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Wally

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SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« on: October 30, 2015, 02:07:39 PM »
 Lesson 6 October 31-November 6




Symbolic Acts



Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week's Study: Gen. 4:3-7, Num. 21:1-9, Isa. 29:16, Rom. 9:18-21, Jeremiah 19:1-15, Heb. 5:14, Jer. 13:1-11.

Memory Text: "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" (Romans 9:21).

Every student of the Bible knows that it is filled with symbols, things that represent concepts and ideas other than themselves. The entire earthly sanctuary service, for example, was a symbolic prophecy of the plan of salvation. "The significance of the Jewish economy is not yet fully comprehended. Truths vast and profound are shadowed forth in its rites and symbols. The gospel is the key that unlocks its mysteries. Through a knowledge of the plan of redemption, its truths are opened to the understanding."-Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 133. Through the symbolism of the earthly sanctuary, or the symbols of prophetic books (such as Daniel 2, 7, 8, and Revelation), and in many other ways, the Lord has used symbols to convey truth. Meanwhile, Jesus Himself, with His parables and object lessons, used symbols to explain deep truths.

The book of Jeremiah itself is rich with symbolism and imagery. This week we're going to take a look at a few of these symbols, what they were, what they meant, and what lessons we should take away from them for ourselves.

Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 7.

Sunday November 1

Truth in Symbols

Scripture is exceedingly rich in symbols. All kinds abound, and in most cases, they represent truths greater than themselves.

Read Genesis 4:3-7. What do their two different sacrifices symbolize?

Very early in the Bible we can see the difference between the attempt to work one's way to heaven (in the offering of Cain) and the realization that salvation is by grace alone, made available to us only through the merits of a crucified Savior (the offering of Abel).

Read Numbers 21:4-9. What was the symbolism of the bronze serpent uplifted on the pole? (See also John 12:32.)

"The Israelites saved their lives by looking upon the uplifted serpent. That look implied faith. They lived because they believed God's word, and trusted in the means provided for their recovery."-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 431.

All through the Old Testament, the earthly sanctuary service served as the most detailed symbolic representation of the plan of salvation. How much the Israelites understood about the meaning of all the rituals has been an open question for millennia though no doubt many did grasp the most important of all truths taught there: substitutionary atonement, the idea that in order for their sins to be forgiven a substitute had to die in their stead (see 1 Cor. 5:7).

In fact, through the sanctuary service, we have been given symbols not only of the death of Jesus but also of His high priestly ministry in heaven, the pre-Advent judgment, and the final disposition of sin at the end of the age.

What other biblical symbols of the plan of salvation can you think of? Which ones especially speak to you about God's saving grace and the hope we can derive from it?

Monday November 2

The Potter's Clay

What crucial truths are taught from these verses and the symbolism found there? (See Gen. 2:7.)

Jer. 18:1-10

Isa. 29:16

Isa. 45:9

Isa. 64:8

Rom. 9:18-21

Because of the constant rejection and persecution that he faced, no doubt Jeremiah wanted to give up. Was it worth struggling and fighting for that nation? At times he certainly felt that the answer was "No!"

No question, though, as he watched the potter's hand, he was given an image, a symbol, of how the Lord worked with human clay. Whatever other truths are found in the image of the potter and the clay, it does teach the ultimate sovereignty of God. That is, however hopeless the situation might have seemed from Jeremiah's perspective, the symbolism of the potter and the clay showed him that ultimately, despite the wrong or even willfully wrong decisions that people make, the Lord is in control of the world. He is the absolute source of power and authority, and in the end He will triumph, regardless of appearances now.

Centuries after Jeremiah, Paul picks up on this Old Testament image in Romans 9 and continues with it, basically using it to teach the same lesson that it was to teach Jeremiah. In fact, Paul may even be directly referring to Jeremiah 18:6 in Romans 9:21. We can rest assured that, despite the reality of human free will and free choices, and the often calamitous results of abusing that free will, in the end, we can hope in the absolute sovereignty of our loving and self-sacrificing God, whose love is revealed on the cross. Evil won't triumph; God and His love will. What a hope we have!

How can you learn to trust in the lesson of the potter and the clay, regardless of present circumstances? What other Bible texts show us the reality of God's sovereignty?
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

Wally

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
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Tuesday November 3

The Degeneration of a Nation

"Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents" (Jer. 19:4).

In this text we are given a few examples of the evils that had overtaken Judah. Besides forsaking the Lord, offering incense to "other gods," and shedding innocent blood, they also "estranged this place." The Hebrew verb there means "to make foreign," "to make strange" or to "profane." Whether "this place" was the temple itself or Jerusalem, the text doesn't say. The crucial point, though, is that the nation was to be holy, special to the Lord (see Exod. 19:5-6), something different and distinct from the nations around them. But that's not what happened. They lost their unique character, the distinctiveness that would have made them a witness to the world. They became just like everyone else.

What lessons are here for us?

"They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind" (Jer. 19:5).

Though the concept of human sacrifice was known in the ancient world, it was anathema to the Lord, who forbade the practice to the Israelites (Deut. 18:10). The phrase, translated above as "neither came it into my mind," in the Hebrew reads, "it did not rise up on my heart." This was an idiomatic expression showing just how alien and far from God's will such a practice was. If we, sin-hardened, fallen beings find it abhorrent, imagine what it must have been like to our Holy God!

Nevertheless, over time, the power of corruption and culture so overwhelmed His people that they had degenerated into this horrific ritual. What a lesson it should be to us all about how easily we can become so blinded by the prevailing culture that we accept, or even take part in, practices that-were we connected to the Lord and in tune with His Word as we should be-we would never countenance, but would, instead, be horrified by (see Heb. 5:14).

Wednesday November 4

Smashing the Jar

As we saw yesterday, the nation had fallen into deep apostasy. They weren't getting the message. God then used Jeremiah to do a powerful symbolic act that, ideally, would help wake them up to the danger they were facing.

Read Jeremiah 19:1-15. What was Jeremiah to do and what was the meaning of this act?

Jeremiah had to go to the potter's house again. This time, though, the Lord wanted to make sure that he brought witnesses with him to see exactly what he was going to do. The witnesses were the elders and priests from Judah (Jer. 19:1). As leaders, they were responsible for what happened in the nation, and so they needed to get the message that Jeremiah was to give to them through the power of his symbolic act. The Potsherd Gate (Jer. 19:2, NKJV), where he was to smash the jar, might have been near where the potters worked, and just outside the gate might have been where they would dump their shards of ruined pots. Thus, the symbolism became even more powerful.

What good is a smashed clay jar? If the jar were cracked, some use might be found for it, even if not for the original intent of the jar. But Jeremiah wasn't merely to crack it. Instead he was to break it, essentially rendering it useless. Between the act itself and the words that followed, it's hard to imagine how the people could not have understood the warning. Of course, understanding the warning and acting on it are two different things entirely.

What's even more frightening is the apparent finality of the act. Who can repair a smashed jar? Though the Lord gave the nation a hope for the future, yet for the moment unless they were to turn around, the Judeans were doomed, they and their children. All the places that they had defiled with their abominations and sinful acts would soon be defiled with their corpses. Perhaps, the depths of their depravity can be best understood by the depths of the punishment that their depravity brought upon their heads.

Think of something ruined-ruined beyond repair. What was it originally made for, and what happened to it that now rendered it useless? How careful we need to be that this doesn't happen to us!
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

Wally

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
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Thursday November 5

The Linen Belt

Read Jeremiah 13:1-11. What was the symbolic act Jeremiah was ordered to do, and what important lesson was it to teach?

This symbolic act has caused some difficulties for interpreters because the river Euphrates (a common interpretation of the Hebrew but not necessarily the only one) was hundreds of kilometers from Jerusalem. Ezra needed four months to travel there in one direction only (Ezra 7:9). In order to understand the message better, God made Jeremiah go back and forth twice. Thus, some scholars have argued that some other geographical location was meant. On the other hand, some argue that the long distances he had to travel helped show him just how far away the children of Israel would be taken. What's more, after returning from such a long trip, Jeremiah could understand the joy of returning after 70 years of captivity.

Whatever the case, the belt symbolizes both the house of Israel and the house of Judah, pure and unstained at the time of the call. The man wearing the belt is God Himself. This shows, among other things, just how closely tied God Himself was to His people. Some commentators have seen significance in the fact that the belt was made of linen, the same material as the priestly garments (Lev. 16:4); after all, Judah was to be a priestly nation (Exod. 19:6).

Just as the belt had been ruined, the pride of the nation would be, too. As a belt clings to a man's waist, these people had once clung to the Lord, and were His source of praise and glory. But they had become tarnished and spoiled by contact with the surrounding cultures.

Read Jeremiah 13:11 and contrast it with Deuteronomy 4:5-8. How do these verses together show what happened to the nation? What should these texts say to us as well?

Friday November 6

Further Thought: The image of the potter and the clay, especially as seen in Romans 9:1-33, brings up the important question of how we seek to understand God's actions. The fact is, of course, we often don't. That shouldn't be surprising, should it? Read Isaiah 55:8. As human beings, we simply are very limited in what we can know about anything, much less about all the ways of God.

This point, the limitation of human knowledge, is revealed by what has been called the "self-referential problem." Look at this sentence: "The barber of Seville shaves everyone who doesn't shave himself." Does the barber of Seville shave himself? If he shaves himself, he can't shave himself because he shaves everyone who doesn't shave himself. But if he doesn't shave himself, then he has to shave himself, for the same reason-because he shaves everyone who doesn't shave himself. The answer forms an insolvable paradox that reveals the limits of reason. Thus, if reason gets tangled in itself on something as mundane as whom the barber of Seville shaves, how much more so on something as profound as the nature and extent of God's dealings in the world? What we do have is the Cross, which gives us abundant reason to trust in Him and His love even when what happens in His world makes no sense to us at all.

"To many minds the origin of sin and the reason for its existence are a source of great perplexity. They see the work of evil, with its terrible results of woe and desolation, and they question how all this can exist under the sovereignty of One who is infinite in wisdom, in power, and in love. Here is a mystery of which they find no explanation. And in their uncertainty and doubt they are blinded to truths plainly revealed in God's word and essential to salvation."-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 492.
Discussion Questions:

    What challenges does the idea of God's absolute sovereignty present to us in regard to the question of evil? How does the great controversy scenario help us work through the tough questions, at least partially for now?

    What other symbols can you find in the Bible? Why would God use symbols anyway? What are the advantages of symbols?

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants:  we have done that which was our duty to do.  Luke 17:10

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2015, 03:21:55 PM »

Sabbath Afternoon


Read for This Week's Study: Gen. 4:3-7, Num. 21:1-9, Isa. 29:16, Rom. 9:18-21, Jeremiah 19:1-15, Heb. 5:14, Jer. 13:1-11.

Memory Text: "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" (Romans 9:21).

Every student of the Bible knows that it is filled with symbols, things that represent concepts and ideas other than themselves. The entire earthly sanctuary service, for example, was a symbolic prophecy of the plan of salvation.

Amen!!  It is a simple and wonderful confirmation of the gospel message as seen in the New  Testament. It is very helpful for those who have been steeped in false doctrine. Grace is  seen to be more than a word when we can visualize the  warm blood running through the fingers of the sinner who has just slaughtered an innocent lamb.


"The significance of the Jewish economy is not yet fully comprehended. Truths vast and profound are shadowed forth in its rites and symbols. The gospel is the key that unlocks its mysteries. Through a knowledge of the plan of redemption, its truths are opened to the understanding."-Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 133. Through the symbolism of the earthly sanctuary, or the symbols of prophetic books (such as Daniel 2, 7, 8, and Revelation), and in many other ways, the Lord has used symbols to convey truth. Meanwhile, Jesus Himself, with His parables and object lessons, used symbols to explain deep truths.

The book of Jeremiah itself is rich with symbolism and imagery. This week we're going to take a look at a few of these symbols, what they were, what they meant, and what lessons we should take away from them for ourselves.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2015, 10:14:44 AM »
Sunday November 1

Truth in Symbols


Scripture is exceedingly rich in symbols. All kinds abound, and in most cases, they represent truths greater than themselves.

Read Genesis 4:3-7.

 4:3   And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 
 4:4   And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 
 4:5   But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 
 4:6   And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 
 4:7   If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee [shall be] his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 


What do their two different sacrifices symbolize?

Very early in the Bible we can see the difference between the attempt to work one's way to heaven (in the offering of Cain) and the realization that salvation is by grace alone, made available to us only through the merits of a crucified Savior (the offering of Abel).

Amen, salvation is made available to us only through the merits of a crucified Savior. But, unless we do something, we shall not be saved. I understand that we are saved by grace, but to say it is by grace alone encourages too many to believe they can be saved without doing anything, and that is a great lie that has been widely taught throughout Christendom and  in our church. Our good works will not save us, but there is something we must do in order that we be converted and after conversion by doing good works our characters are strengthened to more perfectly reflect our Savior. I think James explains this rather well. 


 2:20   But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 
 2:21   Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 
 2:22   Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 
 2:23   And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 
 2:24   Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 
 2:25   Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent [them] out another way? 
 2:26   For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. 


Read Numbers 21:4-9.

 21:4   And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 
 21:5   And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for [there is] no bread, neither [is there any] water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. 
 21:6   And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. 
 21:7   Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 
 21:8   And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 
 21:9   And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.


What was the symbolism of the bronze serpent uplifted on the pole? (See also John 12:32.)

12:32   And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] unto me. 


"The Israelites saved their lives by looking upon the uplifted serpent. That look implied faith. They lived because they believed God's word, and trusted in the means provided for their recovery."-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 431.

Amen!! After 30 years of Sabbath School lessons we finally see this lesson taught. Praise God!!! But, there is more to this lesson than "implied faith".

How does Jesus draw us to Him? There are many ways, but what is being taught in the words spoken to Nicodemus? Remember the question I asked about how it is that we are saved? What did Jesus tell Nicodemus he must do in order to be born again? Let's look at what Jesus said to Nicodemus after he was reproved and told he was not converted and needed to born of the Spirit. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:14,15.

What must Nicodemus do in order to live? Jesus is drawing, but we must respond to that drawing. He gets our attention and tells us to come to Him. What does it mean to come  to Him? It means that we find out who He is. It means that we learn of Him. Jesus tells us to "eat His flesh  and to "drink His blood". As we feed upon Jesus, by beholding Him we become changed in character (converted). We must behold His grace in order to receive it. And, once we are converted, if we wish to stay converted, this must be a daily work of beholding Jesus. For  it is by looking we are saved. That  is the work we must do in order to be saved by grace. God's part is immeasurably large, our part is immeasurably small. But, without our part of beholding, we shall be forever lost. It would be well to spend a thoughtful hour a day feeding upon Jesus.


All through the Old Testament, the earthly sanctuary service served as the most detailed symbolic representation of the plan of salvation. How much the Israelites understood about the meaning of all the rituals has been an open question for millennia though no doubt many did grasp the most important of all truths taught there: substitutionary atonement, the idea that in order for their sins to be forgiven a substitute had to die in their stead (see 1 Cor. 5:7).

Let's consider what we know for sure about how much they understood or did not, especially about the need of Christ's righteousness in order to have eternal life.

We start with the first instance we know of as the nation Israel was about to leave their Egyptian captivity. How much did they know about the Savior and His future death for their sins? They were slaves, little better than  brute beasts for the most part. They had lost a knowledge of the sacrificial offerings. It was so they could make offerings that God had told the Pharaoh to let His people go. And, when Moses received the law, he also received the plans for the sanctuary and its services. It was then at Sinai that God made what Paul called the "old covenant" with Israel. This covenant was not the "everlasting covenant" where God promised upon conditions that He would write His law in their hearts. No, it was just "obey and live". The better covenant, the "new covenant" was based on the better promise of a new heart. But, the people were not ready for it, for they trusted in themselves and did not know the plan of salvation or God. The sanctuary and its services were to instruct them in regards to both.

Here is how much they knew about the symbol of the Lamb whom their father Abraham had offered. From Exodus:
 19:4   Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and [how] I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. 
 19:5   Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine: 
 19:6   And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 
 19:7   And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him. 
 19:8   And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD. 


From their response we see that they did not know of Christ and their need of Him. They did not understand the symbol of the Lamb. Thus, when Moses was on the mount they were sinning.

Let's move further along in the history of Israel. Israel wanted a king, so God allowed them to have kings. How much did they understand the symbols of the Lamb and the sanctuary services? If they made idols to worship, would that reveal ignorance about the sanctuary and its symbols? Yes, it would.  From 2 Chronicles:

33:1   Manasseh [was] twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem: 
 33:2   But did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 
 33:3   For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them. 
 33:4   Also he built altars in the house of the LORD, whereof the LORD had said, In Jerusalem shall my name be for ever. 
 33:5   And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 
 33:6   And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft, and dealt with a familiar spirit, and with wizards: he wrought much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 
 33:7   And he set a carved image, the idol which he had made, in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen before all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: 


We remember that Solomon also brought idol worship  into the nation.

Lastly, let's go to the time when the fulfillment of the ceremonies took place, when types and shadows met the reality. The most glaring revelation of ignorance comes just before the Lamb is to be sacrificed. When all, especially those who had spent 3 1/2 years bring taught by God Himself, ought to know about that which all of the symbols pointed to was about to take place. Jesus was with His  disciples on their last trip to Jerusalem where He would be crucified for the sins of the world. Did the disciples know the Lamb had to die? "Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Matthew 16:20-23.

Imagine after being with Jesus for 3 1/2 years, and even Jesus telling them He was going to Jerusalem to die, the disciples did not know Jesus was the Lamb that was to be sacrificed for their sins!


In fact, through the sanctuary service, we have been given symbols not only of the death of Jesus but also of His high priestly ministry in heaven, the pre-Advent judgment, and the final disposition of sin at the end of the age

Yes, WE have been given these symbols with instruction on what much of them mean. Yet, how many steadfastly refuse to believe what they mean? Take the pre-Advent judgment, how many really believe we are going to be judged when the books of heaven are opened? Very few indeed. How was Israel so ignorant of the truth? Their leaders led them astray. So it is today. The seminary is now teaching we are to bring homosexuals into church membership. As with Israel, those entrusted with the education of the ministry and the people have perverted the teachings of the sanctuary and its services, the very foundation of of our faith.


What other biblical symbols of the plan of salvation can you think of? Which ones especially speak to you about God's saving grace and the hope we can derive from it?

Amen, Share with us and your Sabbath School class one of the symbols that means a lot to you. Here is the one that has blessed me greatly. It was at first a mystery that now is the most beautiful symbol I know of. It is Abraham. Yes, Abraham was used of God as a symbol of grace, of His most precious love. Remember the story of Abraham being asked to take his son, his son of promise, and sacrifice him? Let's look at it for a moment. I pray you will blessed as I have been when the mystery of why God would ask a father to kill his son was revealed.

22:2   And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 
 22:3   And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. 
 22:4   Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. 
 22:5   And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 
 22:6   And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid [it] upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. 
 22:7   And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where [is] the lamb for a burnt offering? 
 22:8   And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. 
 22:9   And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. 
 22:10   And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 
 22:11   And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here [am] I. 
 22:12   And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me. 
 22:13   And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind [him] a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. 


What is the great lesson in asking a father to slay his son? Yes, it is a type of the death of Jesus for our sins. But, this symbol that is at the heart of this lesson is not the Lamb, but Abraham. What does Abraham represent? 

Stay with me. If you were in Abraham's position, how would you feel about taking the life of your son or daughter? Imagine the feeling, yes the feeling that Abraham felt as he journeyed to the mount. Imagine how he felt when Isaac asked him were was the sacrifice. Imagine how he felt when he took Isaac from his mother knowing he was going to kill him. Now, as Abraham lifts the knife, how would you feel at that moment? Think about it. As the heart of Abraham is breaking, God stops him. At the very same moment, Abraham sees the ram caught in the thicket. Unlike Peter who was trying to stop Jesus from going to His death, Abraham understood the meaning of the sacrifice. He knew the ram was to die that it might reveal the love that God has for the sinner, that the ram represented the Son of God who was to die because of Abraham's sins.

The Holy Spirit at that moment revealed to Abraham something he had never felt before,  the pain that he had experienced was a very faint shadow of the pain that God would feel when the knife would not be held back from slaying His only begotten Son. Abraham's pain gave him an insight into what the sacrifice of Christ was all about. It is called grace, the unmerited love that our heavenly Father has for us. That He would send His Son to this  dark spot in the universe, a helpless babe subject the weaknesses of humanity, to suffer and die for us while we were yet sinners, what a God! Wonder O heavens and be astonished O earth. Herein is love!
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Chamu

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2015, 11:38:03 PM »

Amen!!  It is a simple and wonderful confirmation of the gospel message as seen in the New  Testament.


The same gospel which was preached in Old Testament is the same gospel which was preached in New Testament, and still is the same gospel we have today. The only different is that, to them (Old Testament people) they were looking forward to a coming Saviour which was preached to them through a very powerful practical and tool (The sanctuary) while to us we look back by faith to the crucified Savior.

Hebrew 4 vs 1-2
1.Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2.For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.


So the gospel was preach "as well as unto them". But what is the Gospel? We can never understand or appreciate the symbolism taught by the sanctuary unless we know what the gospel is.

1 Corinthians 15 1-3
1.Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2.By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3.For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4.And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:


The good news about Christ dying for our sins, and giving us the power to overcome its power is the gospel. Christ dying on the cross for our sins COMBINED with Him resurrecting from death constitute the gospel. That same power which resurrect Christ can empower us to live a victorious life.

Romans 8 v 11
11.But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.


All this truth was taught in symbolism of the sanctuary, the gospel in the old testament.
As the mother watches for the smile of recognition from her little child, which tells of the dawning intelligence, so does Christ watch for the expression of grateful love, which shows that spiritual life is begun in the soul. DA 191.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #6 on: November 02, 2015, 10:01:55 AM »
Amen, Chamu!  All  of this is taken for granted by many in the church, but so many do not see the gospel in the Old Testament. They do not understand the Hebrew Sanctuary  and its services. Therefore they do not understand we live in the anti-typical Day of Atonement. Thus, many do not know there is a judgment when the  books of heaven are opened and each who have professed to love God will be seen to have been faithful or unfaithful, to believe with all the heart or only professors of faith.

Thank  you dear brother for sharing. There are many around the world who are of the same  belief and who  love God and  keep His commandments. Let us press together as we near the end.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #7 on: November 06, 2015, 06:57:51 AM »

Monday November 2

The Potter's Clay


What crucial truths are taught from these verses and the symbolism found there? "And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."  Gen. 2:7.

Jer. 18:1-10
 18:1   The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 
 18:2   Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 
 18:3   Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 
 18:4   And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make [it]. 
 18:5   Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 
 18:6   O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, so [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 
 18:7   [At what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy [it]; 
 18:8   If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 
 18:9   And [at what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant [it]; 

Isa. 29:16
                Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

Isa. 45:9
           Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! [Let] the potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? 

Isa. 64:8
                But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand. 

Rom. 9:18-21
 9:18   Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth. 
 9:19   Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 
 9:20   Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? 
 9:21   Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 


Because of the constant rejection and persecution that he faced, no doubt Jeremiah wanted to give up. Was it worth struggling and fighting for that nation? At times he certainly felt that the answer was "No!"

Who  is Jeremiah to answer the question? If God was attempting to save Judah then how could Jeremiah think it was not worth the struggle? To think otherwise would reveal "unbelief", and there is no greater sin than unbelief. No matter how difficult our trial, do we understand God is on our side as we abide in Him? Where is the battle for us? Is it in the nation or facing our enemy, or is the great battle within? How often can we take our eyes off of Christ and come  away victor?


No question, though, as he watched the potter's hand, he was given an image, a symbol, of how the Lord worked with human clay. Whatever other truths are found in the image of the potter and the clay, it does teach the ultimate sovereignty of God. That is, however hopeless the situation might have seemed from Jeremiah's perspective, the symbolism of the potter and the clay showed him that ultimately, despite the wrong or even willfully wrong decisions that people make, the Lord is in control of the world. He is the absolute source of power and authority, and in the end He will triumph, regardless of appearances now.

Amen!!  And, as Seventh-day Adventists we understand, or ought to understand, why it is that God allows "good" people to suffer at the hands of the wicked. When we understand this, life becomes much easier.....as we abide in Christ clinging to Him as our only hope.


Centuries after Jeremiah, Paul picks up on this Old Testament image in Romans 9 and continues with it, basically using it to teach the same lesson that it was to teach Jeremiah. In fact, Paul may even be directly referring to Jeremiah 18:6 in Romans 9:21. We can rest assured that, despite the reality of human free will and free choices, and the often calamitous results of abusing that free will, in the end, we can hope in the absolute sovereignty of our loving and self-sacrificing God, whose love is revealed on the cross. Evil won't triumph; God and His love will. What a hope we have!

Amen!!


How can you learn to trust in the lesson of the potter and the clay, regardless of present circumstances?

How can we trust in someone we do not know? We can't. Our work is to learn of God, to understand His character. To pray in Christ's name means much. It means that we are to accept His character, manifest His spirit, and work His works. The Saviour's promise is given on condition. "If ye love Me," He says, "keep My commandments." He saves men, not in sin, but from sin; and those who love Him will show their love by obedience.   
     All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.  As Christ lived the law in humanity, so we may do if we will take hold of the Strong for strength. Desire of Ages pg 668.     


What other Bible texts show us the reality of God's sovereignty?

Here is a powerful one from Paul in Colossians. What others give you confidence that God is all knowing and all powerful?


 1:16   For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 
 1:17   And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2015, 07:26:56 AM »

Monday November 2

The Potter's Clay


What crucial truths are taught from these verses and the symbolism found there? "And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."  Gen. 2:7.

Jer. 18:1-10
 18:1   The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 
 18:2   Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 
 18:3   Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 
 18:4   And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make [it]. 
 18:5   Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 
 18:6   O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay [is] in the potter's hand, so [are] ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 
 18:7   [At what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy [it]; 
 18:8   If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 
 18:9   And [at what] instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant [it]; 

Isa. 29:16
                Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?

Isa. 45:9
           Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! [Let] the potsherd [strive] with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? 

Isa. 64:8
                But now, O LORD, thou [art] our father; we [are] the clay, and thou our potter; and we all [are] the work of thy hand. 

Rom. 9:18-21
 9:18   Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardeneth. 
 9:19   Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 
 9:20   Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? 
 9:21   Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 


Because of the constant rejection and persecution that he faced, no doubt Jeremiah wanted to give up. Was it worth struggling and fighting for that nation? At times he certainly felt that the answer was "No!"

Who  is Jeremiah to answer the question? If God was attempting to save Judah then how could Jeremiah think it was not worth the struggle? To think otherwise would reveal "unbelief", and there is no greater sin than unbelief. No matter how difficult our trial, do we understand God is on our side as we abide in Him? Where is the battle for us? Is it in the nation or facing our enemy, or is the great battle within? How often can we take our eyes off of Christ and come  away victor?


No question, though, as he watched the potter's hand, he was given an image, a symbol, of how the Lord worked with human clay. Whatever other truths are found in the image of the potter and the clay, it does teach the ultimate sovereignty of God. That is, however hopeless the situation might have seemed from Jeremiah's perspective, the symbolism of the potter and the clay showed him that ultimately, despite the wrong or even willfully wrong decisions that people make, the Lord is in control of the world. He is the absolute source of power and authority, and in the end He will triumph, regardless of appearances now.

Amen!!  And, as Seventh-day Adventists we understand, or ought to understand, why it is that God allows "good" people to suffer at the hands of the wicked. When we understand this, life becomes much easier.....as we abide in Christ clinging to Him as our only hope.


Centuries after Jeremiah, Paul picks up on this Old Testament image in Romans 9 and continues with it, basically using it to teach the same lesson that it was to teach Jeremiah. In fact, Paul may even be directly referring to Jeremiah 18:6 in Romans 9:21. We can rest assured that, despite the reality of human free will and free choices, and the often calamitous results of abusing that free will, in the end, we can hope in the absolute sovereignty of our loving and self-sacrificing God, whose love is revealed on the cross. Evil won't triumph; God and His love will. What a hope we have!

Amen!!


How can you learn to trust in the lesson of the potter and the clay, regardless of present circumstances?

How can we trust in someone we do not know? We can't. Our work is to learn of God, to understand His character. To pray in Christ's name means much. It means that we are to accept His character, manifest His spirit, and work His works. The Saviour's promise is given on condition. "If ye love Me," He says, "keep My commandments." He saves men, not in sin, but from sin; and those who love Him will show their love by obedience.   
     All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.  As Christ lived the law in humanity, so we may do if we will take hold of the Strong for strength. Desire of Ages pg 668.     


What other Bible texts show us the reality of God's sovereignty?

Here is a powerful one from Paul in Colossians. What others give you confidence that God is all knowing and all powerful?


 1:16   For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 
 1:17   And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #9 on: November 06, 2015, 07:41:16 AM »
Tuesday November 3

The Degeneration of a Nation

"Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents" (Jer. 19:4).

In this text we are given a few examples of the evils that had overtaken Judah. Besides forsaking the Lord, offering incense to "other gods," and shedding innocent blood, they also "estranged this place." The Hebrew verb there means "to make foreign," "to make strange" or to "profane." Whether "this place" was the temple itself or Jerusalem, the text doesn't say. The crucial point, though, is that the nation was to be holy, special to the Lord (see Exod. 19:5-6), something different and distinct from the nations around them. But that's not what happened. They lost their unique character, the distinctiveness that would have made them a witness to the world. They became just like everyone else.

What lessons are here for us?

Do we understand why we are here? Do we see the world revolving around us, or are we here to serve others? And if so, what purpose has God for us in relationship to others? Do we really believe we are to be a witness to the world? If so, how so? When one is converted, is he changed? If not, why not? There is a lesson here that many fail to see for the very same reason Judah did not see. When Jesus says to the church "you are miserable, wretched, poor, blind, and naked", notice the word "blind".  Judah did not see, and so many in the church do not see. What does Jesus offer as the solution so that we might understand the lesson revealed by Jeremiah?


"They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind" (Jer. 19:5).

Though the concept of human sacrifice was known in the ancient world, it was anathema to the Lord, who forbade the practice to the Israelites (Deut. 18:10). The phrase, translated above as "neither came it into my mind," in the Hebrew reads, "it did not rise up on my heart." This was an idiomatic expression showing just how alien and far from God's will such a practice was. If we, sin-hardened, fallen beings find it abhorrent, imagine what it must have been like to our Holy God!

Yet, God's chosen people believed they were serving God! How can that be?  How can sacrificing a child be seen as serving God? Many today  ask "How can killing an innocent lamb be serving God, as did the Jews?" And, where did the idea ever come from to sacrifice a child? Was it a perversion of the truth?


Nevertheless, over time, the power of corruption and culture so overwhelmed His people that they had degenerated into this horrific ritual. What a lesson it should be to us all about how easily we can become so blinded by the prevailing culture that we accept, or even take part in, practices that-were we connected to the Lord and in tune with His Word as we should be-we would never countenance, but would, instead, be horrified by (see Heb. 5:14).

The lesson will not be  learned if we do not understand what went wrong. How could this have happened to God's chosen people? And in the end, how is it that they who had been entrusted with the sacred oracles of God, and were to be the witness to the world of God's character, could put to death their Messiah? Could it happen again? Could God's chosen people today see their church degenerate to such a condition as was Judah? Could those who call themselves by the name of Christ, put to open shame their Lord? Will professing Christians persecute the faithful as Jeremiah was persecuted? What is the lesson for us? How can we learn it?

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #10 on: November 06, 2015, 08:20:06 AM »
Wednesday November 4

Smashing the Jar


As we saw yesterday, the nation had fallen into deep apostasy. They weren't getting the message. God then used Jeremiah to do a powerful symbolic act that, ideally, would help wake them up to the danger they were facing.

Read Jeremiah 19:1-15.


 19:1   Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and [take] of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests; 
 19:2   And go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom, which [is] by the entry of the east gate, and proclaim there the words that I shall tell thee, 
 19:3   And say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever heareth, his ears shall tingle. 
 19:4   Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; 
 19:5   They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire [for] burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spake [it], neither came [it] into my mind: 
 19:6   Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter. 
 19:7   And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. 
 19:8   And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof. 
 19:9   And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them. 
 19:10   Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee. 
 19:11   And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as [one] breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury [them] in Tophet, till [there be] no place to bury. 
 19:12   Thus will I do unto this place, saith the LORD, and to the inhabitants thereof, and [even] make this city as Tophet: 
 19:13   And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods. 
 19:14   Then came Jeremiah from Tophet, whither the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD'S house; and said to all the people, 
 19:15   Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.
 

What was Jeremiah to do and what was the meaning of this act?

The symbol God had Jeremiah use was a bottle. Can you imagine trying to take the broken pieces of a glass bottle and put them together again? The destruction was complete, at least as far as man was concerned. Can God re-create man in His image? That is  a lot harder than re-creating the bottle, is it not? Few today even understand the nature of the battle within humanity? How many understand we are to be God's character witness not only before this world, but before the universe? And, are we talking about just the 144,000, or are we to be His character witnesses today? What  does it mean to be His witness?


Jeremiah had to go to the potter's house again. This time, though, the Lord wanted to make sure that he brought witnesses with him to see exactly what he was going to do. The witnesses were the elders and priests from Judah (Jer. 19:1). As leaders, they were responsible for what happened in the nation, and so they needed to get the message that Jeremiah was to give to them through the power of his symbolic act. The Potsherd Gate (Jer. 19:2), where he was to smash the jar, might have been near where the potters worked, and just outside the gate might have been where they would dump their shards of ruined pots. Thus, the symbolism became even more powerful.

What good is a smashed clay jar? If the jar were cracked, some use might be found for it, even if not for the original intent of the jar. But Jeremiah wasn't merely to crack it. Instead he was to break it, essentially rendering it useless. Between the act itself and the words that followed, it's hard to imagine how the people could not have understood the warning. Of course, understanding the warning and acting on it are two different things entirely.

That is right. The law reveals condemnation to the sinner, but it has no power to change the sinner. Understanding that we are born sinners does not change the fact. Many fail to understand this, but when the commandments comes home to the  heart and the sinner understands he does not have life, then what? As he attempts to keep the law he cannot. Understanding the warning and acting on it are two different things. The harder one tries to keep the law, the more clear the truth becomes that by nature we are captive to the law of sin and death. There are two important issues. First who we are by nature, sinners who cannot do any good thing. Second, how is it that we can escape condemnation? In other words we must first come to the point that Saul did and cry out "O wretched man that I am, who  will deliver me from the body of this death?" We ought to know by now that it is only Christ that can save us. But, how does He do  it? If we cannot find out, then we too we be as the broken jar. We have been warned by  Jesus. How can we respond?


What's even more frightening is the apparent finality of the act. Who can repair a smashed jar? Though the Lord gave the nation a hope for the future, yet for the moment unless they were to turn around, the Judeans were doomed, they and their children. All the places that they had defiled with their abominations and sinful acts would soon be defiled with their corpses. Perhaps, the depths of their depravity can be best understood by the depths of the punishment that their depravity brought upon their heads.

This is an interesting truth the lesson brings forth. There is indeed a relationship between the depths of their depravity and the depths of the punishment. There  is something even more important to consider when looking at the depth of punishment that came upon Israel and that which will come upon God's chosen people today who reject Jesus and His truth.

Jesus said in  Matthew

 11:20   Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: 
 11:21   Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 
 11:22   But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. 
 11:23   And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 
 11:24   But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. 


A prophet in our day said
   Of those who boast of their light and yet fail to walk in it Christ says, "But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum [Seventh-day Adventists, who have had great light], which art exalted unto heaven [in point of privilege], shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day."--RH Aug. 1, 1893.

     The church is in the Laodicean state. The presence of God is not in her midst.--1NL 99 (1898).


Think of something ruined-ruined beyond repair. What was it originally made for, and what happened to it that now rendered it useless? How careful we need to be that this doesn't happen to us!

We ought to read prayerfully and carefully the message found in Revelation chapter three to the Laodicean church. We ought to ask God if it applies to our church, then if it applies to us individually. We need to know our true condition. Jesus will not leave us ignorant if we really want  to know.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #11 on: November 06, 2015, 09:17:35 AM »
Thursday November 5

The Linen Belt


Read Jeremiah 13:1-11.

 13:1   Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 
 13:2   So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put [it] on my loins. 
 13:3   And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, 
 13:4   Take the girdle that thou hast got, which [is] upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. 
 13:5   So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. 
 13:6   And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. 
 13:7   Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing. 
 13:8   Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
 13:9   Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. 
 13:10   This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. 
 13:11   For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear. 


What was the symbolic act Jeremiah was ordered to do, and what important lesson was it to teach?

This symbolic act has caused some difficulties for interpreters because the river Euphrates (a common interpretation of the Hebrew but not necessarily the only one) was hundreds of kilometers from Jerusalem. Ezra needed four months to travel there in one direction only (Ezra 7:9). In order to understand the message better, God made Jeremiah go back and forth twice. Thus, some scholars have argued that some other geographical location was meant. On the other hand, some argue that the long distances he had to travel helped show him just how far away the children of Israel would be taken. What's more, after returning from such a long trip, Jeremiah could understand the joy of returning after 70 years of captivity.

Whatever the case, the belt symbolizes both the house of Israel and the house of Judah, pure and unstained at the time of the call. The man wearing the belt is God Himself. This shows, among other things, just how closely tied God Himself was to His people. Some commentators have seen significance in the fact that the belt was made of linen, the same material as the priestly garments (Lev. 16:4); after all, Judah was to be a priestly nation (Exod. 19:6).

Just as the belt had been ruined, the pride of the nation would be, too. As a belt clings to a man's waist, these people had once clung to the Lord, and were His source of praise and glory. But they had become tarnished and spoiled by contact with the surrounding cultures.

Read Jeremiah 13:11 and contrast it with Deuteronomy 4:5-8.

13:11   For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.

 4:5   Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 
 4:6   Keep therefore and do [them]; for this [is] your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation [is] a wise and understanding people. 
 4:7   For what nation [is there so] great, who [hath] God [so] nigh unto them, as the LORD our God [is] in all [things that] we call upon him [for]? 
 4:8   And what nation [is there so] great, that hath statutes and judgments [so] righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 


How do these verses together show what happened to the nation? What should these texts say to us as well?

The author of our lesson has done well to present these verses together, for therein we can better see the correct interpretation of the verses presented from Jeremiah 13.  The lesson is of great importance to us today. The sinner who finds himself understanding his condemnation, but does not understand how to avert it, will glean a hope for salvation from Thursday's lesson if the object lesson is correctly understood. If one has prayerfully studied the message from Jesus to the Laodiceans, and has considered the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus where in He revealed to him that he must "look and live", then he may better understand the interpretation of Jeremiah's actions.

God had clothed Jeremiah with a linen girdle. The priests too were to wear linen when going into the sanctuary. That which entered the sanctuary was to represent Christ, was to be holy. That is why they also were to wash in the laver before beginning any ministry. God tells us what the girdle represents, we do not have to guess or use human wisdom from "experts" called theologians. "As the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah." The girdle represents God's people. What is the lesson then? It has something to do with God's people "cleaving" unto Him.

Peter walked on water when he was looking to Jesus. Nicodemus was instructed that he must be born of the Spirit and that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and all who had been bitten must look if they wanted to live, so must he look upon Jesus lifted upon the cross. The lesson being given to Israel and us today is that we need Jesus. This is not just a saying, it is the power to rightly represent our God before the world.

Look again at the truth being expressed through Jeremiah. "that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory." The cleaving of the girdle was to represent the cleaving of the people to Christ so that they would be a people, a name, a praise, and a glory to God. Listen to Ezekiel express the thought of God on this subject.

 36:22   Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not [this] for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 
 36:23   And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 
 36:24   For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 
 36:25   Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 
 36:26   A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 
 36:27   And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them]. 


By clinging to God as the girdle clinged to Jeremiah, Judah would have been a witness to the nations, but she did not. The verses in Deuteronomy express what happens when the nation is clinging to God. "For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them." 4:7.

We see represented the truth when the girdle was removed from Jeremiah and placed in a hole, it would do no good for those professing to be children of God. Separated from God they are serving Satan, not God.

Why was Jeremiah told to travel so far away? Because the people were so far removed from God that they were to be destroyed just as the jar was to be broken. They had traveled far away from their Lord and had greatly misrepresented him before the nations of the world. There was no way they could give  glory to God being so far removed from Him.

We must understand that the object lesson is not a representation of all truth, but just a particular lesson for a specific purpose. God's grace can save the worst of sinners, but in this lesson, God's grace has been rejected and many of Judah were forever lost because they had gone past the point of no return. To sin is one thing, but to "harden" ones heart is another. When the Holy Spirit is continually rejected the heart becomes harder and at some point it cannot respond any longer. Then the sinner is forever lost. So it was with a great number in Judah. "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words." Jeremiah 19:15.

The "girdle" was far away and buried in a hole. When dug up we can see its condition. It is good for nothing because it could never again cleave unto  God. It must be destroyed so others could live. If  we want to live, what must we do? We must cling to Christ. It is a narrow road to heaven, but it is Christ that gives us the power to get there. In order to get there we must cling to Him so that we have that power. As we behold Him, we become like Him in character and can rightly represent Him. We need Jesus all the time in order to give glory to Him.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #12 on: November 06, 2015, 09:58:25 AM »
Friday November 6

Further Thought: The image of the potter and the clay, especially as seen in Romans 9:1-33, brings up the important question of how we seek to understand God's actions. The fact is, of course, we often don't. That shouldn't be surprising, should it? Read Isaiah 55:8.

For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 


As human beings, we simply are very limited in what we can know about anything, much less about all the ways of God.

This point, the limitation of human knowledge, is revealed by what has been called the "self-referential problem." Look at this sentence: "The barber of Seville shaves everyone who doesn't shave himself." Does the barber of Seville shave himself? If he shaves himself, he can't shave himself because he shaves everyone who doesn't shave himself. But if he doesn't shave himself, then he has to shave himself, for the same reason-because he shaves everyone who doesn't shave himself. The answer forms an insolvable paradox that reveals the limits of reason. Thus, if reason gets tangled in itself on something as mundane as whom the barber of Seville shaves, how much more so on something as profound as the nature and extent of God's dealings in the world? What we do have is the Cross, which gives us abundant reason to trust in Him and His love even when what happens in His world makes no sense to us at all.

Amen. But, while we cannot be as God, He wants us to know Him and His character. And, He wants us to represent His character before the world and the universe. Here is a precious promise. "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19. Notice it is a conditional promise to those who are "rooted and grounded in love" and  in whom Christ dwells. That is, those who are "clinging" to Him.

God wants us to "reason together" with Him that we might know Him and His ways. If we have seen Christ, we have seen the Father.


"To many minds the origin of sin and the reason for its existence are a source of great perplexity. They see the work of evil, with its terrible results of woe and desolation, and they question how all this can exist under the sovereignty of One who is infinite in wisdom, in power, and in love. Here is a mystery of which they find no explanation. And in their uncertainty and doubt they are blinded to truths plainly revealed in God's word and essential to salvation."-Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 492.


It is a mystery to them which indeed are many, but they may understand the mystery if they wish to know God.


Discussion Questions:

    What challenges does the idea of God's absolute sovereignty present to us in regard to the question of evil? How does the great controversy scenario help us work through the tough questions, at least partially for now?

We understand why Satan was left alive. We understand why evil is allowed to continue for a time longer. We understand why bad things happen to "good" people. Why was John the Baptist beheaded? Why was the Apostle Paul beheaded? Why was the Apostle John boiled in oil? Why was Isaiah sawn in half? Why was Christ crucified?

And, why does God allow bad things to happen to me? It seems that almost daily I have trials, some very great! There is much light we have on this and I hope some will share their thoughts on this important subject. Many who do not understand have come to a wrong conclusion and it paints God in a wrong character. They say "If God is all powerful, and all knowing, then He cannot be a God of love because He then is responsible for the bad things that happen to little children."  How important that we who understand share the truth with a world that has been deceived as to the character of our loving God who is omnipotent and omniscient.

As for a very simple statement as to why I rejoice in my suffering, God has expressed through Paul this truth: "We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Romans 5:3-5.

We see here the truth that we are to live to reveal "the love of God". It is to be "shed abroad" when it is in "our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us" who have been beholding Jesus in His suffering uplifted upon the cross. This is  a mystery which many will not understand because they do not wish to bear the  cross of Christ. But, to all who have tasted of His goodness, we happily endure trial and tribulation that we might be entrusted with the most weighty trust and the highest honor in suffering with Christ. And, this we may do if we will cling to Him as the girdle clinged to Jeremiah.


    What other symbols can you find in the Bible? Why would God use symbols anyway? What are the advantages of symbols?

There are many symbols in Scripture. The key is to go to the Bible rather than man to understand what they represent. I am sure many of our readers can provide a better answer than  I can as to why we see symbols in the Bible. Two reasons I can think of would be first that in an effort to teach truth, it is sometimes easier to make the point when using a symbol. Secondly, in some cases you cannot use the real thing. We see this in the symbol of the lamb which represents Jesus. The lamb was slaughtered millions of times, whereas Jesus would only die once and it was to be 4,000 years after sin entered the world.

Symbols are used to represent things in heaven which we cannot see. The sanctuary and its furniture are symbols of the real sanctuary in heaven. Why is so much symbolism used in prophecy, such as a woman representing a church?
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

colporteur

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #13 on: November 07, 2015, 03:15:07 AM »
Why do "bad" things happen to God's people ? Because we have a sliver in our foot so to speak. It is painful and it may seem " bad" to have it pulled out. To do other wise however, is worse and even terminal. While the pain we so often go through my not be such an obvious cure as having a sliver removed, the principle is the same.

Sin has been a dilemma  that has not been easy for even God to deal with. It has not been easy in that the sliver is painful.  It causes us pain and it causes God pain. The Lord knows how to deal with it but the process is often not a pleasant one. Even so, the process brings relief in due time. When the sliver is removed and the infection and swelling subside it is a relief and when we grab onto Father's arm with tears as the sliver is being pulled we feel closer to Him. The bone may be stronger after it heals and the muscle is stronger and bigger after it has been torn and heals. When we are stronger we can better work for the Lord.
It's easier to slow a fast horse down than to get a dead one going.

colporteur

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #14 on: November 07, 2015, 03:28:16 AM »

There are another two reasons why prophetic symbols are sometimes used. Regarding, for instance, the two beasts of Revelation 13 and the Whore of Revelation 17-

#1. These symbols are not flattering ones. The powers they be are condemned by God in Scripture. Were they identified by name the powers they represent  would not allow the Scriptures to go public or even exist. Even as it is, the Whore did all she could to keep the Scriptures from the people.

#2 Truth is something that God wants us to search for, to labor for, and to spent time unraveling. We better appreciate that which we put effort into. Truth to some extent  is hidden from the wicked. It is a privilege to know truth and God delights to reveal it to those who love Him and desire to walk in the light
It's easier to slow a fast horse down than to get a dead one going.

Richard Myers

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Re: SDA Sabbath School Lesson 6--4th Quarter 2015--Symbolic Acts
« Reply #15 on: November 07, 2015, 08:13:35 AM »
Amen, cp!

It is not wise nor beneficial to slap a lion in  its face.  And, when attempting to share truth, it is not good to put objectionable doctrine up front. Patience is a virtue. It reminds me of the Waldenses. They did their work disguised. I wonder if there is wisdom in this for us as we approach the end? It seems the truth will cause us hurt as we near the end. Maybe we ought to be as wise as a serpent?
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.