FIRST QUARTER 2024
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #8
FEBRUARY 24, 2024
“WISDOM OF RIGHTEOUS LIVINGS”

 

Some Bible scholars have said the book of Psalms is the Bible in miniature.  While we categorize Psalms as a book of poetry, it also contains history, prophecy and salvation theology.  Our lesson title for the week tells us we may find in this book "Wisdom for Righteous Living.”

Under the Sabbath outline we are told that “God's grace provides for the forgiveness of sin and creates a new heart in the repentant sinner”.  We praise God that it is absolutely true that God's grace creates a new heart in the repentant sinner, yet we can also rejoice that God's grace not only provides forgiveness, but that God objectively stands toward the entire human family in an attitude of forgiveness.  We may find this truth in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19: "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself not imputing their trespasses unto them.”  Also, Colossians 2:13 says "you...hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.”

Is anyone fully aware of all of their trespasses? Does God require a strict itemization and detailed accounting of every sin we have ever committed like an IRS tax agent before He is willing to forgive? Does God stand toward us in an attitude of condemnation or indifference regarding our salvation until we are fully enlightened to the specifics and enormity of each and every one of our individual sins?  There is evidence in scripture that clearly suggests that God not only planned but deployed the plan of redemption prior to our knowledge or change in disposition toward Him. In John chapter 8 the Bible does not record the woman caught in adultery confessing or repenting prior to the defense and exoneration effected by Jesus, but certainly her life was completely transformed by a realization of God's gracious attitude towards her, demonstrated in Christ.

Our lesson correctly points out that the life of a righteous person is not without temptations, some more subtle than others.  While it is true that God hates unrighteousness, we must also remember that He especially hates self-righteousness. It was this attitude of the scribes and Pharisees and that of the older brother in the story of the prodigal son. If there is a lesson to be learned from the story it is that the older son who stayed home and condemned his brother, was equally if not more lost than the younger son who demanded his inheritance and "wasted his substance in riotous living.”

On Sunday the lesson points out that the Bible depicts the life of faith as a journey or a walk with the Lord. However, is the life of faith maintained by "walking in the law of the Lord" or is "walking in the law" the natural result of the life of faith?  Perhaps this is a chicken and egg argument but it would seem that "walking in the law" is another way of referring to obedience, and Hebrews 11:6 tells us plainly,” Without faith it is impossible to please God."  In other words, there is no genuine obedience without real faith and real faith has Christ and His sacrifice as the focus and object.  There is no doubt that the Word of God has an essential part to play in faith.  Faith is trusting in the Word. John 1 tells us that the Word was made flesh and so Christ is synonymous with the Word of God.  He is the complete and perfect expression of God's will, God's wisdom and God's way. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus is the express image of His person and the outshining of His glory — by glory we mean God's character.

Our lesson mentions that walking in the law involves seeking God with our whole heart.  This is a truth embedded in Jesus' summary of the law in Matthew 22:37 when responding to the question of which is the greatest commandment.  Jesus responded, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul and with all thy mind."  It is a tall order.  Who among us can say that we have fulfilled the requirement?  Christ alone has fulfilled the requirement and yet will fulfill the requirement in us through the Holy Spirit as we surrender to Him. In Galatians 2:20, Paul essentially says I am crucified (dead) yet I live, but it is not I, but Christ living in me.

The lesson correctly points out that keeping God's commandments has nothing to do with a legalistic observance of divine rules.  Such would suggest an egocentric or self-centered motive instead of a God-centered, new covenant, relational motivation born of love and appreciation for the Savior.  The law of God protects us and shows us how to live in freedom and peace. As we understand the law as a transcript of God's character, our love and admiration for Him leads us to cherish His law. It is to His glory and for our benefit and the benefit of others to do so. 

On Monday our lesson reminds us of the brevity of life.  In the year 2022, I lost 4 friends to cancer. The oldest was 62 and the youngest was 52. As I write this, I am sitting on a Southwest airlines Boeing 737 flight from Phoenix to Chicago. I have spent the last few days with a friend who I have known since high school who lost his father to cancer in 2011, lost his mother to a sudden heart attack in 2020, and then lost his sister to leukemia only two years later. There are many passages of scripture that remind us of how fleeting our time in this world is but I love our memory verse from Psalm 90:12 the most among them all.  James 4:14 asks the rhetorical question, "What is your life but a vapor that appeareth for a moment and vanisheth away?”  First Peter 1:24 declares "All flesh is as grass.” This should humble the pride of man who is constantly seeking and searching and desperately pursuing permanence, significance and immortality.  In sports and business there is much talk of "what will be his legacy?”  Yet all of the accomplishments of man amount to nothing according to Solomon, as he writes in Ecclesiastes that these "immortality projects,” as Pulitzer Prize winning author Dr. Ernest Becker called them in his book "The Denial of Death,” are nothing more than vanity, vexation of spirit and chasing after the wind.

Our lesson tells us the Hebrew word ma'on depicts the Lord as our shelter and refuge. It is a comfort in our short life of labor and sorrow to know that the one who "inhabits eternity" loves and cares for each one of us personally on this tiny blue marble suspended in space, despite the brevity of our sojourn.  I was encouraged by the lesson author's insight that "no one has known the full power of God's wrath.” I was reminded of 2 Peter 3:9, which says that while scoffers insist that there is no God or no end coming to this world, believers know that God is not unfaithful in keeping His promises, and the delay of His coming is only because He is "longsuffering to usward not willing any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Our lesson also points out that wisdom is gained through repentance and God's gifts of forgiveness, compassion and mercy (Psalms 90:13,14). It is important to note that Acts 5:31 tell us that even repentance is a gift from God.  Genuine sorrow for sin and the correct motivation for turning away from sin cannot be manufactured by the human heart. Thanks to Jesus, a way has been made for us to escape the human dilemma of trial and suffering and the brevity of life. We are privileged who live in the developed world, and yet as I have traveled, I have found happier people in the developing world that does not enjoy all of the conveniences and luxuries and technology we find so necessary.

On Tuesday our lesson refers to God testing Israel's faith in His ability to provide for them at Meribah and then points out that although they failed the test, God still came to their rescue.  The ultimate test for us is whether we believe that God can and will provide everything essential to our salvation.  His faithfulness in earthly things and providing for our temporal and physical needs is but a symbol of His ability to provide for our much more urgent need of righteousness and salvation. Before healing the paralytic in Matthew 9:6, Jesus declared "That you may know that the Son of Man has power to forgive sins.” So, he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.”  Also remember that He asked a question beforehand, "Which is easier to say, your sins be forgiven, or rise take up thy bed and walk?"  Every miracle of physical healing and provision of physical need was to encourage faith in God's power to provide for our spiritual needs.

Another critical point made in this outline is the importance of not repeating the mistakes of the past. This simply cannot be overemphasized.  It has been said that those who do not study history are subject to repeat its errors.  This is exactly what Paul warns about in 1 Corinthians 10:11 in saying "These things happened unto them for ensamples and are recorded for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come."  With the example of the grace of God amidst the failings of the children of Israel before us and the record of the cruelty, mistreatment and crucifixion of Christ by the Jewish leaders, we compound our guilt and responsibility as we take the same course of action toward God's message and His messengers. There are numerous chapters of the Bible that provide us with a panoramic overview of the history of Israel.  We find several in the Psalms (78, 105,106); then there is Nehemiah chapter 9, and Acts 7 and 1 Corinthians 10 from the apostle Paul.  This is not a coincidence. The history of God's people is to be studied until the close of time, for it contains crucial lessons for our day - not the least of which is to beware of forgetting God during times of ease and prosperity. There is also the lesson of how indulgence in sin hardens the heart against God making us less willing and less able to obey His law.  God's saving grace in the past is to give us courage for the future. We have nothing to fear for the future, lest we forget.  Even on the cross, Jesus was encouraged as He considered God's faithfulness throughout His life and before bowing His head in death, in a note of faith and triumph He declares, "Into thy hands, I commend my spirit."

We are told Psalms 141 is a prayer of protection from temptation and alludes to the need for self-control in speech.  The Bible suggests that if a man can control his tongue, he may gain victory over virtually every other temptation. Gossip is a sin of which many are guilty but think little of the sin of perpetuating rumor and inuendo by evil-speaking.  The Psalm describes the "progressive, alluring and cunning" nature of temptation and sin which reminds me of the description from James 1:14-16. We are constantly in need of the guidance of the Holy Spirit to know when to speak and when to be silent.

On Thursday our lesson refers to the blessings of righteous living. The Psalms and other passages of scripture detail and describe these blessings.  Deuteronomy 28 is perhaps the most quoted and noted passage of scripture for delineating the blessings of obedience in contrast to the curses of disobedience.  However, while the chapter is 68 verses long, only the first 14 verses are spent on the blessings while the last 54 verses describe the curses.  I believe there is a reason for this. God knew the children of Israel would break the covenant and disobey. The fact that He was so specific beforehand would leave them without excuse. The response of God to their failure would only serve to further accentuate His infinite grace and mercy. Ultimately, our reason for obedience absolutely must grow beyond the blessings to the Blesser, beyond seeking gifts to the Giver.  Anything less leaves us in an immature transactional relationship with God, which was exactly the manner in which the heathen related to their false gods and the motive for their "worship" of idols.  I once heard a professor at Southern Adventist University say, "Obedience is not Why God blesses us. Obedience is How God blesses us." In other words, there is a blessing in obedience itself.  Luke 17:10 says after we have done all that we are commanded to do, we are to say, "We are unprofitable servants. We have only done what was our duty."  Matthew 20 records the parable in which the owner of a vineyard pays all of His workers the same although some had worked since the morning and others only arrived towards the end of the day. This is to teach us a lesson in righteousness by faith.  God blesses us because He is a God of grace. He gives the same gift of eternal life to all regardless of the length of service, and not a single soul among the host of the redeemed will complain that God has been unfair.  It is impossible for any of us to ever deserve what He has given. The Psalms describe the righteous as enjoying the stability and permanence that the wicked seek in vain. The wicked will ultimately be blown away like chaff.

The lesson raises the question of how we know that the Cross is the guarantee of the promises of the New Testament.  We know this because the scripture plainly tells us so, notably from Hebrews 9:16-17.  The Bible writer compares God's covenant to a will and declares that the "death of the testator" (i.e., the maker of the will) results in the blessings that the will promises being delivered to us.

Our lesson closes with the thought that in modern times people choose happiness over wisdom and yet the good news is that the righteous receive both.  Godly wisdom brings true happiness.  The two are not mutually exclusive. God desires us to be both happy and holy, and holiness leads to true and lasting happiness.

 

~Michael Duncan