is this: if, in the end, I am to be saved, if I do indeed “endure to the end,” as Jesus said, and I make it into God’s eternal kingdom, then there isn’t a doubt in my mind that it will be only because I am covered in the robe of Christ’s righteousness, a righteousness that is woven in the loom of heaven and that covers me completely. I can overcome sin, and through the grace of God I have had many victories; I can overcome character defects, and through the grace of God I have; I can learn to love all sorts of people, even my enemies, and through the grace of God I am learning to.
“All that being said, I know that none of that is anywhere near good enough. Unless I am covered by the righteousness of Jesus, a righteousness credited to me by faith, apart from my obedience to the law, then at the end of the 1,000 years, you can stand on the wall of the holy city and wave down to me, because I know I won’t be there with you. I can’t be there with you.”
Read Romans 3:21–31. What is Paul saying here, and how are the ideas presented in these verses reflected in what the preacher above said? 

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Though Paul was addressing a specific group with a specific issue, his point is relevant to everyone, Jews and Gentiles. Today, for us as Seventh-day Adventists who believe in the perpetuity of the law, it’s especially important. The righteousness that saves us, the righteousness that we as sinners need covering us like a garment, is a righteousness that has been made manifest “without the law.” In other words, it’s the righteousness of Jesus, the righteousness of His life, the righteousness that brings us “the redemption that is Christ Jesus.” The redemption is in Him, it is found in Him, not in ourselves or in our law-keeping, and this redemption becomes ours by faith.
What has been your experience with law-keeping? Have you ever sensed that your best efforts at obedience were making you right before God? What are the implications of your answer? Bring your response to class on Sabbath and defend your position.

Forgiveness

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TUESDAY

March 22

Forgiveness
“ ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do’ ” (Luke 23:34).
Read Matthew 6:14, 15. What powerful message is Jesus giving to us here? What is He saying that is so full of eternal consequence for all of us? 

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Jesus taught His disciples to pray: “ ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors’ ” (vs. 12, NIV). Then He insisted (vss. 14, 15) that if we do not wish to forgive, God will not forgive us.
The thought is terrifying. After all, we all are sinners, and thus we all need divine forgiveness. Thus, we all must learn to forgive if we want to be forgiven ourselves!
Forgiveness is so important because it’s foundational in repairing and maintaining good relationships. The Lord knows how painful the burden of sin is and how its burden must be released through forgiveness—through the forgiveness that we get from God and through the forgiveness we give to others.
The experience of forgiveness is helpful, not only to those receiving it but also to those granting it. The feeling of grace and generosity experienced by those granting forgiveness brings them closer to God and contributes to character building.
A study conducted among recently divorced individuals showed the difference between those willing and those unwilling to forgive. Mark Rye of the University of Iowa recruited 199 divorced individuals from community singles’ organizations and church-based divorce recovery groups. Not surprisingly, researchers found that those who extended forgiveness to their former spouses enjoyed higher levels of mental health. When compared to those unwilling to forgive, forgiving persons experienced higher levels of well-being and religious satisfaction and lower levels of anger and depression.
This is not an isolated experience. Studies over the past decade are clear. Forgiveness reduces depression and anxiety, increases self-esteem, and overall emotional well-being. In sum, forgiveness is good for many things; holding grudges, meanwhile, is dangerous for body and soul.
Is this so unexpected? Who among us hasn’t experienced the healing and relief that comes from offering forgiveness to those who have hurt us?
How can you practice Paul’s counsel: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Col. 3:13, NIV)? What choices must you make in order to forgive those who have hurt you?

God’s Gifts Through Nature

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TUESDAY

March 15

God’s Gifts Through Nature
The natural world presents a powerful testimony to not only the existence of God but also His power. Sadly, as Paul warned, humans (no doubt inspired by Satan) turned away from the living God and worshiped the creation instead of its Creator (see Rom. 1:19–25).
Read Jeremiah 10:12, 13. What picture is presented here of God’s creative power and His present involvement in natural phenomena? What can we learn about the character of God through His created works? 

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Of course, as we all know, nature sometimes turns against us, spreading horror through earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, etc. Why these tragedies happen when and where they do are questions that we don’t have answers for now. What we do know, however, is that the first few chapters in the book of Job reveal the reality of the great controversy between God and Satan and that Satan can use the forces of nature for evil purposes. And despite these terrible calamities, the goodness of God still can be seen in the natural world.
Read Psalm 19:1–6, and then in your own words paraphrase its basic message. 

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Nature traditionally has been seen by Seventh-day Adventists as God’s second book. Observation and study of the natural world, if done in humility and openness to the influence of the Holy Spirit, will deepen faith and trust in God. It also will provide additional understanding into God’s love for His creatures. This can be a great source of mental and spiritual comfort. Sometimes, when all else fails, the beauty of nature, and what it testifies to us about God, can be a source of great comfort and hope.
If, while you are witnessing to someone about God’s goodness (especially as revealed in nature), the person brings up the question of tsunamis, earthquakes, famines, and the like, how would you respond? What does the reality of these natural disasters tell us about the limits of what nature can teach us about God?

Gambling

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TUESDAY

March 8

Gambling
Though the Bible doesn’t come right out and prohibit gambling per se, it’s hard to imagine Jesus or Paul working the tables in Las Vegas, isn’t it?
At the same time, Paul does warn against love of money, classing it as the root of all evil and the reason people have abandoned the faith (1 Tim. 6:10). For some, in their desire for wealth, gambling becomes the snare that Satan uses to seek to destroy them.
Read Matthew 25:15–30. How could one apply the teaching here to the problem of gambling, especially when the vast majority of people who gamble lose? 

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Gambling is for losers. The industry thrives because a lot more money is lost than won. What, for instance, are the chances of winning the lottery? The odds are staggeringly against you. You have more chance of getting hit by lightning than you do of winning.
Logic alone should warn us against putting any money and time into gambling (after all, the gambling industry can exist only when people lose more than they make). Yet, people gamble, at first just for fun, but later some become compulsive about it.
Why? Self-esteem needs seem to be at the core. Many find a special satisfaction in fantasizing about winning. When they do not win, they become increasingly hopeful about hitting it next time. So, they gamble again and again. When all money is spent, they borrow, lie, and may steal in order to get another “dose” of this nonchemical “drug.”
We may think that gambling addiction does not happen in our church, but Ellen White wrote about it in her time, for it was a problem even then. There is no reason to believe that today (when gambling is ubiquitous) our church members are free from this problem, especially as online gambling can bring the casino right into our homes.
Recovery from gambling takes a multiple front: First is to admit that you have a serious problem. Then you must quit at once but find refuge in a group (if available) in order to avoid relapse. Be alert and stay away from any stimulus that may entice you to gamble. Enhancing self-esteem is also necessary to avoid relapse. Most important, constant communion with God and clinging to His promises of healing is crucial when struggling with any temptation.
What would you say and do if someone you know said to you, “I am hooked on gambling, and I just cannot quit”? What Bible promises could you point them to? See 1 Cor. 10:13 and 1 Pet. 4:1, 2.

Saul’s Jealousy of David: Part 1

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TUESDAY

March 1

Saul’s Jealousy of David: Part 1
A classic case of how jealousy works can be seen in the story of Saul and David. Saul was king, ruler over the nation. He had everything going for him, and yet jealousy entered, and it seemed to change everything about him.
Or did the jealousy merely bring out what was already there inside Saul.
What was Saul’s initial attitude toward David? 1 Sam. 18:1–5.  

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Saul’s actions show that he had a very positive attitude toward David, to whom he gave a high place in the army. Also, considering his own son’s attitude toward David, it was clear that David had royal favor.
What changed Saul’s attitude? 1 Sam. 18:6–9. Why is Saul’s attitude such a common human response? 

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The rest of 1 Samuel 18 shows just how damaging Saul’s jealousy of David became. It led him to all sorts of deviousness and trickery, and yet none of it worked. The very things that he feared in David became more and more pronounced!
Jealousy generates a series of negative emotions: low self-esteem, hatred, suspicion, fear, guilt, and anger. Saul was afraid of David, as mentioned several times in the chapter. He might have been afraid of losing his kingly position or afraid of David becoming the absolute hero of Israel. But his main source of fear was “because the Lord was with David but had left Saul” (1 Sam. 18:12, NIV).
Being left by God is reason enough to be afraid. But Saul's fear was aggravated by the fact that “the Lord was with David” (vs. 12, NIV). Saul was unable to apply to the situation the simple logic of Gamaliel: “If [this] is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop [it]” (Acts 5:38, 39, NIV). When the Lord blesses people, there is no point in developing jealousy or seeking their doom. God will continue to bless them.
However wrong Saul’s attitude, why is it relatively easy to understand? What’s your immediate attitude to someone you deem could be a threat to your position? Do you surrender everything to the Lord, or do you start plotting a counter strategy?

What Others See

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TUESDAY

February 22

What Others See
In so many societies, a person’s worth is determined by their talents, gifts, appearance, and so forth. We do look at outward appearance (1 Sam. 16:7); after all, that’s all we can see. Thus, our concept of self often is shaped by the reaction others display, based on their outward observation of us. If everyone tells you that you are pretty, you will be more likely to view yourself as pretty.
But there always is much more to each of us than meets the eye. Individuals experiencing poor self-esteem need to think in terms of personal traits or attributes that are of true value and not necessarily what the world values, because so often what the world values is of no value to God.
What are the things that your society and culture place so much value on? How important do you think those things are to God?  

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There may be exceptions, but most societies tend to place excessive value in outward, observable features. However, other traits, such as honesty, kindness, temperance, or firm commitment to principles and ideals, tend to occupy secondary places.
How does gender/class/nationality prejudice affect people's self-esteem? What should be the Christian's aim in terms of prejudice and discrimination? Gal. 3:28.  

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The effects of prejudice are devastating on self-esteem and performance. As Christians, we should be making a concentrated effort to uplift and encourage others, regardless of their background.
In 2 Samuel 9, there is the story of Mephibosheth, who could have been the target of retaliation by David. No wonder he showed fear, fell on his face to the ground, and called himself “a dead dog.” He was also crippled. There is no doubt that the restoration of the family property, the reassignment of servants, and the honors granted brought to Mephibosheth an extra measure of self-worth. The influence that people have on others’ self-esteem is extremely powerful. More than we realize, we have the ability to shape others’ self-concept through words, actions, and even how we look at them.
How careful, or careless, are you with how you impact the self-esteem of others? Think about your closest relationships. How can you help build up these people as opposed to tearing them down?