Commentary on "Preparing a People"

RICHARD PEIFER

 

Day 1: Sabbath Afternoon, October 3, 2009

 

Overview: “The student will:

• Know: List a variety of ways in which God prescribed a holy way of living for His people.
• Feel: Appreciate the importance of attention to detail in complying with God’s way of life.
• Do: Surrender all aspects of our life to God and to His intent to save us.”
  (From the Teacher’s Comments section.)

 

Problems

If this were simply a history lesson regarding God’s providential and miraculous creating and leading the Jewish people, a history which could be used to inspire us to trust that this same God is able to complete what He started, then it would have been valuable.

Unfortunately, the SDA church cannot leave history alone. They must turn it into something it is not. This is the danger of studying the Old Covenant without understanding that Jesus’ complete victory over sin and death ushered in a New Covenant – a covenant with a better High Priest, better promises, a new law, total forgiveness, eternal life, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and so on (see Hebrews).

Look at the objectives quoted above. The entire lesson presumes that Adventists are God’s people, so, therefore, they must pay very close attention to the prescribed holy way of living. This should lead to an appreciation of the importance of attention to detail in complying with the specification. This will, in turn, lead the SDA believer to surrender all aspects of his or her life to God and to His intent to save.

First, this Know-Feel-Do triad is wrong. Nowhere in the Bible are we told to do or not do something because we “feel” it. Rather, we are told to know something, step out in faith to act on it, and then let our feelings fall where they may. Feelings always are the result of an action taken by faith, never the cause of that action.

What are we to know? Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8:39). We are forgiven people (Romans 5:10). We have eternal life (1 John 5:13). These three verses are but the tip of the iceberg regarding the incredible salvation we’ve been given.

Based on this knowledge, we can, for example, follow through with Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious [emotion] about anything, but in everything, by prayer [act by faith] and petition [act by faith], with thanksgiving [act by faith], present your requests [act by faith] to God. And the peace [emotion] of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Anxiety is fear of the future. Instead of letting it tie us in knots we are called to prayer, petition, thanksgiving and presentation. Having done these by faith, based on the sure knowledge of our eternal standing with God, we will be given the Spirit-led emotion of peace. There is no promise here that our petitions will be answered as we like, but that we will have God’s peace to guard our hearts and minds.

Second, the objectives are based completely on our behavior. This behaviorism is carried through the entire lesson. It may sound good. It may even feel good for awhile. But I guarantee you that a lifetime spent trying to do good, to get better, to please God, or any other term we use to describe such legalism will accomplish nothing other than deep personal disappointment (quite often that no one else sees) and utter failure to measure up to the standards we set for ourselves.

There is a better way. His name is Jesus.

 

Summary

1. There is much good history in this lesson.
2. God’s dealings with Israel should inspire us to confidence that He will complete the work He started.
3. Turning historical facts into injunctions for living today, in complete ignorance of what the New Covenant means, results in legalism and failure.

 

GO TO DAY 2

 

Copyright 2009 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised September 29, 2009. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.

The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.

 

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