THIRD QUARTER 2022
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #3
JULY 16, 2022
“THE BIRDCAGE”

 

 

In this week’s lesson we examine three of the trials Israel encountered after leaving Egypt on their way to the Promised Land; Christ’s wilderness temptations in which He redeemed Israel’s failure to trust God; and Peter’s words of encouragement to fellow believers looking with hope to the Heavenly Promised Land. “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith - the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:6-9).

 

What enables one to endure trials and temptations great or small? The above bible passage points out that it is faith - genuine faith, more precious than gold.

 

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

 

“God never asks us to believe, without giving sufficient evidence upon which to base our faith. His existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are all established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant.”- Steps to Christ, p. 105

 

The children of Israel had been given abundant evidence that the Lord was leading and guiding. The plagues had revealed the supremacy of the Creator God over the Egyptian gods. It was clear that Moses had been divinely called. The Lord had humbled proud Pharaoh and led the Egyptians to acknowledge God. Then there was the Passover on the eve of the departure after which Israel had left with “much spoil”. Prophecy was fulfilled. “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance” (Genesis 15:13, 14). “And Joseph said to his brethren, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here’” (Genesis 50:24, 25, Exodus 13:19). In addition, from the very onset of the journey, the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night guided the company (Exodus 13:22). Evidence was not lacking.

 

Yet when there appeared no way of escape their cry was, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness” (Exodus 14:11-14)

 

Moses, responding in faith, said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:13, 14).

 

“The LORD will fight for you.” This is faith. We are to believe the Lord will do for us what we are incapable of doing for ourselves.

 

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). “For whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

 

Of course, we know what happened to the Israelites when caught between their enemies and the Red Sea. First there was the pillar of cloud that brought darkness to one side but light to the other. Then God parted the waters and “by faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so were drowned” (Hebrews 11:29). On the far shore they sang the song of Moses (Exodus 15) attributing their marvelous deliverance to the great, good, and gracious God. If only they had treasured and kept fresh in their memories the miraculous Red Sea crossing. It could have kept them from much of the doubt, murmuring, and rebellion that plagued their journey through the wilderness.

 

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience” (James 1:3).

 

We can learn much from comparing and contrasting Christ’s 40 days spent in the wilderness with Israel’s 40-year wilderness sojourn.

 

Jesus also had evidence that God was leading. At His baptism, performed by the prophet John, Jesus was given affirmation by the visible presence of the Holy Spirit, and the words of His Father, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The book of Daniel had foretold the very year of the Messiah’s baptism and the beginning of His public ministry. Christ had the sure word of prophecy. Luke tells us that Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and Mark says the Spirit “drove” Him there. Jesus did not go unbidden. He went into the wilderness to commune with His Father in preparation for His mission. And here He overcame where our first parents and their posterity had failed.

 

“It was in the time of greatest weakness that Christ was assailed by the fiercest temptations. Thus, Satan thought to prevail. By this policy he had gained the victory over men.” - Desire of Ages, p 120

 

“But He answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4).

 

“Jesus said unto him, ‘It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God’” (Matthew 4:7).

 

“Then said Jesus unto him, ‘Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ Then the devil left Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him” (Matthew 4:10, 11).

 

“By what means did Christ overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. "It is written," He said. And unto us are given "exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." 2 Peter 1:4. Every promise in God's word is ours. "By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" are we to live. When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the word. All its strength is yours. "Thy word," says the psalmist, "have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." "By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer." Psalm 119:11; 17:4. –Desire of Ages p. 123

 

“So, then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). “Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper” (2 Chronicles 20:20).

 

In each of the experiences Israel encountered in route to the Promised Land were encapsulated precious gospel truths - Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea (baptism into Christ), the tree that made the waters sweet (Calvary), the Bread that came down from Heaven, water from the smitten Rock, Mt. Sinai, the construction and significance of the Sanctuary and its services, the serpent on the pole, and more. God was endeavoring to grow and cultivate the people’s faith, to point them to the Author and Finisher of their faith (Hebrews 12:2).

 

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). “But what says it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach” (Romans 10:8).

 

Recorded in Ellen White’s writings is a fascinating statement.

 

“The knowledge of what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of cultivating faith, is more essential than any other knowledge that can be acquired. We suffer much trouble and grief because of our unbelief, and our ignorance of how to exercise faith. We must break through the clouds of unbelief. We cannot have a healthy Christian experience, we cannot obey the gospel unto salvation, until the science of faith is better understood, and until more faith is exercised. There can be no perfection of Christian character without that faith that works by love, and purifies the soul.” - RH, October 18, 1898 par. 7

 

A. T. Jones wrote a series of 17 articles based upon the above statement entitled, “The Science of Cultivating Faith.”  I encourage you to read the entire series (https://www.1888mpm.org/node/2148). I found each article helpful, practical, and instructive.

 

“When a person sees himself so ungodly as to find there no possible ground of hope for justification, it is just there that faith comes in; indeed, it is only there that faith can possibly come in.

 

For faith is dependence on the word of God only. So long as there is any dependence on himself, so long as there is any conceivable ground of hope for any dependence upon anything in or about himself, there can be no faith: so long as there is no place for faith, since faith is dependence on "the word only." A. T. Jones, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 76, No. 6, February 7, 1899, p. 88. (No. 10)

 

“Men must not only become just by faith, —by dependence upon the word of God, —but being just, we must live by faith. The just man lives in precisely the same way, and by the same thing, that he becomes just.

 

We become just by faith; faith is entire dependence on the word of God. We, being just, must live by precisely the same thing by which we become just; that is, by entire dependence upon the word of God.

 

And this is exactly what Jesus said: Man shall live "by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." When Jesus said that, it is perfectly plain that He simply said, in other words, Man shall live by faith.

 

There is no other way truly to live than by faith, which is simply living by the word of God. Without faith, without the word of God, men only die.

 

Indeed, without the word of God everything only dies; for in the beginning everything came by the word of God. The word of God is the origin and life of everything; for, “He spake, and it was.” -A. T. Jones, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 76, No. 10, March 7, 1899, p. 152. (No. 14)

 

“Therefore it is written that in the gospel not only "is the righteousness of God revealed," but it is manifested (revealed) "by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference". Romans 3:21, 22.

 

And not only is the righteousness of God revealed to faith; it is revealed not alone to the measure of faith that you have to begin with; but also, to faith beyond that—to greater faith.

 

That is to say, the revelation of the righteousness of God to faith to begin with, and to the measure of faith with which you begin, causes that faith to grow, —and this revelation and this growth will never cease to him that believeth. Faith is of God; it is divine, and is capable of eternal growth. The righteousness of God is inexhaustible, and so will be eternally revealed more fully to the eternally growing faith.

 

To him that believeth this is true, — he grows "in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;" and thus grace and peace is multiplied, and will be eternally "multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord." For "the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever". Isaiah 32:17.

 

Such is the way, the blessing, and the joy of the exercise of faith. And this is why it is that "the knowledge of what the Scripture means when urging upon us the necessity of cultivating faith, is more essential than any other knowledge that can be acquired."

 

This is the science of faith. And there is no higher, richer, nor nobler science.

 

"Hast thou faith?" Have the faith of God. "Here are they that keep" "the faith of Jesus."- A. T. Jones, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 76, No. 12, March 21, 1899, p. 184. (No. 16)

 

His banner over us is love, our sword the Word of God;

We tread the road, the saints before, with shouts of triumph trod

By faith, they like a whirlwind’s breath, swept on o’er every field;

The faith by which they conquered death is still our shining shield

 

Faith is the victory, Faith is the victory

O glorious victory that overcomes the world. – John H. Yates

 

“We shall never know, until we are face to face with God, when we shall see as we are seen, and know as we are known, how many burdens He has borne for us, and how many burdens He would have been glad to bear, if, with childlike faith, we had brought them to Him.”- Ellen G. White, “Rephidim,” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, April 7, 1903

 

The quote from Ministry of Healing on Sabbath Afternoon’s lesson is a precious thought. “He (Our God) has a song to teach us, and when we have learned it amid the shadows of affliction, we can sing it ever afterward.”

 

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

 

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4).

 

~ Martha Ruggles