Bible Study Guides – Leaving Egypt

Wilderness Wanderings

November 1 – 7, 2020

Key Text

“And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:41).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 281–283.

Introduction

“Like the stars in the vast circuit of their appointed path, God’s purposes know no haste and no delay.” The Desire of Ages, 32.

Sunday

  1. PREPARING TO LEAVE

1.a. What did the Israelites demand for their hard labor and suffering in Egypt, and why did the Egyptians honor their request? Exodus 12:33, 35, 36.

1.b.      Describe the company that left Egypt. Exodus 12:37–39.

Note: “There was quite a large number of the Egyptians who were led to acknowledge, by the manifestations of the signs and wonders shown in Egypt, that the God of the Hebrews was the only true God. … They pledged themselves to henceforth choose the God of Israel as their God. They decided to leave Egypt, and go with the children of Israel to worship their God.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1101.

“And they went out, ‘about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them’ (Exodus 12:37.38). In this multitude were not only those who were actuated by faith in the God of Israel, but also a far greater number who desired only to escape from the plagues, or who followed in the wake of the moving multitudes merely from excitement and curiosity. This class were ever a hindrance and a snare to Israel.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 281.

Monday

  1. REMEMBERING THE SOJOURNING

2.a. How long did Abraham and his descendants dwell among strangers, and in what generation did their sojourn in Egypt end? Exodus 12:40; Genesis 15:13–16.

2.b.      How are we also sojourners on this earth? Hebrews 11:13–16.

Note: “By their works they [the disciples] constantly testified that this world was not their home; their citizenship was above; they were seeking a better country, even a heavenly. Their conversation and affections were on heavenly things. They were in the world, but not of the world; in spirit and practice they were separate from its maxims and customs. Their daily example testified that they were living for the glory of God. Their great interest, like that of their Master, was for the salvation of souls.” Lift Him Up, 325.

2.c. In commemoration of the Passover, what requirement did God make concerning the firstborn of man and beast? Exodus 13:2, 11–15; Numbers 3:13.  What lesson did this law teach?

Note: “Furthermore, the first-born of both man and beast were to be the Lord’s, to be bought back only by a ransom, in acknowledgment that when the first-born in Egypt perished, that of Israel, though graciously preserved, had been justly exposed to the same doom but for the atoning sacrifice.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 274.

“After the tabernacle service was established, the Lord chose the tribe of Levi in the place of the first-born of all Israel to minister in the sanctuary. But the first-born were still to be regarded as the Lord’s, and were to be bought back by a ransom.

“Thus the law for the presentation of the first-born was made particularly significant. While it was a memorial of the Lord’s wonderful deliverance of the children of Israel, it prefigured a greater deliverance, to be wrought out by the only-begotten Son of God. As the blood sprinkled on the doorposts had saved the first-born of Israel, so the blood of Christ has power to save the world.” The Desire of Ages, 51.

Tuesday

  1. FOLLOWING GOD’S LEADING

3.a. What desire of Joseph did the Israelites fulfill when they departed from Egypt? Genesis 50:25; Exodus 13:19.

Note: “In their departure from Egypt the Israelites bore with them a precious legacy, in the bones of Joseph, which had so long awaited the fulfillment of God’s promise, and which, during the dark years of bondage, had been a reminder of Israel’s deliverance.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 282.

3.b.      Why did they take a long roundabout course instead of being led straight into the promised land? Exodus 13:17, 18.

Note: “Instead of pursuing the direct route to Canaan, which lay through the country of the Philistines, the Lord directed their course southward, toward the shores of the Red Sea. … Had they attempted to pass through Philistia, their progress would have been opposed; for the Philistines, regarding them as slaves escaping from their masters, would not have hesitated to make war upon them. The Israelites were poorly prepared for an encounter with that powerful and warlike people. They had little knowledge of God and little faith in Him, and they would have become terrified and disheartened. They were unarmed and unaccustomed to war, their spirits were depressed by long bondage, and they were encumbered with women and children, flocks and herds. In leading them by the way of the Red Sea, the Lord revealed Himself as a God of compassion as well as of judgment.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 282.

3.c. When God sometimes seems to lead us in a way that we do not understand, as He did with the children of Israel, what should we remember? John 13:7.

Note: “Often our trials are such that they seem almost unbearable, and without help from God they are indeed unbearable. Unless we rely upon Him we shall sink under the burden of responsibilities that bring only sadness and grief. But if we make Christ our dependence, we shall not sink under trial. When all seems dark and unexplainable we are to trust in His love; we must repeat the words that Christ has spoken to our souls, ‘What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter’ (John 13:7).” My Life Today, 184.

Wednesday

  1. VISIBLE TOKENS OF GOD’S GUIDANCE

4.a. From what place did the children of Israel start their journey? Where did they make their first and second stops? Exodus 12:37; 13:20.

4.b.      What did God send to guide His people in their journeying by day and by night? Exodus 13:21, 22; Psalm 105:39.

Note: “The standard of their invisible Leader was ever with them. By day the cloud directed their journeyings or spread as a canopy above the host. It served as a protection from the burning heat, and by its coolness and moisture afforded grateful refreshment in the parched, thirsty desert. By night it became a pillar of fire, illuminating their encampment and constantly assuring them of the divine presence.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 282.

4.c. How does Isaiah represent God’s care for His people in the final conflict as they near their heavenly home? Isaiah 4:5, 6.

Note: “In one of the most beautiful and comforting passages of Isaiah’s prophecy, reference is made to the pillar of cloud and of fire to represent God’s care for His people in the great final struggle with the powers of evil: ‘The Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for above all the glory shall be a covering. And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain’ (Isaiah 4:5, 6, margin).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 283.

“In the time of trial before us God’s pledge of security will be placed upon those who have kept the word of His patience. … The Lion of Judah, so terrible to the rejectors of His grace, will be the Lamb of God to the obedient and faithful. The pillar of cloud which speaks wrath and terror to the transgressor of God’s law is light and mercy and deliverance to those who have kept His commandments. The arm strong to smite the rebellious will be strong to deliver the loyal. Every faithful one will surely be gathered. ‘He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other’ (Matthew 24:31).” Testimonies, vol. 6, 404.

Thursday

  1. PHARAOH PURSUES ISRAEL

5.a. What instruction and warning did the Lord send to the Israelites in view of their imminent danger? Exodus 14:1–4.

5.b.      With what great force did Pharaoh pursue the fugitives, and where did he overtake them? Exodus 14:5–9.

Note: “The king was resolved to intimidate the Israelites by a grand display of his power. The Egyptians feared lest their forced submission to the God of Israel should subject them to the derision of other nations; but if they should now go forth with a great show of power and bring back the fugitives, they would redeem their glory, as well as recover the services of their bondmen.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 283.

5.c. In our personal struggle for freedom from Satan’s dominion, what promise should inspire us with an assurance of deliverance? Isaiah 49:24, 25.

Note: “The spirits of darkness will battle for the soul once under their dominion, but angels of God will contend for that soul with prevailing power. The Lord says, ‘Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? … Thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children’ (Isaiah 49:24, 25).” The Desire of Ages, 259.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    How can we be like the mixed multitude in our motives for serving God?

2    How can we show that we are only sojourners on this earth?

3    At the beginning of their journey, why did the Israelites have to take the longer way? What should we learn from their experience?

4    How will the pillar of cloud and of fire again serve God’s people in the coming conflict?

5    What were the Egyptians seeking to regain when they decided to pursue the Israelites?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – The Passover

October 25 – 31, 2020

Key Text

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no. life in you” (John 6:53).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 273–280.

Introduction

“The followers of Christ must be partakers of His experience. They must receive and assimilate the word of God so that it shall become the motive power of life and action. By the power of Christ they must be changed into His likeness, and reflect the divine attributes. They must eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, or there is no life in them.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 278.

Sunday

  1. A MERCIFUL WARNING

  • How was Moses regarded by the Egyptians? Exodus 11:3, last part.
  •  What judgment was foretold before the tenth plague, and what would Pharaoh and his servants do? Exodus 11:1, 4–8; 12:12.
  •  What can we learn about God’s character from the many warnings He sent to the Egyptians before sending the tenth plague? 2 Peter 3:9.

 Note: “The judgment of which Egypt had first been warned, was to be the last visited. God is long-suffering and plenteous in mercy. He has a tender care for the beings formed in His image. If the loss of their harvests and their flocks and herds had brought Egypt to repentance, the children would not have been smitten; but the nation had stubbornly resisted the divine command, and now the final blow was about to fall.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 273.

“The Lord wills not that any soul should perish. His mercies are without number.” The Upward Look, 150.

Monday

  1. THE PASSOVER INSTITUTED

  • Who was permitted to eat the Passover lamb? Exodus 12:43, 48, 49.
  • What were the Israelites instructed to do with the blood, and what was the purpose of that institution? Exodus 12:7, 13, 23.

Note: “Before obtaining freedom, the bondmen must show their faith in the great deliverance about to be accomplished. The token of blood must be placed upon their houses, and they must separate themselves and their families from the Egyptians, and gather within their own dwellings. Had the Israelites disregarded in any particular the directions given them, had they neglected to separate their children from the Egyptians, had they slain the lamb, but failed to strike the doorpost with blood, or had any gone out of their houses, they would not have been secure. They might have honestly believed that they had done all that was necessary, but their sincerity would not have saved them. All who failed to heed the Lord’s directions would lose their first-born by the hand of the destroyer.

“By obedience the people were to give evidence of their faith. So all who hope to be saved by the merits of the blood of Christ should realize that they themselves have something to do in securing their salvation. While it is Christ only that can redeem us from the penalty of transgression, we are to turn from sin to obedience. Man is to be saved by faith, not by works; yet his faith must be shown by his works.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 278, 279.

  • Who was to perform the work of slaying the Passover lamb and applying the blood to the doorpost? Exodus 12:21. What significance does this have for us today?

Note: “The father was to act as the priest of the household, and if the father was dead, the eldest son living was to perform this solemn act of sprinkling the doorpost with blood. This is a symbol of the work to be done in every family. Parents are to gather their children into the home and to present Christ before them as their Passover. The father is to dedicate every inmate of his home to God and to do a work that is represented by the feast of the Passover. It is perilous to leave this solemn duty in the hands of others.” The Adventist Home, 324.

Tuesday

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PASSOVER

  • How were the Israelites to eat the lamb and the other provisions of the Passover feasts? Exodus 12:8–11. What change took place after they had settled down in their own land?

Note: “At the time of their deliverance from Egypt, the children of Israel ate the Passover supper standing, with their loins girded, and with their staves in their hands, ready for their journey. The manner in which they celebrated this ordinance harmonized with their condition; for they were about to be thrust out of the land of Egypt, and were to begin a painful and difficult journey through the wilderness. But in Christ’s time the condition of things had changed. They were not now about to be thrust out of a strange country, but were dwellers in their own land. In harmony with the rest that had been given them, the people then partook of the Passover supper in a reclining position.” The Desire of Ages, 653.

  • How was the marvelous deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt kept fresh in the minds of their children? Exodus 12:26, 27.

Note: “The Passover was ordained as a commemoration of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage. God had directed that, year by year, as the children should ask the meaning of this ordinance, the history should be repeated. Thus the wonderful deliverance was to be kept fresh in the minds of all.” The Desire of Ages, 652.

  • What is the relationship between the Passover service and the Lord’s Supper? What work is kept fresh in our minds by the communion service? Matthew 26:17–19, 26–29; 1 Corinthians 11:26.

Note: “As He [Christ] ate the Passover with His disciples, He instituted in its place the service that was to be the memorial of His great sacrifice. The national festival of the Jews was to pass away forever. The service which Christ established was to be observed by His followers in all lands and through all ages. …

“The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was given to commemorate the great deliverance wrought out as the result of the death of Christ. Till He shall come the second time in power and glory, this ordinance is to be celebrated. It is the means by which His great work for us is to be kept fresh in our minds.” The Desire of Ages, 652, 653.

Wednesday

  1. THE SYMBOL AND THE SUBSTANCE

  • Of whom was the Passover lamb a type? John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Note: “God desired to teach them [Israel] that from His own love comes the gift which reconciles them to Himself.” The Desire of Ages, 113.

“The sacrificial lamb represents ‘the Lamb of God’ (John 1:29), in whom is our only hope of salvation. Says the apostle, ‘Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us’ (1 Corinthians 5:7). It was not enough that the paschal lamb be slain; its blood must be sprinkled upon the doorposts; so the merits of Christ’s blood must be applied to the soul. We must believe, not only that He died for the world, but that He died for us individually. We must appropriate to ourselves the virtue of the atoning sacrifice.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 277.

  • Who is symbolized by the bread and what reality should this remind us of? John 6:47, 48, 51.

Note: “To the death of Christ we owe even this earthly life. The bread we eat is the purchase of His broken body. The water we drink is bought by His spilled blood. Never one, saint or sinner, eats his daily food, but he is nourished by the body and the blood of Christ. The cross of Calvary is stamped on every loaf. It is reflected in every water spring. All this Christ has taught in appointing the emblems of His great sacrifice. The light shining from that Communion service in the upper chamber makes sacred the provisions for our daily life. The family board becomes as the table of the Lord, and every meal a sacrament.

“And how much more are Christ’s words true of our spiritual nature. He declares, ‘Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life’ (John 6:54). It is by receiving the life for us poured out on Calvary’s cross, that we can live the life of holiness. And this life we receive by receiving His word, by doing those things which He has commanded. Thus we become one with Him. [John 6:54, 56, 57 quoted.] To the holy Communion this scripture in a special sense applies. As faith contemplates our Lord’s great sacrifice, the soul assimilates the spiritual life of Christ. That soul will receive spiritual strength from every Communion. The service forms a living connection by which the believer is bound up with Christ, and thus bound up with the Father. In a special sense it forms a connection between dependent human beings and God.” The Desire of Ages, 660, 661.

Thursday

  1. THE TENTH PLAGUE – DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN

  • Describe the last plague. Exodus 12:29, 30.
  • How were the Israelites driven out of the land of Egypt? Why? Exodus 12:31–33.

Note: “Throughout the vast realm of Egypt the pride of every household had been laid low. The shrieks and wails of the mourners filled the air. King and courtiers, with blanched faces and trembling limbs, stood aghast at the overmastering horror. Pharaoh remembered how he had once exclaimed, ‘Who is Jehovah, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, neither will I let Israel go’ (Exodus 5:2). Now, his heaven-daring pride humbled in the dust, he ‘called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said. … And be gone; and bless me also’ (Exodus 12:31, 32). The royal counselors also and the people entreated the Israelites to depart ‘out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men’ (verse 33).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 280.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     How did God show mercy in His warnings before each plague and especially before the tenth plague?

2     How does the Passover service illustrate how faith and works are to be combined? How does this relate to my own personal experience?

3     What deliverance does the Lord’s Supper commemorate? Why do we need to observe it regularly?

4     How do we appropriate to our souls the saving blood of Christ?

5     How do we, as Pharaoh, sometimes wait until God has humbled us before we obey His voice?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – The Plagues of Egypt

October 18 – 24, 2020

Key Text

“Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed” (1 Samuel 6:6)?

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 265–272.

Introduction

“God destroys no man. Everyone who is destroyed will have destroyed himself. Everyone who stifles the admonitions of conscience is sowing the seeds of unbelief, and these will produce a sure harvest.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 84.

Sunday

  1. A PROTEST AGAINST SENSELESS WORSHIP

  • What was the first plague, and why was it sent? Exodus 7:14–21.

Note: “During the plagues on Egypt Pharaoh was punctual in his superstitious devotion to the river, and visited it every morning, and as he stood upon its banks he offered praise and thanksgiving to the water, recounting the great good it accomplished, and telling the water of its great power; that without it they could not exist; for their lands were watered by it, and it supplied meat for their tables.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4A, 54, 55.

  • What was the second plague, and how did God choose to remove the effects of this plague? Exodus 8:2–14.

Note: “The frog was regarded as sacred by the Egyptians, and they would not destroy it; but the slimy pests had now become intolerable. …

“The Lord could have caused them to return to dust in a moment; but He did not do this lest after their removal the king and his people should pronounce it the result of sorcery or enchantment, like the work of the magicians. The frogs died, and were then gathered together in heaps.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 265, 266.

Monday

  1. GOD CARES FOR HIS OWN

  • How did the Lord make a distinction in those affected by the fourth plague? Exodus 8:20–24.

Note: “Flies filled the houses and swarmed upon the ground, so that ‘the land was corrupted by reason of the swarms of flies’ (Exodus 8:24). These flies were large and venomous, and their bite was extremely painful to man and beast. As had been foretold, this visitation did not extend to the land of Goshen.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 266.

  • What further distinction was made by God in the fifth and ninth plagues? Exodus 9:1–6; 10:22, 23.

Note: “A more terrible stroke followed—murrain upon all the Egyptian cattle that were in the field. Both the sacred animals and the beasts of burden—kine and oxen and sheep, horses and camels and asses—were destroyed. It had been distinctly stated that the Hebrews were to be exempt; and Pharaoh, on sending messengers to the home of the Israelites, proved the truth of this declaration of Moses. ‘Of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one’ (Exodus 9:6). Still the king was obstinate.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 267.

“Suddenly a darkness settled upon the land, so thick and black that it seemed a ‘darkness which may be felt’ (Exodus 10:21, last part). Not only were the people deprived of light, but the atmosphere was very oppressive, so that breathing was difficult. ‘They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings’ (Exodus 10:23). The sun and moon were objects of worship to the Egyptians; in this mysterious darkness the people and their gods alike were smitten by the power that had undertaken the cause of the bondmen.” Ibid., 272.

  • What care did the Lord promise to have for His people? Deuteronomy 32:43?

Note: “Yet fearful as it was, this judgment [during the ninth plague] is an evidence of God’s compassion and His unwillingness to destroy. He would give the people time for reflection and repentance before bringing upon them the last and most terrible of the plagues.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 272.

TUESDAY

3 . THE MAGICIANS ADMIT DEFEAT

  • What was the reaction of the magicians to the third plague? Exodus 8:18, 19.

Note: “At the command of God, Aaron stretched out his hand, and the dust of the earth became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh called upon the magicians to do the same, but they could not. The work of God was thus shown to be superior to that of Satan. The magicians themselves acknowledged, ‘This is the finger of God’ (Exodus 8:19). But the king was still unmoved.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 266.

  • How did God instruct Moses to introduce the plague of boils? Exodus 9:8–10. What was the significance about the ashes coming from the furnace?

Note: “Moses was next directed to take ashes of the furnace, and ‘sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh’ (Exodus 9:8). This act was deeply significant. Four hundred years before, God had shown to Abraham the future oppression of His people, under the figure of a smoking furnace and a burning lamp. He had declared that He would visit judgments upon their oppressors, and would bring forth the captives with great substance. In Egypt, Israel had long languished in the furnace of affliction. This act of Moses was an assurance to them that God was mindful of His covenant, and that the time for their deliverance had come.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 267.

  • What effect did the boils have upon the magicians? Exodus 9:11.

Note: “As the ashes were sprinkled toward heaven, the fine particles spread over all the land of Egypt, and wherever they settled, produced boils ‘breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast’ (Exodus 9:10). The priests and magicians had hitherto encouraged Pharaoh in his stubbornness, but now a judgment had come that reached even them. Smitten with a loathsome and painful disease, their vaunted power only making them contemptible, they were no longer able to contend against the God of Israel. The whole nation was made to see the folly of trusting in the magicians, when they were not able to protect even their own persons.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 267.

WEDNESDAY

  1. THE EGYPTIANS ARE FEARFUL

  • How did God warn the Egyptians in mercy concerning the seventh plague, and what were the results? Exodus 9:18–21.

Note: “Rain or hail was unusual in Egypt, and such a storm as was foretold had never been witnessed. The report spread rapidly, and all who believed the word of the Lord gathered in their cattle, while those who despised the warning left them in the field. Thus in the midst of judgment the mercy of God was displayed, the people were tested, and it was shown how many had been led to fear God by the manifestation of His power. …

“Ruin and desolation marked the path of the destroying angel. The land of Goshen alone was spared. It was demonstrated to the Egyptians that the earth is under the control of the living God, that the elements obey His voice, and that the only safety is in obedience to Him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 269.

  • After God warned the Egyptians of the eighth plague of locusts, what showed that Pharaoh’s servants were afraid of God? Exodus 10:7.

Note: “The counselors of Pharaoh stood aghast. The nation had sustained great loss in the death of their cattle. Many of the people had been killed by the hail. The forests were broken down and the crops destroyed. They were fast losing all that had been gained by the labor of the Hebrews. The whole land was threatened with starvation. Princes and courtiers pressed about the king and angrily demanded, ‘How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed’ (Exodus 10:7)?” Patriarchs and Prophets, 271.

  • After all that had happened thus far, how did Pharaoh show that he was still not willing to let all of Israel go? Exodus 10:8–11.

Note: “Pharaoh had endeavored to destroy the Israelites by hard labor, but he now pretended to have a deep interest in their welfare and a tender care for their little ones. His real object was to keep the women and children as surety for the return of the men.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 271.

THURSDAY

  1. REBELLION IS A CHOICE

What was the effect upon Pharaoh of each successive judgment of God? Exodus 9:7, 35; 10:3.

Note: “God speaks to men through His servants, giving cautions and warnings, and rebuking sin. He gives to each an opportunity to correct his errors before they become fixed in the character; but if one refuses to be corrected, divine power does not interpose to counteract the tendency of his own action. He finds it more easy to repeat the same course. He is hardening the heart against the influence of the Holy Spirit. A further rejection of light places him where a far stronger influence will be ineffectual to make an abiding impression.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 268.

  • As Pharaoh chose to be in rebellion to God, to what is this sin likened, and what is always the result of such a choice? 1 Samuel 15:23, first part; Proverbs 28:14.

Note: “He who manifests an infidel hardihood, a stolid indifference to divine truth, is but reaping the harvest of that which he has himself sown. It is thus that multitudes come to listen with stoical indifference to the truths that once stirred their very souls. They sowed neglect and resistance to the truth, and such is the harvest which they reap.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 268, 269.

FRIDAY

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     How were the gods of Egypt shown to be inferior to the God of heaven during the first and second plagues?

2     During the plagues, how did God show His care of both His people and the Egyptians?

3     How did the lice and the boils defeat the magicians?

4     How did the Egyptians show that they believed God’s word concerning the coming plague of hail? How do we show belief in God’s word?

5     What two attitudes lead to unbelief?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – Stubbornness, a Fruit of Pride

October 11 – 17, 2020

Key Text

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6.7).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 257–265.

Introduction

“Pharaoh sowed obstinacy, and he reaped obstinacy. He himself put this seed into the soil. There was no more need for God by some new power to interfere with its growth, than there is for Him to interfere with the growth of a grain of corn.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1100.

Sunday

  1. PHARAOH RESISTS GOD

  • When Moses and Aaron came before the king of Egypt, what request did they present to him, and how did he respond? Exodus 5:1–3.
  • Why is it dangerous to ignore or resist a Divine warning? Hebrews 3:12–14; John 12:35.

Note: “Those who exalt their own ideas above the plainly specified will of God, are saying as did Pharaoh, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice’ (Exodus 5:2, first part)? Every rejection of light hardens the heart and darkens the understanding; and thus men find it more and more difficult to distinguish between right and wrong, and they become bolder in resisting the will of God.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, 1100.

“Let all be warned by the messages sent from heaven that when any man shall exalt his own ways and his own judgment as supreme, he will come under Satan’s jurisdiction and will be led blindfold by him until his spirit and his methods will conform to the archdeceiver, little by little, until his whole mind is under the influence of the spell. The serpent keeps its eye fixed upon a man, to charm him, until he has no power to go from the snare.” The Publishing Ministry, 175.

Monday

  1. PHARAOH ADDS GREATER BURDENS

  • What accusation did the king bring against Moses and Aaron? Exodus 5:4, 5. To what “rest” was he referring?

Note: “In their bondage the Israelites had to some extent lost the knowledge of God’s law, and they had departed from its precepts. The Sabbath had been generally disregarded, and the exactions of their taskmasters made its observance apparently impossible. But Moses had shown his people that obedience to God was the first condition of deliverance; and the efforts made to restore the observance of the Sabbath had come to the notice of their oppressors.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 258.

  • What was the purpose of God in bringing Israel out of Egypt? Psalm 105:43–45. What implications does this have for us?

Note: “As the Sabbath was the sign that distinguished Israel when they came out of Egypt to enter the earthly Canaan, so it is the sign that now distinguishes God’s people as they come out from the world to enter the heavenly rest. The Sabbath is a sign of the relationship existing between God and His people, a sign that they honor His law. It distinguishes between His loyal subjects and transgressors. …

“The Sabbath given to the world as the sign of God as the Creator is also the sign of Him as the Sanctifier. The power that created all things is the power that re-creates the soul in His own likeness.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 349, 350.

“And when the law of God is thus exemplified in the life, even the world will recognize the superiority of those who love and fear and serve God above every other people on the earth.” Ibid., 12.

  • What was the result of the interview with Pharaoh? Exodus 5:6–14.

Note: “The king, thoroughly roused, suspected the Israelites of a design to revolt from his service. Disaffection was the result of idleness; he would see that no time was left them for dangerous scheming. And he at once adopted measures to tighten their bonds and crush out their independent spirit.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 258.

Tuesday

  1. GOD TESTS THE FAITH OF ISRAEL
  • With what reproach did the officers of the children of Israel come to Moses and Aaron? Exodus 5:19–21.
  • What part do trials have in preparing a people for deliverance? James 2:1–4.

Note: “The Hebrews had expected to obtain their freedom without any special trial of their faith or any real suffering or hardship. But they were not yet prepared for deliverance. They had little faith in God, and were unwilling patiently to endure their afflictions until He should see fit to work for them. Many were content to remain in bondage rather than meet the difficulties attending removal to a strange lane; and the habits of some had become so much like those of the Egyptians that they preferred to dwell in Egypt. Therefore the Lord did not deliver them by the first manifestation of His power before Pharaoh. He overruled events more fully to develop the tyrannical spirit of the Egyptian king and also to reveal Himself to His people. Beholding His justice, His power, and His love, they would choose to leave Egypt and give themselves to His service. The task of Moses would have been much less difficult had not many of the Israelites become so corrupted that they were unwilling to leave Egypt.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 260.

“The children of Israel were addicted to licentiousness, idolatry, gluttony, and gross vices. This is ever the result of slavery. But the Lord looked upon His people, and after their deliverance He educated them. They were not left uncared for.” The Southern Work, 43.

  • As Moses complained to the Lord when new trials came upon Israel, what did the Lord promise to do for His people? Exodus 5:22, 23; 6:1–8.

Note: “In mercy to us, He [God] does not always place us in the easiest places; for if He did, in our self-sufficiency we would forget that the Lord is our helper in time of necessity. But He longs to manifest Himself to us in our emergencies, and reveal the abundant supplies that are at our disposal, independent of our surroundings; and disappointment and trial are permitted to come upon us that we may realize our own helplessness, and learn to call upon the Lord for aid, as a child, when hungry and thirsty, calls upon its earthly father.” Reflecting Christ, 353.

Wednesday

  1. THE PEOPLE ARE DISHEARTENED

  • When Moses spoke to the children of Israel the second time, how did they receive the message of the Lord? Exodus 6:9. What promises should have been a source of hope for all the Israelites? Genesis 15:13, 14; 50:24.

Note: “The elders of Israel endeavored to sustain the sinking faith of their brethren by repeating the promises made to their fathers, and the prophetic words of Joseph before his death, foretelling their deliverance from Egypt. Some would listen and believe. Others, looking at the circumstances that surrounded them, refused to hope. The Egyptians, being informed of what was reported among their bondmen, derided their expectations and scornfully denied the power of their God. They pointed to their situation as a nation of slaves, and tauntingly said, ‘If your God is just and merciful, and possesses power above that of the Egyptian gods, why does He not make you a free people?’ They called attention to their own condition. They worshiped deities termed by the Israelites false gods, yet they were a rich and powerful nation. They declared that their gods had blessed them with prosperity, and had given them the Israelites as servants, and they gloried in their power to oppress and destroy the worshipers of Jehovah. Pharaoh himself boasted that the God of the Hebrews could not deliver them from his hand.

“Words like these destroyed the hopes of many of the Israelites. The case appeared to them very much as the Egyptians had represented. It was true that they were slaves, and must endure whatever their cruel taskmasters might choose to inflict. Their children had been hunted and slain, and their own lives were a burden. Yet they were worshiping the God of heaven. If Jehovah were indeed above all gods, surely He would not thus leave them in bondage to idolaters. But those who were true to God understood that it was because of Israel’s departure from Him—because of their disposition to marry with heathen nations, thus being led into idolatry—that the Lord had permitted them to become bondmen; and they confidently assured their brethren that He would soon break the yoke of the oppressor.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 259, 260.

  • With what argument did Moses try to excuse himself when the Lord told him to speak to Pharaoh again? Exodus 6:10–12.

Thursday

  1. GOD SENDS SIGNS AND WONDERS

  • As the Lord encouraged Moses to return to Pharaoh, what did He say He would multiply in Egypt, and what would be the reaction of the Egyptians? Exodus 7:1–5.

Note: “Before the infliction of each plague, Moses was to describe its nature and effects, that the king might save himself from it if he chose. Every punishment rejected would be followed by one more severe, until his proud heart would be humbled, and he would acknowledge the Maker of heaven and earth as the true and living God. … God would glorify His own name, that other nations might hear of His power and tremble at His mighty acts, and that His people might be led to turn from their idolatry and render Him pure worship.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 263.

  • How were God’s and Satan’s powers contrasted before Pharaoh? Exodus 7:8–12. What was Satan’s purpose in trying to counterfeit the work of God?

Note: “By counterfeiting the work of God through Moses, he [Satan] hoped not only to prevent the deliverance of Israel, but to exert an influence through future ages to destroy faith in the miracles of Christ. Satan is constantly seeking to counterfeit the work of Christ and to establish his own power and claims. He leads men to account for the miracles of Christ by making them appear to be the result of human skill and power. In many minds he thus destroys faith in Christ as the Son of God, and leads them to reject the gracious offers of mercy through the plan of redemption.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 265.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     How do we sometimes show the same pride as Pharaoh?

2     In what way is the Sabbath a distinguishing sign for God’s people today?

3     Why were so many of the Israelites unwilling to leave Egypt? Why are so many of us unwilling to let go of worldly customs and ideas today?

4     Why had God allowed the Israelites to become slaves?

5     Why did Satan try to counterfeit the miracles of God?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – A Message of Deliverance

October 4 – 10, 2020

Key Text

“And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs” (Exodus 4:17).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 251–256.

Introduction

“The time for Israel’s deliverance had come. But God’s purpose was to be accomplished in a manner to pour contempt on human pride. The deliverer was to go forth as a humble shepherd, with only a rod in his hand; but God would make that rod the symbol of His power.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 251.

Sunday

  1. COMMUNICATION FROM GOD

  • While Moses was tending Jethro’s flocks, what was happening in Egypt? Exodus 2:23–25.
  • What experience did Moses have at the burning bush? Exodus 3:1–5.
  • What important lesson can we learn from this experience? Psalm 89:7.

Note: “Humility and reverence should characterize the deportment of all who come into the presence of God. In the name of Jesus we may come before Him with confidence, but we must not approach Him with the boldness of presumption, as though He were on a level with ourselves. There are those who address the great and all-powerful and holy God, who dwelleth in light unapproachable, as they would address an equal, or even an inferior. There are those who conduct themselves in His house as they would not presume to do in the audience chamber of an earthly ruler. These should remember that they are in His sight whom seraphim adore, before whom angels veil their faces.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 252.

Monday

  1. GOD CALLS MOSES

  • What was the Lord about to do in behalf of His people? Exodus 3:7–9.
  • How did Moses fit into God’s plan to accomplish this? Exodus 3:10; Acts 7:34, 35.    
  • How did Moses respond to God’s call and what did the Lord want him to realize? Exodus 3:11–15.

Note: “Amazed and terrified at the command, Moses drew back, saying, ‘Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt’ (Exodus 3:11)? The reply was, ‘Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain’ (verse 12).

“Moses thought of the difficulties to be encountered, of the blindness, ignorance, and unbelief of his people, many of whom were almost destitute of a knowledge of God. ‘Behold,’ he said, ‘when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them’ (Exodus 3:13)? The answer was—“ ‘I AM THAT I AM.’ ‘Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you’ (verse 14)” Patriarchs and Prophets, 252, 253.

“Moses did not expect that this was the manner in which the Lord would use him to deliver Israel from Egypt. He thought that it would be by warfare. And when the Lord made known to him that he must stand before Pharaoh, and in His name demand him to let Israel go he shrank from the task.

“The Pharaoh before whom he was to appear, was not the one who had decreed that he should be put to death. That king was dead, and another had taken the reins of government. Nearly all the Egyptian kings were called by the name of Pharaoh. Moses would have preferred to stand at the head of the children of Israel as their general, and make war with the Egyptians. But this was not God’s plan. He would be magnified before his people, and teach not only them, but the Egyptians, that there is a living God, who has power to save, and to destroy.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 189, 190.

Tuesday

  1. GOD ASSURES MOSES

  • What message was Moses to give the elders of Israel? Exodus 3:16–20?
  • How was God going to fulfil His promise that His people would not leave Egypt empty-handed? Exodus 3:21, 22.

Note: “The Egyptians had been enriched by the labor unjustly exacted from the Israelites, and as the latter were to start on the journey to their new home, it was right for them to claim the reward of their years of toil. They were to ask for articles of value, such as could be easily transported, and God would give them favor in the sight of the Egyptians. The mighty miracles wrought for their deliverance would strike terror to the oppressors, so that the requests of the bondmen would be granted.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 253.

  • As Moses was reluctant to accept God’s calling, what further evidence did the Lord give him of His providence? Exodus 4:1–9. How should we respond to God’s calling today?

Note: “Moses saw before him difficulties that seemed insurmountable. What proof could he give his people that God had indeed sent him? ‘Behold,’ he said, ‘they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee’ (Exodus 4:1). Evidence that appealed to his own senses was now given. He was told to cast his rod upon the ground. As he did so, ‘it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it’ (verse 3). He was commanded to seize it, and in his hand it became a rod. He was bidden to put his hand into his bosom. He obeyed, and ‘when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow’ (verse 6). Being told to put it again into his bosom, he found on withdrawing it that it had become like the other. By these signs the Lord assured Moses that His own people, as well as Pharaoh should be convinced that One mightier than the king of Egypt was manifest among them.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 253, 254.

“Who is ready at the call of Providence to renounce cherished plans and familiar associations? Who will accept new duties and enter untried fields, doing God’s work with firm and willing heart, for Christ’s sake counting his losses gain?” Ibid., 127.

Wednesday

  1. GOD CONTINUES TO ENCOURAGE MOSES

  • What shows that Moses was still unwilling to obey God’s call? Exodus 4:10–13.

Note: “But the servant of God was still overwhelmed by the thought of the strange and wonderful work before him. In his distress and fear he now pleaded as an excuse a lack of ready speech. … He had been so long away from the Egyptians that he had not so clear knowledge and ready use of their language as when he was among them. …

“These excuses at first proceeded from humility and diffidence; but after the Lord had promised to remove all difficulties, and to give him final success, then any further shrinking back and complaining of his unfitness showed distrust of God. It implied a fear that God was unable to qualify him for the great work to which He had called him, or that He had made a mistake in the selection of the man.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 254.

  • What help did God provide for Moses, as He patiently tried to encourage His servant? Exodus 4:14–17. How does God encourage His people today?

Note: “Let them [the members of God’s church] realize that the work in which they are engaged is one upon which the Lord has placed His signet. … He bids us go forth to speak the words He gives us, feeling His holy touch upon our lips.” God’s Amazing Grace, 275.

  • With what further assurance did God provide Moses? Exodus 4:18–23.

Note: “A man will gain power and efficiency as he accepts the responsibilities that God places upon him, and with his whole soul seeks to qualify himself to bear them aright. However humble his position or limited his ability, that man will attain true greatness who, trusting to divine strength, seeks to perform his work with fidelity. Had Moses relied upon his own strength and wisdom, and eagerly accepted the great charge, he would have evinced his entire unfitness for such a work. The fact that a man feels his weakness is at least some evidence that he realizes the magnitude of the work appointed him, and that he will make God his counselor and his strength.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 255.

Thursday

  1. MOSES RETURNS TO EGYPT

  • As Moses accepted God’s call and went to Egypt, what happened along the way? Exodus 4:24–26. What solemn parallel can be drawn from this event?

Note: “He [Moses] had failed to comply with the condition by which his child could be entitled to the blessings of God’s covenant with Israel; and such a neglect on the part of their chosen leader could not but lessen the force of the divine precepts upon the people. … In his mission to Pharaoh, Moses was to be placed in a position of great peril; his life could be preserved only through the protection of holy angels. But while living in neglect of a known duty, he would not be secure; for he could not be shielded by the angels of God.

“In the time of trouble just before the coming of Christ, the righteous will be preserved through the ministration of heavenly angels; but there will be no security for the transgressor of God’s law. Angels cannot then protect those who are disregarding one of the divine precepts.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 256.

  • When Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt and gathered together the elders, how did the people react to the message of deliverance? Exodus 4:29–31.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     What does the account of Moses at the burning bush teach us regarding the manner in which we should approach God in prayer and in the sanctuary?

2     How did Moses expect God to deliver Israel from Egypt? Why didn’t God deliver Israel in this manner?

3     Why are we sometimes reluctant to accept God’s call to labor for Him?

4     What is a sign of the true greatness in those who serve God?

5     In the time of trouble before us, what do those who disregard just one of the divine precepts forfeit?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – Deliverance from the Education of Egypt

April 19 – 25, 2020

Key Text

“Learn not the way of the heathen” (Jeremiah 10:2).

Study Help: Education, 45–50; The Adventist Home, 181–190.

Introduction

“I beg of parents to place their children where they will not be bewitched by a false education. Their only safety is in learning of Christ. He is the great central Light of the world. All other lights, all other wisdom, are foolishness.” The Review and Herald, August 17, 1897.

Sunday

THE INFERIORITY OF THE WISDOM OF EGYPT

  • How did Solomon’s wisdom compare to that of Egypt? 1 Kings 4:30.

 Note: “There is an education which is essentially worldly. Its aim is success in the world, the gratification of selfish ambition. To secure this education many students spend time and money in crowding their minds with unnecessary knowledge. The world accounts them learned; but God is not in their thoughts.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 64.

  • According to Solomon, what is the basis of true wisdom? Proverbs 9:10; 8:13; 15:33.

Note: “The great work of life is character building, and a knowledge of God is the foundation of all true education.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 596.

“The experimental knowledge of true godliness, found in daily consecration and service, ensures the highest culture of body, mind, and soul. This consecration of all our powers to God prevents self-exaltation. The impartation of divine power honors our sincere striving after wisdom that will enable us to use our highest faculties in a way that will honor God and bless our fellow men.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 63.

Monday

MOSES FORSAKES EGYPT

  • How extensive was Moses’ training, considering Egypt was the most highly civilized nation of his time? Acts 7:22.

Note: “In the schools of Egypt, Moses received the highest civil and military training. Of great personal attractions, noble in form and stature, of cultivated mind and princely bearing, and renowned as a military leader, he became the nation’s pride. The king of Egypt was also a member of the priesthood; and Moses, though refusing to participate in the heathen worship, was initiated into all the mysteries of the Egyptian religion.” Education, 62.

  • When confronted with the choice between worldly honors and serving God, what did Moses choose? Why? Hebrews 11:24–27.

  •  What was necessary in order for Moses to unlearn the negative aspects of his Egyptian education? Exodus 3:1, first part.

 Note: “In the wilds of Midian, Moses spent forty years as a keeper of sheep. Apparently cut off forever from his life’s mission, he was receiving the discipline essential for its fulfillment. Wisdom to govern an ignorant and undisciplined multitude must be gained through self-mastery. The influences that had surrounded him in Egypt, the affection of his foster mother, his own position as the grandson of the king, the luxury and vice that allured in ten thousand forms, the refinement, the subtlety, and the mysticism of a false religion, had made an impression on his mind and character. In the stern simplicity of the wilderness all this disappeared.” Education, 62, 63.

“Many have, as had Moses, very much to unlearn in order to learn the very lessons that they need to learn. He had need to be self-trained by severest mental and moral discipline, and God wrought with him before he could be fitted to train others in mind and heart.” This Day With God, 321.

“It was not the education received in Egypt that enabled Moses to triumph over his enemies, but an ever-abiding, unflinching faith, which did not fail under the most trying circumstances.” The Signs of the Times, July 12, 1905.

Tuesday

FREEDOM FROM THE EDUCATION OF EGYPT

  • What counsel should we listen to when educating our children? Jeremiah 10:2; Proverbs 19:27.

Note: “In turning from God’s word to feed on the writings of uninspired men, the mind becomes dwarfed and cheapened. It is not brought in contact with deep, broad principles of eternal truth. The understanding adapts itself to the comprehension of the things with which it is familiar, and in this devotion to finite things it is weakened, its power is contracted, and after a time it becomes unable to expand.

“All this is false education. The work of every teacher should be to fasten the mind of the youth upon the grand truths of the word of Inspiration. This is the education essential for this life and for the life to come.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 41, 42.

  • What is God’s purpose for us, just as it was for ancient Israel? Deuteronomy 14:2. What do we, like Israel, desire instead? 1 Samuel 8:5.

Note: “The discipline and training that God appointed for Israel would cause them, in all their ways of life, to differ from the people of other nations. This peculiarity, which should have been regarded as a special privilege and blessing, was to them unwelcome. The simplicity and self-restraint essential to the highest development they sought to exchange for the pomp and self-indulgence of heathen peoples. To be ‘like all the nations’ (1 Samuel 8:5) was their ambition. God’s plan of education was set aside, His authority disowned.” Education, 49, 50.

  • What danger should we guard against? John 12:43. Can Christ dwell in a divided heart? Matthew 6:24.

Note: “It is not His [God’s] design that those whose services He has purchased, shall be trained to serve mammon, trained to receive human praise, human glorification, or to be subservient to the world.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 470.

“We cannot be half the Lord’s and half the world’s. We are not God’s children unless we are such entirely.” Steps to Christ, 44.

Wednesday

NEW TRAINING NEEDED

  • Why do we need to be re-educated by God? Judges 17:6; Isaiah 53:6. Why did the parents among the Israelites need re-education after they left Egypt? How are we any different to them today?

Note: “When brought out of Egypt there were among the Israelites few prepared to be workers together with Him in the training of their children. The parents themselves needed instruction and discipline. Victims of lifelong slavery, they were ignorant, untrained, degraded. They had little knowledge of God and little faith in Him. They were confused by false teaching and corrupted by their long contact with heathenism.” Education, 34.

“Parents will have need of patience and moral strength, in order that in the fear of God they may unlearn the customs of the world.” The Review and Herald, November 13, 1894.

  • What happened to those Israelites who did not accept the training God wanted them to have? 1 Corinthians 10:5, 6. To which sins were they more prone due to their education in Egypt?

Note: “The Lord did not forsake His people in their wanderings through the wilderness, but many of them forsook the Lord. The education they had had in Egypt made them subject to temptation, to idolatry, and to licentiousness, and because they disregarded the commandments of the Lord, nearly all the adults who left Egypt were overthrown in the wilderness; but their children were permitted to enter Canaan.” The Review and Herald, December 17, 1895.

  • What are we to keep in mind as we seek to educate our children and youth? 1 John 2:15–17; Romans 12:2.

Note: “The great lesson to be given to the youth is that, as worshipers of God, they are to cherish Bible principles, and hold the world as subordinate. God would have all instructed as to how they can work the works of Christ, and enter in through the gates into the heavenly city. We are not to let the world convert us; we are to strive most earnestly to convert the world.” The Review and Herald, August 17, 1897.

Thursday

FOLLOWING GOD’S PLAN

  • How was God’s original plan for education shown in the life of Abraham? What was the intended result of this education? Genesis 18:19.

Note: “In the divine plan of education as adapted to man’s condition after the fall, Christ stands as the representative of the Father, the connecting link between God and man; He is the great teacher of mankind. And He ordained that men and women should be His representatives. The family was the school, and the parents were the teachers.

“The education centering in the family was that which prevailed in the days of the patriarchs. For the schools thus established, God provided the conditions most favorable for the development of character. … The men who held fast God’s principles of life dwelt among the fields and hills. They were tillers of the soil and keepers of flocks and herds.” The Adventist Home, 181.

    • Why is communion with God an essential part of education? Job 22:21.

Note: “When the mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite with the Infinite, the effect on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate. In such communion is found the highest education. It is God’s own method of development.” The Acts of the Apostles, 126.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    Instead of gratifying selfish ambition, what does true education lead us to do?

2    How can we forsake Egypt today? Why do we need to do this?

3    In what ways are we imitating the world in the way we educate our children?

4    Why do many parents today need to be trained in God’s methods of education? What do they need to unlearn?

5    Where were the first schools, and how can we return to God’s plan for education today?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – Deliverance from Egypt

April 12 – 18, 2020

Key Text

“By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 247–251, 273–280.

Introduction

“The Hebrews expected to be delivered from their bondage without any particular trial of their faith, or suffering on their part. They were many of them ready to leave Egypt, but not all. The habits of some had become so much like the Egyptians that they preferred to remain with them.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, 197.

“The task of Moses would have been much easier had not many of the Hebrews become corrupted, and were unwilling to leave Egypt.” Ibid., 202.

Sunday

FORETOLD BY JOSEPH

  • When Joseph died, what did he prophesy regarding his brethren? What oath did he require them to make? Genesis 50:25, 26.

Note: “The last two kings who had occupied the throne of Egypt had been tyrannical and had cruelly entreated the Hebrews. The elders of Israel had endeavored to encourage the sinking faith of the Israelites, by referring to the promise made to Abraham, and the prophetic words of Joseph just before he died, foretelling their deliverance from Egypt.” The Story of Redemption, 113.

  • How was this prophecy fulfilled? Exodus 13:18, 19.

Note: “In their departure from Egypt the Israelites bore with them a precious legacy, in the bones of Joseph, which had so long awaited the fulfillment of God’s promise, and which, during the dark years of bondage, had been a reminder of Israel’s deliverance.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 282.

Monday

GOD’S METHOD OF DELIVERANCE

  • What happened when Moses tried to deliver the Israelites from Egypt in his own strength? Exodus 2:11–15. Why did God allow this?

Note: “In slaying the Egyptian, Moses had fallen into the same error so often committed by his fathers, of taking into their own hands the work that God had promised to do. It was not God’s will to deliver His people by warfare, as Moses thought, but by His own mighty power, that the glory might be ascribed to Him alone. Yet even this rash act was overruled by God to accomplish His purposes. Moses was not prepared for his great work. He had yet to learn the same lesson of faith that Abraham and Jacob had been taught—not to rely upon human strength or wisdom, but upon the power of God for the fulfillment of His promises.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 247.

  • When Moses returned to Egypt with Aaron, they first gathered the elders of Israel to make known to them God’s plan to deliver Israel from Egypt. What was the reaction of the elders? Exodus 4:29–31.

  • After having their burdens increased and seeing no signs of deliverance, what now was the attitude of the children of Israel? Exodus 5:19–21; 6:9. Why did God delay in their deliverance?

Note: “The Hebrews had expected to obtain their freedom without any special trial of their faith or any real suffering or hardship. But they were not yet prepared for deliverance. They had little faith in God, and were unwilling patiently to endure their afflictions until He should see fit to work for them. Many were content to remain in bondage rather than meet the difficulties attending removal to a strange land; and the habits of some had become so much like those of the Egyptians that they preferred to dwell in Egypt. Therefore the Lord did not deliver them by the first manifestation of His power before Pharaoh. He overruled events more fully to develop the tyrannical spirit of the Egyptian king and also to reveal Himself to His people. Beholding His justice, His power, and His love, they would choose to leave Egypt and give themselves to His service.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 260.

Tuesday

A MEMORIAL OF DELIVERANCE

  • What was the meaning behind the Passover service? Exodus 12:21–27.

Note: “The observance of the Passover began with the birth of the Hebrew nation. On the last night of their bondage in Egypt, when there appeared no token of deliverance, God commanded them to prepare for an immediate release. He had warned Pharaoh of the final judgment on the Egyptians, and He directed the Hebrews to gather their families within their own dwellings. Having sprinkled the doorposts with the blood of the slain lamb, they were to eat the lamb, roasted, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. ‘And thus shall ye eat it,’ He said, ‘with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover’ (Exodus 12:11). At midnight all the first-born of the Egyptians were slain. Then the king sent to Israel the message, ‘Rise up, and get you forth from among my people; … and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said’ (Exodus 12:31). The Hebrews went out from Egypt an independent nation. The Lord had commanded that the Passover should be yearly kept. ‘It shall come to pass,’ He said, ‘when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians’ (verses 26, 27). Thus from generation to generation the story of this wonderful deliverance was to be repeated.” The Desire of Ages, 76, 77.

  • What was the Passover to remind them of? Exodus 13:3, 9, 10.

Note: “In delivering them from Egypt, God sought to reveal to them His power and His mercy, that they might be led to love and trust Him. He brought them down to the Red Sea—where, pursued by the Egyptians, escape seemed impossible—that they might realize their utter helplessness, their need of divine aid; and then He wrought deliverance for them. Thus they were filled with love and gratitude to God and with confidence in His power to help them. He had bound them to Himself as their deliverer from temporal bondage.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 371.

“It was the design of God that these exhibitions of power should strengthen the faith of His people, and that their posterity should steadfastly worship Him alone who had wrought such merciful wonders in their behalf.” The Story of Redemption, 115.

Wednesday

JESUS, OUR PASSOVER

  • What intrigued Jesus when visiting the temple at the age of 12? Luke 2:41, 42, 46, 47. What did He then realize?

Note: “For the first time the child Jesus looked upon the temple. He saw the white-robed priests performing their solemn ministry. He beheld the bleeding victim upon the altar of sacrifice. With the worshipers He bowed in prayer, while the cloud of incense ascended before God. He witnessed the impressive rites of the paschal service. Day by day He saw their meaning more clearly. Every act seemed to be bound up with His own life. New impulses were awakening within Him. Silent and absorbed, He seemed to be studying out a great problem. The mystery of His mission was opening to the Saviour.” The Desire of Ages, 78.

  • How is the sacrifice of Jesus linked to the Passover? 1 Corinthians 5:7; Isaiah 53:7; John 1:29.

 Note: “The Passover pointed backward to the deliverance of the children of Israel, and was also typical, pointing forward to Christ, the Lamb of God, slain for the redemption of fallen man. The blood sprinkled upon the door-posts prefigured the atoning blood of Christ, and also the continual dependence of sinful man upon the merits of that blood for safety from the power of Satan, and for final redemption. … The Passover had been observed to commemorate the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. It had been both commemorative and typical. The type had reached the antitype when Christ, the Lamb of God without blemish, died upon the cross.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 201.

“On the fourteenth day of the month, at even, the Passover was celebrated, its solemn, impressive ceremonies commemorating the deliverance from bondage in Egypt, and pointing forward to the sacrifice that should deliver from the bondage of sin. When the Saviour yielded up His life on Calvary, the significance of the Passover ceased, and the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was instituted as a memorial of the same event of which the Passover had been a type.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 539.

“Moses was a type of Christ, who was to come to break the reign of sin over the human family, and to deliver those who were captives to its power.” The Signs of the Times, November 6, 1884.

Thursday

OUR SIGN OF DELIVERANCE TODAY

  • Of what was the Sabbath a reminder to the children of Israel? Deuteronomy 5:15.

  • How is the Sabbath also a sign of deliverance from sin? Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12.

Note: “As the Sabbath was the sign that distinguished Israel when they came out of Egypt to enter the earthly Canaan, so it is the sign that now distinguishes God’s people as they come out from the world to enter the heavenly rest. The Sabbath is a sign of a relationship existing between God and His people, a sign that they honor His law. It distinguishes between His loyal subjects and transgressors. …

“The Sabbath given to the world as the sign of God as the Creator is also the sign of Him as the Sanctifier. The power that created all things is the power that re-creates the soul in His own likeness. To those who keep holy the Sabbath day it is the sign of sanctification. True sanctification is harmony with God, oneness with Him in character. It is received through obedience to those principles that are the transcript of His character. And the Sabbath is the sign of obedience. He who from the heart obeys the fourth commandment will obey the whole law. He is sanctified through obedience.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 349, 350.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    What hope did Joseph give the Israelites of their future deliverance from Egypt?

2    How did Moses show a lack of faith in God’s plan to deliver Israel? How can we do the same?

3    Why was the service commemorating the deliverance from Egypt named the Passover?

4    Of what future event was the Passover a type? What deliverance would be gained?

5    From what is the Sabbath a sign of deliverance? How?

Copyright 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

The Church – Part II

When we left off our study last month, we determined that it was easy to say that we love God with our lips, but we also discovered that if we do not keep His commandments, if we teach that it is impossible to keep His commandments, then we have nullified the Bible definition of love. The apostle John says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:3.

Something is Amiss

When we hold a teaching which teaches that Jesus came with a nature different to ours, which implies that He did not, in our fallen humanity, overcome sin, it implies that we, in our “fallen humanity,” cannot overcome sin and will sin until Jesus comes. We cannot then claim to be the people who “love God and keep His commandments.” Only those who are born of God overcome the world, and what does it mean to overcome the world?

What is “the world”? What is the “love of the world”? What is the “carnal mind” that is “enmity against God”? The “carnal mind” cannot keep His commandments. A man has to be born again. (See John 3:3, 7.) “Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus”, is what has to happen. (See Philippians 2:5.) The divine seed has to be planted. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (See Romans 12:2.) “Grieve not the Holy Spirit” Who is that progenitor that does that work for God’s people. “Grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (See Ephesians 4:30.) In the quotation from Upward Look, 315, quoting from Matthew 18:20, the inspired pen writes, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Now that portion of Jesus’ statement, which says two or three and the gathering together, is altogether so plain as to defy elaboration.

But what is the meaning of gathering together “in Jesus’ name”? Because this statement says that where two or three are gathered together “in My name”, there I will be in the midst of them. So what does it mean to gather together in Jesus’ name? In Matthew 1:21 we read what the angel said to Mary when he instructed her what Jesus’ name was going to be.

Gathered Together in His Name

The angel said, “And thou shalt call His name JESUS [which means Jehovah saves]: for He shall save His people in their sins.” Is that what the Bible says? It says, “He shall save His people from their sins.” [Emphasis supplied.] Brothers and sisters, can we gather together in Jesus’ name if we gather together believing we are going to be saved in our sins? So to gather together in Jesus’ name is to come believing in Him to do what His name says, namely to save men and women from their sins.

Furthermore, to gather together in Jesus’ name is also to believe that He is fully God, because the other reference that we have in Scripture to Jesus’ name is found in Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

To gather together “in His name”, as Jesus meant it, is to believe that He took our flesh and became human as we are in our fallen condition, because the Scriptures say, “For unto us a child is born.” Not unto Adam before the fall, but unto us a child is born and unto us a Son is given—not loaned. The Son of God became the Son of man, and that is how He reaches you and me where we are.

To come together in Jesus’ name means to believe this beautiful foundational truth about Jesus and His mission, as expressed in His divinely appointed name. Anyone not coming together with the simple faith in Jesus to save them from sin, but wanting to be saved in sin, will not find Him in their midst.

The initial lie that was given in Eden was, “Thou shalt not surely die.” You can live in sin; you will not die. That was the initial lie. Today, it is perpetuated in a slightly deviant form. Now the quotation from Upward Look, 315, supplies the final and absolutely definitive statement on God’s church. “Where Christ is even among the humble few, this is Christ’s Church.” Brothers and sisters, principle, Bible-based principle, is always the dividing line. We have to make sure that, when we come together, we come together “in His name”, that we, by His grace and His mercy and His love, can have Him in our midst, because the next statement says it all.

Only God’s Presence Makes a Church

“For the presence of the High and Holy One Who inhabiteth eternity can alone constitute a church.” Ibid. If the presence of Christ can alone constitute a church, how do we argue against an attack or a form of argument that is brought forth by antichrist himself in order to prove that he is not the antichrist? 1 John 4:1–3 is used by Rome to show that Protestantism is wrong in pointing out Rome as the antichrist.

Let us look at those verses. They say, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”

Does the Church of Rome teach that Jesus Christ came in the flesh? Yes, the Church of Rome teaches that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Just as we looked at those verses in Matthew 16 at the beginning of our study to show that a corrupt understanding of those verses is the foundation of the apostolic succession, they now use these texts to prove that they are not the antichrist.

This is one of those instances in Scripture where it helps to understand a little of the Koine Greek in which the New Testament was written. You see, it says, “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the sarx.

The Spirit of God vs the Spirit of Antichrist

Now that Greek word, sarx, is a very interesting word, because it occurs many times in the New Testament in the Greek. On almost every other occasion it is translated “sinful flesh.” The moment you have that understanding of this text, everything falls into place, because every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in our fallen humanity is the spirit of antichrist.

Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in our humanity, that He adopted our humanity, that He took on Himself the “seed of Abraham” and was made in all points like unto His brethren—that is the spirit of God. Immediately it all becomes clear. But this definition of antichrist suddenly cuts sharper than any two-edged sword, much broader, much wider and much deeper than just the Papacy, because it speaks about the “spirit” of antichrist.

We know that antichrist sits in the throne of the dragon having his seat or authority and power. But the “spirit” of antichrist is abroad in the world and it is constantly set to deceive. “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” 2 John 7. Once again the word is “sarx”, which denotes fallen humanity, sinful flesh.

Brothers and sisters, does the Lord do anything in harmony with Satan? No. How then is it that men and women can believe that they can harbor the teachings of antichrist and still expect the Lord to be in their midst? Remember, the presence of Christ alone constitutes a church.

Therefore, if things show that we work in harmony with Him, we cannot use or employ any of the methods or any of the deceptions of the antichrist and expect the Lord to be in our midst. You know, a very interesting thing took place when Christ was here on earth. Recorded in Matthew 23, are the woes on the Scribes and the Pharisees. In verse 37 we read Jesus’ heart-rending lament. He said, “‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.’”

Those last words are so significant in terms of what we have just been reading. When Jesus said, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate,” what happened to that house that day? In terms of what we have just been studying? In terms of what we read in Upward Look? [Remember, the presence of Christ alone constitutes the church.] He left. It ceased to be a church.

The Separation Struggle

Sister White, commenting on this particular event, says, “Divine pity marked the countenance of the Son of God as He cast one last lingering look upon the temple and then upon His hearers. In a voice choked by deep anguish of heart and bitter tears He exclaimed, ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!’ This is the separation struggle. In the lamentation of Christ the very heart of God is pouring itself forth. It is the mysterious farewell of the long-suffering love of the Deity. . . . Israel as a nation had divorced herself from God. . . . At this time Christ’s work bore the appearance of cruel defeat. He had been victor in the controversy with the priests and Pharisees, but it was evident that He would never be received by them as the Messiah.” The Desire of Ages, 620, 621.

The final separation had come. Was this the close of probation for the Jewish people? No, but something climactic, something fundamental, something far reaching, took place here. These people divorced themselves from their Messiah. Is it possible that the people of God in the last days can do the same thing? The pen of inspiration tells us that it is possible.

The Scribes and Pharisees strengthened themselves with these words from the book of Jeremiah: “Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is His name: If those ordinances depart from before Me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever. Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:35–37.

And in the same chapter, verse 40, the Lord said, speaking of Jerusalem, “It shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever.” Those people gathered together and comforted themselves with these words and told themselves that they were secure. Now God had told the Jews that as long as the sun and moon and stars remained in the sky, Israel would remain as His chosen nation. He promised that just as surely as no one could measure the heaven or even examine the foundations of the earth, He would never cast off Israel as His chosen people.

But now look at Jeremiah 18:9, 10. Here the Lord is giving the foundational principle upon which that statement we just read has to be regarded. “And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; If it do evil in My sight, that it obey not My voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.”

God’s Promises are Always Conditional

Any promise that God ever makes to an individual or a people concerning their relationship to Him and their future is always conditional on their response to His declared word. Moses had already spelled it out very clearly for the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 28:1, 2: “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.”

And in Deuteronomy 28:9, 13, 15 and 20, he said, “The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto Himself, as He hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in His ways.…And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:…But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:…The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken Me.”

“Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded thee.” (Verse 45.) Moses clearly warned Israel that they faced the possibility of total destruction if they became stubbornly disobedient to God’s will and way.

Mrs. White simply reiterates all these conditions that we have just read in Scripture: “It should be remembered that the promises and threatenings of God are alike conditional.” Evangelism, 695. As God’s people, as God’s children we are never to rest in a sense of security simply because of where we are. Our only security is being under the headship of Christ.

Retreating Toward Egypt

The following statement can only tug at the heart-strings of the Seventh-day Adventist. “I am filled with sadness when I think of our condition as a people. The Lord has not closed heaven to us, but our own course of continual backsliding has separated us from God.…And yet the general opinion is that the church is flourishing and that peace and spiritual prosperity are in all her borders. The church has turned back from following Christ her Leader and is steadily retreating toward Egypt.” [A state of sinful living.] Testimonies, vol. 5, 217.

Now, brothers and sisters, that admonition probably was given at a particular time in the history of our denomination. However, if that was happening then, can we say that it is not happening now? Or is it perhaps true, as Scripture has told us, that as time goes by, evil will wax worse and worse? (See 2 Timothy 3:13.)

Forsaking Our God

You remember that 1888 was the year when God sent a special message to His people, and truly, we have been tentatively touching on that message. The doctrine of righteousness by faith was given at the Minneapolis Conference of 1888. But in the Review and Herald of July 24, 1888, the pen of inspiration penned these words, and they were words of sadness:

“Some power has cut the cable,…[we] are drifting away to sea, without chart or compass.” And in Testimonies, vol. 5, 75, 76, she says, “You are following the same path as did ancient Israel.…Your neglect to follow the light will place you in a more unfavorable position than the Jews upon whom Christ pronounced a woe.”

These words are not meant to tear God’s people down. They are meant to wake God’s people up to a knowledge of the true situation which confronts them. Why does the Lord do that? It sounds discouraging. We want to hear “love and unity,” and we are to “unify,” but the Lord tells us “not to unify on a platform of error.” These words were not penned for our pleasure to tear and to strike at each other. These words were intended to rend our hearts.

“Unless the church, which is now being leavened with her own backsliding, shall repent and be converted, she will eat of the fruit of her own doing, until she shall abhor herself.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 250. God’s messenger wrote a letter, preceding the 1888 Minneapolis meeting, to Elders Butler and Haskell. You will find a transcript of this letter in Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 320–322.

Internal Corruption Brings God’s Denunciations

In part it says, “Oh, what privileges are granted to us as a people! And if God spared not His people that He loved, because they refused to walk in the light, how can He spare the people whom He has blessed with the light of heaven in having opened to them the most exalted truth ever entrusted to mortal man to give to the world?…Internal corruption will bring the denunciations of God upon this people as it did upon Jerusalem. [As we read in Matthew 23.] . . . My brethren, we know not what is before us.…God will work with us and for us if the sins which brought His wrath upon the old world, upon Sodom and Gomorrah and upon ancient Jerusalem, do not become our crime.”

“Jerusalem is a representation of what the church will be if it refuses to walk in the light that God has given.…These are no idle tales, but truth.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 67, 68. “If we imitate their [Israel’s] example of transgression and depart from God we shall fall as surely as did they.” Ibid., vol. 1, 609.

By the way, how do we exalt God’s power? To exalt His power is to believe, to teach and to live that truth. To deny that truth is to have the form of godliness but denying the power thereof. Do you know what it says in 2 Timothy 3:5 where that verse is recorded? It says, Those who have the “form of godliness, but deny the power thereof, from such turn away.

“Let a church become proud and boastful, not depending on God, not exalting His power, and that church will surely be left by the Lord, to be brought down to the ground. Let a people glory in wealth, intellect, knowledge, or in anything but Christ, and they will soon be brought to confusion.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 127. These are sobering statements, brothers and sisters. Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Author and the Finisher of the faith of God’s people.

Return to the Doctrine of Truth

By His grace let us determine every day that we will have our feet planted firmly on that doctrine of truth which He established as the Rock upon which He would build His church, the church against which the gates of hell will not prevail. Namely that He came to this earth, accepting our human nature, and in the flesh condemned sin that He might be able to succor them, that is you and me, who are also tempted.

We have to return to the doctrine of truth that is the foundation for us as a people. We cannot flirt with the doctrines of antichrist, because those doctrines will surely separate God’s people from the Saviour. We must ever remember that the presence of Christ alone can constitute the church. We have to remain closely united to that body of believers which has Jesus as its head—the humble few who love God and keep His commandments, not the vast majority who say they love God and teach that you cannot keep His commandments.

Let us determine to have Jesus as our Head, today, tomorrow and forever more, to be born again of the Spirit, to be led into all truth, as Jesus promised the Spirit would do.

Bible Study Guides – Appeals for Salvation

September 6, 2009 – September 12, 2009

Key Text

“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11.

Study Help: Testimonies, vol. 7, 254–266; Ibid., vol. 9, 19–29.

Introduction

“It is in mercy and love that He [God] lifts the veil from the future, and reveals to men the results of a course of sin.” The Desire of Ages, 582.

1 What did God prophesy about Egypt—a superpower in ancient times? Ezekiel 29:3, 9, 10, 14, 15.

Note: “With unerring accuracy the Infinite One still keeps account with the nations. While His mercy is tendered, with calls to repentance, this account remains open; but when the figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the ministry of His wrath begins. The account is closed. Divine patience ceases. Mercy no longer pleads in their behalf.” Prophets and Kings, 364.

2 How does the Bible depict the rise of Assyria? Ezekiel 31:3–9. How did its rulers grieve the Most High?

Note. “The rulers of Assyria, instead of using their unusual blessings for the benefit of mankind, became the scourge of many lands. Merciless, with no thought of God or their fellow men, they pursued the fixed policy of causing all nations to acknowledge the supremacy of the gods of Nineveh, whom they exalted above the Most High. God had sent Jonah to them with a message of warning, and for a season they humbled themselves before the Lord of hosts and sought forgiveness. But soon they turned again to idol worship and to the conquest of the world.” Prophets and Kings, 363.

3 How did the Lord warn Egypt through the fall of Assyria? Ezekiel 31:2, 10–18.

Note: “The pride of Assyria and its fall are to serve as an object lesson to the end of time. Of the nations of earth today who in arrogance and pride array themselves against Him, God inquires, ‘To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth.’ [Ezekiel 31] Verse 18.

“‘The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him. But with an overrunning flood He will make an utter end’ of all who endeavor to exalt themselves above the Most High. Nahum 1:7, 8.” Prophets and Kings, 366.

4 What should we learn from Zechariah’s brief summary of the punishment that came upon Assyria and Egypt? Zechariah 10:11.

Note: “This is true not only of the nations that arrayed themselves against God in ancient times, but also of nations today who fail of fulfilling the divine purpose. In the day of final awards, when the righteous Judge of all the earth shall ‘sift the nations’ (Isaiah 30:28), and those that have kept the truth shall be permitted to enter the City of God, heaven’s arches will ring with the triumphant songs of the redeemed.” Prophets and Kings, 366.

5 What is our responsibility as believers entrusted with the proclamation of the three angels’ messages? Ezekiel 33:1–6.

Note: “The responsibility of the watchmen of today is as much greater than in the days of the prophet as our light is clearer and our privileges and opportunities greater than theirs. It is the minister’s duty to warn every man, to teach every man, in all meekness and wisdom. He is not to conform to the practices of the world, but, as God’s servant, he must contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. …

“The end of all things is at hand. My brethren, ministers and laymen, I have been shown you must work in a different manner from what you have been in the habit of working. Pride, envy, self-importance, and unsanctified independence have marred your labors. When men permit themselves to be flattered and exalted by Satan, the Lord can do little for them or through them.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 16.

6 How are we accountable for our words and influence? Ezekiel 33:7.

Note: “The Lord is soon coming. The watchmen on the walls of Zion are called upon to awake to their God-given responsibilities. God calls for watchmen who, in the power of the Spirit, will give to the world the last warning message; who will proclaim the time of night. He calls for watchmen who will arouse men and women from their lethargy, lest they sleep the sleep of death.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 304.

“The day of woe, of wasting and destruction, is upon all who do unrighteousness. With special severity will the Lord’s hand fall upon the watchmen who have failed to place before the people in clear lines their obligation to Him who by creation and by redemption is their owner.” Ibid., vol. 8, 195.

7 How was Ezekiel’s commission similar to ours? Ezekiel 33:8, 9.

Note: “In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. …

“The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work. The world is to be warned, and God’s people are to be true to the trust committed to them. They are not to engage in speculation, neither are they to enter into business enterprises with unbelievers; for this would hinder them in their God-given work. …

“So far as his opportunities extend, everyone who has received the light of truth is under the same responsibility as was the prophet of Israel to whom came the word: [Ezekiel 33:7–9 quoted.]” Testimonies, vol. 9, 19, 20.

8 What should we realize about the character of God in relation to sin and to ourselves as sinners? Ezekiel 33:10, 11.

Note: “It is Satan’s special device to lead man into sin and then leave him there, helpless and hopeless, fearing to seek for pardon. But God invites, ‘Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me.’ Isaiah 27:5. In Christ every provision has been made, every encouragement offered.” Prophets and Kings, 326.

“God does not desire the destruction of any. … Throughout the period of probationary time His Spirit is entreating men to accept the gift of life. It is only those who reject His pleading that will be left to perish. God has declared that sin must be destroyed as an evil ruinous to the universe. Those who cling to sin will perish in its destruction.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 123.

9 Name some principles of salvation given to Ezekiel that are vital to our understanding. Ezekiel 33:12–20.

Note: “The whole purpose in giving His Son for the sins of the world is that man may be saved, not in transgression and unrighteousness, but in forsaking sin, washing his robes of character, and making them white in the blood of the Lamb. He proposes to remove from man the offensive thing that He hates, but man must cooperate with God in the work. Sin must be given up, hated, and the righteousness of Christ must be accepted by faith. Thus will the divine co-operate with the human.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 631, 632.

10 How were the messages given in Ezekiel’s day vindicated, and how is this situation similar to ours today? Ezekiel 33:23–33.

Note: “There are persons who believe that they are right, when they are wrong. While claiming Christ as their Lord, and professedly doing great works in His name, they are workers of iniquity. …

“A mere profession of discipleship is of no value. The faith in Christ which saves the soul is not what it is represented to be by many. ‘Believe, believe,’ they say, ‘and you need not keep the law.’ But a belief that does not lead to obedience is presumption. The apostle John says, ‘He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ I John 2:4. Let none cherish the idea that special providences or miraculous manifestations are to be the proof of the genuineness of their work or of the ideas they advocate. When persons will speak lightly of the word of God, and set their impressions, feelings, and exercises above the divine standard, we may know that they have no light in them.

“Obedience is the test of discipleship. It is the keeping of the commandments that proves the sincerity of our professions of love. When the doctrine we accept kills sin in the heart, purifies the soul from defilement, bears fruit unto holiness, we may know that it is the truth of God. When benevolence, kindness, tenderheartedness, sympathy, are manifest in our lives; when the joy of right doing is in our hearts; when we exalt Christ, and not self, we may know that our faith is of the right order.” Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, 146, 147.

Additional Reading

“Christ saw in Jerusalem a symbol of the world hardened in unbelief and rebellion, and hastening on to meet the retributive judgments of God. The woes of a fallen race, pressing upon His soul, forced from His lips that exceeding bitter cry. He saw the record of sin traced in human misery, tears, and blood; His heart was moved with infinite pity for the afflicted and suffering ones of earth; He yearned to relieve them all. But even His hand might not turn back the tide of human woe; few would seek their only Source of help. He was willing to pour out His soul unto death, to bring salvation within their reach; but few would come to Him that they might have life.

“The Majesty of heaven in tears! the Son of the infinite God troubled in spirit, bowed down with anguish! The scene filled all heaven with wonder. That scene reveals to us the exceeding sinfulness of sin; it shows how hard a task it is, even for Infinite Power, to save the guilty from the consequences of transgressing the law of God. Jesus, looking down to the last generation, saw the world involved in a deception similar to that which caused the destruction of Jerusalem. The great sin of the Jews was their rejection of Christ; the great sin of the Christian world would be their rejection of the law of God, the foundation of His government in heaven and earth. The precepts of Jehovah would be despised and set at nought. Millions in bondage to sin, slaves of Satan, doomed to suffer the second death, would refuse to listen to the words of truth in their day of visitation. Terrible blindness! strange infatuation!” The Great Controversy, 22, 23.

“How little do we enter into sympathy with Christ on that which should be the strongest bond of union between us and Him—compassion for depraved, guilty, suffering souls, dead in trespasses and sins! The inhumanity of man toward man is our greatest sin. Many think that they are representing the justice of God while they wholly fail of representing His tenderness and His great love. Often the ones whom they meet with sternness and severity are under the stress of temptation. Satan is wrestling with these souls, and harsh, unsympathetic words discourage them and cause them to fall a prey to the tempter’s power.

“It is a delicate matter to deal with minds. Only He who reads the heart knows how to bring men to repentance. Only His wisdom can give us success in reaching the lost. You may stand up stiffly, feeling, ‘I am holier than thou,’ and it matters not how correct your reasoning or how true your words; they will never touch hearts. The love of Christ, manifested in word and act, will win its way to the soul, when the reiteration of precept or argument would accomplish nothing.” The Ministry of Healing, 163, 164.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

Current Events – Christians Targeted

“Never, never was there a time when the truth will suffer more from being misrepresented, belittled, demerited through the perverse disputings of men than in these last days.” Letter 136a, 1898.

According to South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo, which cites sources in China, singer Hyon Song-wol was among other singers, musicians, and dancers arrested and publicly put to death by firing squad [August 20, 2013]. Mum Kyon-jin, head of the Unhasu Orchestra, was also executed, along with members of both that orchestra and the Wangjaesan Light Music Band. Family members and bandmates watched as authorities killed the dozen performers with machine guns, one source said. A source told South Korea’s largest daily newspaper that some of the victims also faced accusations of possessing Bibles. All were regarded as political dissidents, and their families have been shipped off to prison camps, according to the source. www.spin.com, August 29, 2013.

Kafr Hakim, Egypt (CNN) – For 67 years, the Virgin Mary Church has been a peaceful refuge for Shenouda El Sayeh, much like the Giza province village of Kafr Hakim where it rests and where he has lived all those years. But, as he swept its floors on Thursday, it was painfully obvious things had changed. The night before, a mob—chanting against Coptic Christians had torched and looted the Virgin Mary Church.

Christians all around Egypt are cleaning up in the aftermath of a spate of attacks, which came on the country’s deadliest day since the 2011 revolution. Bishop Angaelos, the Cairo-born head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, said he was told by colleagues in Egypt that 52 churches were attacked in a 24-hour span, as well as numerous Christians’ homes and businesses. www.cnn.com, August 16, 2013.

Christians and Muslims used to peacefully coexist in Syria. Unfortunately, the last two years of civil war have erased this peaceful coexistence, leading Christianity to face an “existential threat” in Syria. According to reports, over 300 Christians have been killed during the civil war, even though they did not participate in hostilities. Christian leaders, including priest and monks have been targeted by extremists and hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled the country seeking safety as a refugee outside Syria’s borders. Please pray for these persecuted people. www.persecution.com, August 21, 2013.

Peru has been urged to investigate the mass killing of Christians and other civilians. Over the course of two decades of guerrilla warfare in the 1980s and ’90s between left wing rebel groups and the Peruvian government an estimated 100,000 dead, most of whom were civilians. Massacres also targeted Christians and church leaders opposed to the group. Ten years after a groundbreaking 2003 report was published on the atrocities committed, the Peruvian government has yet to prosecute many of those responsible for the deaths, including the abduction, torture and murder of a Protestant pastor in 1989. www.persecution.com, August 2013.