The Environment

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LESSON 5

*April 24 - 30

The Environment

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SABBATH AFTERNOON

Read for This Week's Study:

Gen. 1–2:7; 2:18–24; 3:7, 17–19; Ps. 24:1; Matt. 25:34–46; Mark 2:27, 28; 3:4.

Memory Text:

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1, NIV).

The Creator spent the first five days of Creation week preparing the environment for the human beings who were to follow. He placed Adam and Eve in a garden (Gen. 2:8, 15) and gave them the oversight of all earthly creatures. This offered them the opportunity for study, enjoyment, and the chance to develop as God’s representatives on earth. The Sabbath would seal their relationship with Him. Sin changed God’s preferred plan. The environment became hostile. Hard toil replaced pleasurable work. Selfishness ruled. Exploitation of the earth’s resources began and continues to this day. Forests have been cut down. Water courses have been changed, and pollution is rampant. The richness of the soil has been squandered thoughtlessly. Sunlight, though crucial for health, can become a foe of health if we are exposed to it in excess. Through all this, the world still supports our existence here, despite our endless abuse of the planet.

The Week at a Glance:

Our environment is just as much a gift from God as life itself; thus, we have a responsibility toward it.

*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 1.