Sabbath Afternoon - May 14
Memory Text:
“And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age: and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things.” KJV — Genesis 24:1
“God conferred upon his faithful servant special honor and blessings. Through vision, and through the angels that walked and talked with him as friend with friend, he was made acquainted with the purposes as well as with the will of God. When judgments were about to be visited upon Sodom, the fact was not hidden from Abraham. “The Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” And at the request of Abraham, he would have spared that wicked city, had even ten righteous persons been found in it. ST April 22, 1886, par. 11
“The blessings upon the patriarch Abraham are repeated to Isaac in these words: ‘And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.’” ST April 22, 1886, par. 12
Sunday - May 15
Mount Moriah
Genesis 22:1-12; Hebrews 11:17
What was the meaning of this test? What spiritual lessons come from this amazing event?
Shall we now examine to see to what extent Abraham’s was a model home school? – His son, Isaac, you know, was only about seventeen years of age when the word of the Lord came to Abraham that he should sacrifice his only son. The father faithfully obeyed the command, and took Isaac on that trying historical as well as educational journey. Not until the very last minute was he told that he was to be the sacrificial victim. But did he become upset or did he resist when told of it? – No, indeed. On the contrary, he did all that he could to comfort his father, and willingly and cheerfully laid himself upon the altar!
What does all this mean? – It means that Isaac had received a perfect training in his home, and so he respected both the father’s judgment and religion. He was submissive to his God, and full of faith. Knowing that God’s way was for his best interests, he resolved that it would be better to die than to disobey either God or his father.
“Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God.” (James 2:23.) By simply doing the things that God asked of him he obtained this record: “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 26:5, 4.) Having childlike faith in the Word, and doing all God has said, is the only sanctification and righteousness that is Christ’s. Such are the children of Abraham, and to them is the promise. They openly declare that the blood of Christ has the power to save them from the bondage of sin, and from the condemnation of the law. They shall inherit the land for ever and ever. These are the Israel of God. There are no others, and this only is righteousness and sanctification by faith.
Monday - May 16
God Will Provide
Genesis 22:8, 14, 18; John 1:1-3; Romans 5:6-8
How did God fulfill His promise that He would provide? What was provided?
“None among the hearers, and not even the speaker himself, discerned the import of these words, “the Lamb of God.” Upon Mount Moriah, Abraham had heard the question of his son, “My father, ... where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” The father answered, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” Genesis 22:7, 8. And in the ram divinely provided in the place of Isaac, Abraham saw a symbol of Him who was to die for the sins of men. The Holy Spirit through Isaiah, taking up the illustration, prophesied of the Saviour, “He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,” “and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:7, 6); but the people of Israel had not understood the lesson. Many of them regarded the sacrificial offerings much as the heathen looked upon their sacrifices,—as gifts by which they themselves might propitiate the Deity. God desired to teach them that from His own love comes the gift which reconciles them to Himself. DA 112.5
“Abraham's experience answered the question: “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” Micah 6:6, 7. In the words of Abraham, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering,” (Genesis 22:8), and in God's provision of a sacrifice instead of Isaac, it was declared that no man could make expiation for himself. The pagan system of sacrifice was wholly unacceptable to God. No father was to offer up his son or his daughter for a sin offering. The Son of God alone can bear the guilt of the world.” DA 469.2
Tuesday - May 17
The Death of Sarah
Genesis 23
What function does the story of Sarah’s death and burial play in the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham?
“The heritage that God has promised to His people is not in this world. Abraham had no possession in the earth, “no, not so much as to set his foot on.” Acts 7:5. He possessed great substance, and he used it to the glory of God and the good of his fellow men; but he did not look upon this world as his home. The Lord had called him to leave his idolatrous countrymen, with the promise of the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession; yet neither he nor his son nor his son's son received it. When Abraham desired a burial place for his dead, he had to buy it of the Canaanites. His sole possession in the Land of Promise was that rock-hewn tomb in the cave of Machpelah. PP 169.3
“But the word of God had not failed; neither did it meet its final accomplishment in the occupation of Canaan by the Jewish people. “To Abraham and his seed were the promises made.” Galatians 3:16. Abraham himself was to share the inheritance. The fulfillment of God's promise may seem to be long delayed—for “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8); it may appear to tarry; but at the appointed time “it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Habakkuk 2:3. The gift to Abraham and his seed included not merely the land of Canaan, but the whole earth. So says the apostle, “The promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Romans 4:13. And the Bible plainly teaches that the promises made to Abraham are to be fulfilled through Christ. All that are Christ's are “Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise”—heirs to “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away”—the earth freed from the curse of sin. Galatians 3:29; 1 Peter 1:4. For “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;” and “the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Daniel 7:27; Psalm 37:11.” PP 169.4
Wednesday - May 18
A Wife for Isaac
Genesis 24
Why is Abraham so concerned that his son not marry a woman from the Canaanites?
“Abraham had become an old man, and expected soon to die; yet one act remained for him to do in securing the fulfillment of the promise to his posterity. Isaac was the one divinely appointed to succeed him as the keeper of the law of God and the father of the chosen people, but he was yet unmarried. The inhabitants of Canaan were given to idolatry, and God had forbidden intermarriage between His people and them, knowing that such marriages would lead to apostasy. The patriarch feared the effect of the corrupting influences surrounding his son. Abraham's habitual faith in God and submission to His will were reflected in the character of Isaac; but the young man's affections were strong, and he was gentle and yielding in disposition. If united with one who did not fear God, he would be in danger of sacrificing principle for the sake of harmony. In the mind of Abraham the choice of a wife for his son was a matter of grave importance; he was anxious to have him marry one who would not lead him from God. PP 171.1
Thursday - May 19
A Wife for Abraham
Genesis 24:67-25:8
What is the meaning of these final events in the life of Abraham?
“God gave to Abraham a view of this immortal inheritance, and with this hope he was content. “By faith he sojourned in the Land of Promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Hebrews 11:9, 10. PP 170.1
“Of the posterity of Abraham it is written, “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Verse 13. We must dwell as pilgrims and strangers here if we would gain “a better country, that is, an heavenly.” Verse 16. Those who are children of Abraham will be seeking the city which he looked for, ‘whose builder and maker is God.’” PP 170.2
Friday - May 20
Further Study
“Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.” KJV — Isaiah 51:1, 2
Though one be of Gentile blood, if he truly accepts Christ he by his spiritual birth becomes of the seed of Abraham for says Inspiration, “If ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. 3:29. The children of Abraham here addressed, therefore, are not to be sought among the identified unbelieving Jews, but among the Christians. They are admonished to look to Abraham and Sarah, and to consider that when God called Abraham, though he was alone, he nevertheless obeyed and God blessed him; that in spite of all the apparent impossibilities with both him and Sarah, He increased him. What if you personally and alone were called by His word, as was Abraham, to stand alone for Truth and righteousness, would you be a hero for God as was Abraham, or would you do as did backsliding Judas Iscariot?
If we were not privileged to choose as was Abraham, God would not have reminded us of Abraham’s experience. We are plainly told not to lose courage, but to have faith in God, for He intends to bless and increase us, as He blessed and increased our ancestors, Abraham and Sarah. The reason He gives for blessing us as He blessed them, is this:
For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. KJV — Isaiah 51:3