Sabbath Afternoon January 25
Memory Text:
“But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. KJV — Psalm 78:38
“John saw the mercy, the tenderness, and the love of God blending with His holiness, justice, and power. He saw sinners finding a Father in Him of whom their sins had made them afraid. And looking beyond the culmination of the great conflict, he beheld upon Zion “them that had gotten the victory ... stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God,” and singing “the song of Moses” and the Lamb. Revelation 15:2, 3. AA 589.1
“The Saviour is presented before John under the symbols of “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” and of “a Lamb as it had been slain.” Revelation 5:5, 6. These symbols represent the union of omnipotent power and self-sacrificing love. The Lion of Judah, so terrible to the rejectors of His grace, will be the Lamb of God to the obedient and faithful. The pillar of fire that speaks terror and wrath to the transgressor of God's law is a token of light and mercy and deliverance to those who have kept His commandments. The arm strong to smite the rebellious will be strong to deliver the loyal. Everyone who is faithful will be saved. “He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:31.” AA 589.2
Sunday, January 26
Grieved by Evil
Read Psalm 78. What does this passage convey about God’s response to His people’s repeated rebellions?
“From Kadesh the children of Israel had turned back into the wilderness; and the period of their desert sojourn being ended, they came, “even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh.” Numbers 20:1. PP 410.1
“Here Miriam died and was buried. From that scene of rejoicing on the shores of the Red Sea, when Israel went forth with song and dance to celebrate Jehovah's triumph, to the wilderness grave which ended a lifelong wandering—such had been the fate of millions who with high hopes had come forth from Egypt. Sin had dashed from their lips the cup of blessing. Would the next generation learn the lesson? PP 410.2
“‘For all this they sinned still, and believed not for His wondrous works.... When He slew them, then they sought Him: and they returned and inquired early after God. And they remembered that God was their Rock, and the high God their Redeemer.’ Psalm 78:32-35. Yet they did not turn to God with a sincere purpose. Though when afflicted by their enemies they sought help from Him who alone could deliver, yet ‘their heart was not right with Him , neither were they steadfast in His covenant. But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned He His anger away.... For He remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.’ Verses 37-39.” PP 410.3
“Please read the seventy-eighth Psalm carefully. The children of Israel worked constantly against a good God. Through their disobedience, they were brought into the state that was the sure result of their own course of action. They repented under rebuke and chastisement, but fell again under temptation, self-indulgence, and self-gratification. 13LtMs, Ms 38, 1898, par. 22
“The history of the children of Israel, from their entrance into Egypt until their deliverance from Egypt, is an object lesson to the world. The Lord took them out of the house of bondage, and bore them as upon eagle’s wings, and brought them unto Himself, that they should be under His supervision, and dwell under the shadow of the throne of the Most High. But they followed their own way, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. And when Jesus, the great General of the heavenly army, who had led them through the wilderness, came to this earth, perverted piety and legal religion held sway. Without piety or godliness, the people could not discern the Prince of life in His humble, unpretentious appearance. Notwithstanding that He did among them works that no other man had done or could do, they refused Him. They witnessed His miracles; they saw Him going about as a Healer, a Restorer of the moral image of God in man; yet they killed the Prince of life.” 13LtMs, Ms 38, 1898, par. 23
Monday, January 27
God is Slow to Anger
Consider the story of Jonah and reflect on Jonah’s reaction to God’s compassionate forgiveness of the Ninevites, in Jonah 4:1–4. What does this tell us about Jonah, and about God? (See also Matt. 10:8.)
“‘The people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he causeth it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything: let them not feed, nor drink water: but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?’ Verses 5-9. PK 270.3
“As king and nobles, with the common people, the high and the low, “repented at the preaching of Jonas” (Matthew 12:41) and united in crying to the God of heaven, His mercy was granted them. He “saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not.” Jonah 3:10. Their doom was averted, the God of Israel was exalted and honored throughout the heathen world, and His law was revered. Not until many years later was Nineveh to fall a prey to the surrounding nations through forgetfulness of God and through boastful pride. [For an account of the downfall of Assyria, see chapter 30.] PK 270.4
“When Jonah learned of God's purpose to spare the city that, notwithstanding its wickedness, had been led to repent in sackcloth and ashes, he should have been the first to rejoice because of God's amazing grace; but instead he allowed his mind to dwell upon the possibility of his being regarded as a false prophet. Jealous of his reputation, he lost sight of the infinitely greater value of the souls in that wretched city. The compassion shown by God toward the repentant Ninevites “displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.” “Was not this my saying,” he inquired of the Lord, “when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Thee of the evil.” Jonah 4:1, 2.” PK 271.1
Tuesday, January 28
Righteous Indignation
Read Matthew 21:12, 13 and John 2:14, 15. What does Jesus’ reaction to the way the temple was being used tell us about God’s getting angry at evil?
“These were the words he spoke at the first cleansing of the temple; and at the second cleansing of the temple, just prior to his crucifixion, he said unto them, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” That was a very decided statement of condemnation. Why was it that Christ's indignation was stirred as he came into the temple courts? His eye swept over the scene, and he saw in it the dishonor of God and the oppression of the people. He heard the lowing of the oxen, the bleating of the sheep, and the altercation between those who were buying and selling. In the courts of God even the priests and rulers were engaged in traffic. As Christ's eye swept over that scene, his appearance attracted the attention of the multitude, and suddenly every voice was hushed, and every eye was fastened upon Christ. When once their attention was called to him, they could not withdraw their eyes from his face, for there was something in his countenance that awed and terrified them. Who was he? — A humble Galilean, the son of a carpenter who had worked at his trade with his father; but as they gazed upon him, they felt as though they were arraigned before the judgment bar. RH August 27, 1895, par. 2
“What was it that he saw as he looked upon that temple court converted into a place of merchandise? They were selling oxen and sheep and doves to those who would offer a sacrifice to God for their sins. There were many poor among the multitude, and they had been taught that in order to have their sins forgiven, they must have an offering and a sacrifice to present to God. Christ saw the poor and the distressed and the afflicted in trouble and dismay because they had not sufficient to purchase even a dove for an offering. The blind, the lame, the deaf, the afflicted, were in suffering and distress because they longed to present an offering for their sins, but the prices were so exorbitant they could not compass it. It seemed that there was no chance for them to have their sins pardoned. They knew that they were sinners, and needed an offering, but how could they obtain it? Christ's prophetic eye took in the future, took in not only the years, but the ages and the centuries. He saw the downfall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the world. He saw how priests and rulers and men in high position would turn away the needy from their right, and even forbid that the gospel should be preached to the poor. In the temple courts were the priests clad in their temple garments for display, and to mark out their position as priests of God. The garments of Christ were travel-stained. He had the appearance of a youthful Galilean, and yet as he took up the scourge of small cords, and stood on the steps of the temple, none could resist the authority with which he spoke, as he said, “Take these things hence,” and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and drove out the sheep and the oxen. The people looked upon him as though spellbound; for divinity flashed through humanity. Such dignity, such authority, shone forth in the countenance of Christ, that they were convicted that he was clothed with the power of heaven. They had been taught to have great respect for the prophets, and the power displayed by Christ convinced many who had not closed their hearts against conviction, that he was one sent of God. Some said, “He is the Messiah,” and those to whom he revealed himself were indeed convicted that he was the teacher sent of God; but those who stifled the voice of conscience, who desired riches, and were determined to have them, no matter in what way they were to be obtained, closed the door of the heart against him. The money-changers who were there for the purpose of changing the Roman money for the money that was to be used in the temple, were displeased at his action. Their merchandise was robbery of the people, and they had made the house of God a den of thieves. These men beheld in Christ a messenger of vengeance, and fled from the temple as though a band of armed soldiers were on their track. The priests and the rulers also fled in dismay, and the traffickers in merchandise. As they fled, they met others on their way to the temple, but they told them to go back. They said that a man having authority had driven out the oxen and the sheep, and had expelled them from the temple. RH August 27, 1895, par. 3
“When Christ had expelled those who had sold doves, he had said, “Take these things hence.” He had not driven the doves out as he had the oxen and the sheep, and why?—Because they were the only offering of the poor. He knew their necessities, and as the sellers were driven from the temple, the suffering and the afflicted were left in the courts. Their only hope had been to come to the temple where they might present their offering with a petition to God that they might be blessed in their fields, in their crops, in their children, and in their homes. The priests and the rulers had fled terrified and awed from the midst of the people; but after they had recovered from their fright, they said, “Why did we go from the presence of that one man?” They did not know who he was. They did not know that he was a representative of the Father. They did not know that he had clothed his divinity with humanity; and yet they had a consciousness of his divine power. Christ had looked after the fleeing multitude with a heart of the tenderest pity. His heart was filled with grief that the temple service had been polluted, and had misrepresented his character and mission. In his pitying love he longed to save them from their errors. He longed to save the priests and the rulers, who, while claiming to be guardians of the people, had oppressed them, and turned aside the needy from their right. But the priests and the rulers, recovering from their dismay, said, ‘We will return, and challenge him, and ask him by what authority he has presumed to expel us from the temple.’” RH August 27, 1895, par. 4
Wednesday, January 29
God does not Afflict Willingly
Read Ezra 5:12 and compare it with Jeremiah 51:24, 25, 44. What does this explain about the judgment that came upon Jerusalem via the Babylonians? (See also 2 Chron. 36:16.)
“The sorrow of the prophet over the utter perversity of those who would have been the spiritual light of the world, his sorrow over the fate of Zion and of the people carried captive to Babylon, is revealed in the lamentations he has left on record as a memorial of the folly of turning from the counsels of Jehovah to human wisdom. Amid the ruin wrought, Jeremiah could still declare, “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed;” and his constant prayer was, “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.” Lamentations 3:22, 40. While Judah was still a kingdom among the nations, he had inquired of his God, “Hast Thou utterly rejected Judah? hath Thy soul loathed Zion?” and he had made bold to plead, “Do not abhor us, for Thy name's sake.” Jeremiah 14:19, 21. The prophet's absolute faith in God's eternal purpose to bring order out of confusion, and to demonstrate to the nations of earth and to the entire universe His attributes of justice and love, now led him to plead confidently in behalf of those who might turn from evil to righteousness. PK 461.1
“But now Zion was utterly destroyed; the people of God were in their captivity. Overwhelmed with grief, the prophet exclaimed: “How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.” PK 461.2
“Clearly had the Hebrew prophets spoken concerning the manner in which Babylon should fall. As in vision God had revealed to them the events of the future, they had exclaimed: “How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!” “How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!” “At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.” PK 531.4
“‘Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed.’ ‘The spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the Lord God of recompenses shall surely requite. And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.’” PK 532.1
“Thus “the broad walls of Babylon” became “utterly broken, and her high gates ... burned with fire.” Thus did Jehovah of hosts “cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease,” and lay low “the haughtiness of the terrible.” Thus did “Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency,” become as Sodom and Gomorrah—a place forever accursed. “It shall never be inhabited,” Inspiration has declared, “neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces.” “I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.” Jeremiah 51:58; Isaiah 13:11, 19-22; 14:23.” PK 532.4
Thursday, January 30
Show Compassion
Some worry that divine anger might unintentionally be taken as giving license to human vengeance. Read Deuteronomy 32:35, Proverbs 20:22, Proverbs 24:29, Romans 12:17–21, and Hebrews 10:30. How do these texts guard against human vengeance?
“Occasions of irritation to the Jews were constantly arising from their contact with the Roman soldiery. Detachments of troops were stationed at different points throughout Judea and Galilee, and their presence reminded the people of their own degradation as a nation. With bitterness of soul they heard the loud blast of the trumpet and saw the troops forming around the standard of Rome and bowing in homage to this symbol of her power. Collisions between the people and the soldiers were frequent, and these inflamed the popular hatred. Often as some Roman official with his guard of soldiers hastened from point to point, he would seize upon the Jewish peasants who were laboring in the field and compel them to carry burdens up the mountainside or render any other service that might be needed. This was in accordance with the Roman law and custom, and resistance to such demands only called forth taunts and cruelty. Every day deepened in the hearts of the people the longing to cast off the Roman yoke. Especially among the bold, rough-handed Galileans the spirit of insurrection was rife. Capernaum, being a border town, was the seat of a Roman garrison, and even while Jesus was teaching, the sight of a company of soldiers recalled to His hearers the bitter thought of Israel's humiliation. The people looked eagerly to Christ, hoping that He was the One who was to humble the pride of Rome. MB 69.2
“With sadness Jesus looks into the upturned faces before Him. He notes the spirit of revenge that has stamped its evil imprint upon them, and knows how bitterly the people long for power to crush their oppressors. Mournfully He bids them, “Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” MB 70.1
“These words were but a reiteration of the teaching of the Old Testament. It is true that the rule, “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Leviticus 24:20), was a provision in the laws given through Moses; but it was a civil statute. None were justified in avenging themselves, for they had the words of the Lord: “Say not thou, I will recompense evil.” “Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me.” “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth.” “If he that hateth thee be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink.” Proverbs 20:22; 24:29, 17; Proverbs 25:21, 22 , R.V., margin. MB 70.2
“The whole earthly life of Jesus was a manifestation of this principle. It was to bring the bread of life to His enemies that our Saviour left His home in heaven. Though calumny and persecution were heaped upon Him from the cradle to the grave, they called forth from Him only the expression of forgiving love. Through the prophet Isaiah He says, “I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting.” “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.” Isaiah 50:6; 53:7. And from the cross of Calvary there come down through the ages His prayer for His murderers and the message of hope to the dying thief.” MB 71.1
Friday, January 31
Further Thought
“‘If any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat [tunic], let him have thy cloak [mantle] also. And whosoever shall impress thee to go one mile, go with him twain.’ R.V., margin. MB 71.3
“Jesus bade His disciples, instead of resisting the demands of those in authority, to do even more than was required of them. And, so far as possible, they should discharge every obligation, even if it were beyond what the law of the land required. The law, as given through Moses, enjoined a very tender regard for the poor. When a poor man gave his garment as a pledge, or as security for a debt, the creditor was not permitted to enter the dwelling to obtain it; he must wait in the street for the pledge to be brought to him. And whatever the circumstances the pledge must be returned to its owner at nightfall. Deuteronomy 24:10-13. In the days of Christ these merciful provisions were little regarded; but Jesus taught His disciples to submit to the decision of the court, even though this should demand more than the law of Moses authorized. Though it should demand a part of their raiment, they were to yield. More than this, they were to give to the creditor his due, if necessary surrendering even more than the court gave him authority to seize. “If any man would go to law with thee,” He said, “and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.” R.V. And if the couriers require you to go a mile with them, go two miles. MB 72.1
“Jesus added, “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” The same lesson had been taught through Moses: “Thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.” Deuteronomy 15:7, 8. This scripture makes plain the meaning of the Saviour's words. Christ does not teach us to give indiscriminately to all who ask for charity; but He says, “Thou shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need;” and this is to be a gift, rather than a loan; for we are to ‘lend, hoping for nothing again.’” MB 72.2