SECOND QUARTER 2025
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #9
MAY 31, 2025

 

Our primary purpose in this lesson as we continue to study the psalms is to come to a deeper understanding of God’s love, His character, His sacrifice, His righteous judgment for each of us and all of us.

Let’s first look at the memory verse from Psalm 67:3,4:

“Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For you shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations on earth. Selah.”

If we believe that God is truly a just and righteous God, that He is for us and not against us, how can we not praise Him, be glad and sing for joy?

As we study Psalm 46 in Sunday’s lesson we truly see God is always there for us, a seeking Saviour! Here are some thoughts from Ellen G. White relating to these verses:

“The only-begotten Son of God came to this world to redeem the fallen race. He has given us evidence of His great power. He will enable those who receive Him to build up characters free from all the tendencies that Satan reveals. We can resist the enemy and all his forces. The battle will be won, the victory gained, by him who chooses Christ as his leader, determined to do right because it is right. Our divine Lord is equal to any emergency. With Him nothing is impossible. He has shown His great love for us by living a life of self-denial and sacrifice and by dying a death of agony. Come to Christ just as you are.... Cast yourself wholly on His mercy. There is no difficulty within or without that cannot be surmounted in His strength. Some have stormy tempers; but He who calmed the stormy Sea of Galilee will say to the troubled heart, ‘Peace, be still.' There is no nature so rebellious that Christ cannot subdue it, no temper so stormy that He cannot quell it, if the heart is surrendered to His keeping. He who commits his soul to Jesus need not despond. We have an all-powerful Saviour. Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, you can say, ‘He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.'  Psalm 46; 1,2.” — In Heavenly Places, pg.17.

E. J. Waggoner provides us with some additional insights on this same topic:

“With the Psalmist we can say, ‘He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.’ Psalm 46:1-3. Can we say that? Brethren, that time is coming. The earth will reel to and fro like a drunken man, and be removed like a cottage, and the mountains will skip away, and pass over into the ocean. That is going to happen, and there will be some people at that time who will feel perfectly calm and trustful; but they will not be composed of man and women who have never learned to say that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose. The man that doubts God now will doubt him then. ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’ 

‘He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?’ That promise includes all. ‘Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.’ 1 Corinthians 3:21-23. This is not in the future. All things are yours at the present time. Everything is ours, and therefore we can say with the Psalmist, ‘The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places, yea, I have a goodly heritage.' — Signs of the Times, April 1891, pg. 115.

In Monday’s lesson we are discussing “hope amid turmoil,” which takes us back to Psalm 46:7, reminding us that “the Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.” Mrs. White talks about this and her own experience in the following article. Other psalms are also referenced there as she looks to the Lord for her hope and support:

“My love to Jesus and my heavenly Father has increased in depth and breadth. When hope has for a moment seemed dim, when pain seemed almost beyond endurance, I have prayed as did Jacob, ‘I will not let thee go, except thou bless me’ [Genesis 32:26], and after an earnest struggle, what light has come into my heart! What blessings! I could say as never before, ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth to make intercession for me before the Father.’ I have found a refuge in Christ. He has seemed to be as a wall of fire about me. Sometimes there was a soft, subdued light all about me. I seemed to understand as never before these words of the Psalmist: ‘The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.’ [Psalm 46:7.] ‘For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.’ [Psalm 48:14.] 'My soul, wait thou upon God; for my expectation is from Him.’ 

“‘He only is my Rock and my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory:  the Rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.’ [Psalm 62:5-8.] ‘Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus, shall I bless thee while I live, I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings shall I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee; thy right hand upholdeth me.’ [Psalm 63:3-8.] “— Letters and Manuscripts, Vol.7, Letter 27a. 1892, par.14,15.

As a closing thought, when we understand and believe that God is a seeking Savior and is always there for us and giving us hope, we are filled with joy and will want to share that joy with everyone we meet. I hope you will enjoy the following quote from Mrs. White which once again quotes a number of psalms.

“Let us never again fail to offer thanksgiving and praise to God for His goodness. All through the Psalms are words of praise and adoration; all through are exhortations to be joyful in the Lord. 

“‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; for praise is comely for the upright.’ [Psalm 33:1.] If praise is comely for the upright, why should we not praise the Lord in our assemblies? Would it not be well for the silent ones to break the seal that closes their lips by words of praise? Fashion, custom, say, Keep silent. But by keeping silent we forget God and His mercy toward us. Shall we not return unto our God, with repentance for our backsliding, and learn to praise Him more and more? 

“‘Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto Him a new song: play skilfully with a loud noise. For the word of the Lord is right; and all His works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.’ [Verses 2-6.] 

“Let us catch the spirit of praise and thanksgiving. Forgetting our own difficulties and troubles, let us praise God for freedom from sin and for an opportunity to live for the glory of His name.  

“‘O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. For the Lord most high is terrible.’ Psalm 47:1,2. Notwithstanding the terror with which He can strike the hearts of transgressors, He looks upon them with compassion and longs to see them turn to Him and be saved from their transgressions. ‘He is a great King over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet. He shall choose our inheritance for us. ... Sing praises to God, sing praises with understanding.’ [Verses 2-4, 6, 7.] 

“‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ [Psalm 46:1.] 

"Let us all take hold of these promises, and unite in thanksgiving to God.”  —ibid., Vol. 17, manuscript 116, 1902, par. 51-57

While we do not know what the next day may hold for us, we do know that He does.  As Psalm 62 says, we may “Trust in Him at all times” and know that “God is a refuge for us” always!

May the Lord bless you as we look forward to Him coming to take us home.

~ John Campbell