SDA Sabbath School Lesson 9- 2nd Quarter 2025-In the Psalms: Part 2

[Richard Myers]

2nd Quarter        Lesson 9                                                                                                                                                               May 24-30                                                                                                                                 

 
In the Psalms: Part 2

Commentary in Navy                  Inspiration in Maroon

Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Psalm 46; Jer. 4:23-26; Ps. 47:1-4; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; Psalm 75; Rev. 14:6-12

Memory Text: “Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.” Psalm 67:3-4

When thinking of final events, we tend to focus on the beasts and the powers of Revelation. And, of course, they have a big role, an important one, too. Otherwise, God would not have put them in the Bible for us to understand them (see Rev. 1:3).

Prophecy, however, also deals with key issues associated with sin and suffering, judgment, the battle between good and evil, the nature of justice and injustice, persecution, and more.

The Psalms also deal with these issues in great depth, exploring nearly every possible human emotion—from dark despondency to unbridled joy. We see Israel preparing for battle against the forces of darkness. We read about individuals wrestling with the question of why doesn’t God address evil more directly and immediately, a question that no doubt we all have asked. We are directed to the sanctuary for answers, and there are also repeated appeals to God’s status as Creator. Are these not issues and questions that we, in our context today, wrestle with, as well?

Amen! And we also see the nature of man without God and the power of grace to transform sinners into saints. We see the power and love of our Creator and the joy of praising Him.

Of course—which is why we will continue unpacking Psalms in order to learn more about these crucial truths.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 31.

[Richard Myers]

Sunday        May 25
A Very Present Help in the Time of Trouble

Read Psalm 46.


1 (To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.) God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.


What message of hope can we take from this amid the turmoil of life now and what we know is going to come upon the earth in the last days as the great controversy plays out here?

As it was then, so it is now. How very sad that Israel failed and was cut off. She was an example for us to learn from, for we are the ones whom  the end of the world is come.

Psalm 46 appears to touch on a theme that we find in the book of Hebrews: that of something better. Jesus is better than the earthly High Priest, His sacrifice is better than all the animal sacrifices, and the heavenly sanctuary is better than the types that existed on earth.

Why? Because they were all shadows of things to come, not the reality.  The blood of bulls and goats have now power to transform sinners into saints.

This Psalm takes a different approach, however. The author is not taking good things and contrasting them with better things; he is contrasting a world in rebellion—and the terrible consequences it has brought—with promise of the better things that God is planning for us.

Amen! There is great hope for sinners when they stop and listen for that still small voice which condemns sinners and promises victory over sin and a new world without sin and suffering.

Indeed, this Psalm is filled with hope and promise that even amid the desolation and trial and suffering and wars that we face, ultimately we are to “be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10), and to rest in the assurance that one day all of this is going to end and that God “will be exalted in the earth” (Ps. 46:10).

Notice, too, what is written here. “Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;” Ps. 46:2.

One cannot help but be reminded of the scenes that will take place at the Second Coming: “Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place” (Rev. 6:14, NKJV). And this: “Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat” (2 Pet. 3:12, NKJV). Our present world, with all its attendant evils, isn’t going to last forever, and what comes afterward promises us something that our minds now can barely fathom. For now, though, we just need to hold on, persevering in faith and clinging to the revelation of God that we have, especially in Jesus on the cross.

However bad things are in this world (and we know they are going to be worse), what hope should you draw from your knowledge of the goodness, power, and character of God (think: the cross)?

If God be for us, who can be against us! And, He  will not allow any who love Him supremely to be tempted beyond what we can bear!

[Richard Myers]

Monday         May 26
Hope Amid Turmoil

Much of the language in the book of Psalms is symbolic, but when it comes to the language that points forward to the ultimate resetting of our planet, we have little reason to believe that it is merely symbolic. Psalm 46 reminds us that the physical earth will be deeply affected by Christ’s return. But it is not merely the rocks and ocean that will be affected; the grand climax of earth’s history will mean the breakdown of worldly kingdoms the miserable systems of human government that have caused so much suffering over the millennia.

In the end all these powers, and all the evil and suffering that they have brought upon humanity, will come to a complete end.

Read Jeremiah 4:23-26. What is this telling us about the fate of this world, at least until there’s a “new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1)?

Bible prophecy shows us what will happen to this world. The vision of Daniel 7, for instance, shows us a stormy sea amid which the nations of the world arise. The winds of strife and warfare blow across the Gentile sea (the earth), producing one worldly kingdom after another, and not one of them can solve the very real problems that beset the human race. The worldly leaders we dare to trust almost always prove to be as sinful and selfish as the rest of us.

None of the kingdoms shown to Daniel proved to be a secure home for God’s people (though some were better than others). But we know that we have citizenship in the kingdom of God (Phil. 3:20), and high above the chaos of this planet there is a throne that cannot be moved (see Ezek. 1:26). Jesus taught that the world will move into deeper disorder as we approach the moment of Christ’s return (Matthew 24), but we can hold out in faith, regardless of the condition of our planet, because we can know that God has not lost control, and that He will fulfill His promises: “The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” Ps. 46:6-7. Short term, things are not going greatly nor will they. Long-term? That—thanks to Jesus—is a whole other matter.

No question, our world seems chaotic and out of control. How should the prophecy of Daniel 7, for instance, help us see that ultimately, things will work out well for us if we remain faithful?

Daniel tells us "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." Shall we not praise Him who made this possible for all who will love the Lord our God with all of the heart?

[Richard Myers]

Tuesday         May 27
Under His Feet

Read Psalm 47:1-4.

1 (To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.) O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

2 For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.

4 He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.

What does it say about our place, ultimately, in Christ’s kingdom?

It is speaking of Israel who failed and did not subdue the people under them. God will not subdue the world under us. He will destroy the world who do not love Him with the whole heart. He will destroy the whole Earth and all who reject His love.

Long term, the future is bright. Until then, humanity ceded dominion over the planet to Lucifer, and by the time Satan appeared at the heavenly council in Job, he boasted that this earth belonged to him. “ ‘From where do you come?’ ” God asked. “ ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it,’ ” he replied (Job 1:7, NKJV).

Satan was declaring ownership; the foot was used in antiquity to represent ownership. “ ‘Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land,’ ” God instructed Abraham, “ ‘for I will give it to you’ ” (Gen. 13:17, ESV).

Compare 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and Zechariah 14:4, and pay attention to Christ’s feet. What differences do you find between these passages, and what do they teach us about these two different, though related, aspects of Christ’s ultimate

sovereignty of this world?

Talking about what Christ does at the end of the millennium, Ellen G. White wrote: “Christ descends upon the Mount of Olives, whence, after His resurrection, He ascended, and where angels repeated the promise of His return. Says the prophet: ‘The Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee.’ ‘And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof, . . . and there shall be a very great valley.’ ‘And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.’ Zechariah 14:5, 4, 9. As the New Jerusalem, in its dazzling splendor, comes down out of heaven, it rests upon the place purified and made ready to receive it, and Christ, with His people and the angels, enters the Holy City.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 662, 663.

Amen!!

Look at the hope we have been given in Jesus. Think about how hard life would be if everything ended, forever, with death. It would all be futile, would it not?

Even so, we would have love, joy, and peace in this world when abiding in Christ and He in us!!

[Richard Myers]

Wednesday        May 28
Wine and Blood

Read Psalm 75.

1 (To the chief Musician, Altaschith, A Psalm or Song of Asaph.) Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

2 When I shall receive the congregation I will judge uprightly.

3 The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.

4 I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn:

5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.

6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.

7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.

9 But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

10 All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.


Read also Matthew 26:26-29 and Revelation 14:9-12. What does this Psalm reveal about some of the issues at stake in the judgment, and how do these other texts help us understand these issues?

There is some thought that this Psalm would have been sung upon the miraculous destruction of Sennacherib’s army (2 Chronicles 32, 2 Kings 19)—a story that appears to point forward to the final destruction of the wicked in Revelation 20. The people of God are inside the Holy City with their righteous king when the armies of evil come up and surround them, and then they are destroyed by God Himself.

One of the things that God corrects in the judgment is the misappropriation of power that has taken place in our fallen world. Fallen humans no longer live for others, or for the glory of God, but for self. Today in many ways, we are living with the consequences of choosing to believe that there is no meaning or objective moral standard in the universe. If there is to be a meaning, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche insisted that we must invent it for ourselves and pretend as if the universe exists for our benefit. Each individual, in effect, behaves as if he or she is a god. (One might justifiably ask: How well did this philosophy work out for Nietzsche himself? Not too well, actually. He went insane, collapsing on a street in Italy after trying to stop a man from beating a horse. He then spent the next 11 years of his life in a semi-catatonic state before his death in 1900.)

However bad the problems are, as believers we are reminded to live with hope and not to judge the future by current events. It is easy to despair as we see the pillars of civilization being steadily eroded by the hearts and minds of the godless, or by those whose views of God are not found in the Bible. We are currently living in a period where moral values, even things as basic as human gender, male and female, have come under assault, at least in some parts of the world. Certain types of immorality, things that many people would have been ashamed to talk about, even privately, are now lauded and applauded publicly. That’s how bad things are getting.

Amen! Jesus is even at the doors!!  Or no flesh would be left alive!  World War III is indeed also at the doors! They will destroy each other, but the saints will be saved!

Though we must do our part now to try to make life better for others, why is it always important to remember that it’s going to take the total destruction of this present world and the supernatural re-creation of it before all things are, ultimately, made right?

Because truth is fallen in the street, equity cannot enter, and He who departs from evil makes himself a prey! We must look beyond what we see with our eyes and look to the One who protects us from evil and give us love, joy, and peace in this world and the world to come!

[Richard Myers]

Thursday        May 29
That Your Salvation May Be Known

Read Psalm 67.

 67:1   To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm [or] Song. God be merciful unto us, and bless us; [and] cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. 
 67:2   That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. 
 67:3   Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 
 67:4   O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. 
 67:5   Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 
 67:6   [Then] shall the earth yield her increase; [and] God, [even] our own God, shall bless us. 
 67:7   God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him. 

How does this hymn of praise inform your understanding of the role of God’s people in Revelation 14:6-12?

 14:6   And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 
 14:7   Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 
 14:8   And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 
 14:9   And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 
 14:10   The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 
 14:11   And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 
 14:12   Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 

These verses do indeed reveal what we see in the verses in Rev. Both His mercy and His justice is clearly revealed in the last warning message to go to the world. While we first spread the gospel of grace, in the last angels' message we see justice in God's dealing with sin.

Engineers at MIT have created a new black coating that renders objects painted with it nearly invisible. Created from nanotubes, it is many times darker than any black material previously created. This new material can absorb 99.995 percent of all visible light. Even the brightest light fails to make objects covered in this coating visible.

Psalm 67 begins with an appeal for God to “cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth” (Ps. 67:1-2, NKJV). In the plan of salvation, God has provided a way for sinners to be readmitted to His immediate, glorious presence without being destroyed by His glory; and even now, in this life, the cross of Christ makes it possible for God’s face to shine on us.

But there is more: God intends that we reflect His light to the rest of the world. This was the task given to Israel: the temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations: “ ‘Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ” (Isa. 56:7, NKJV).

In this psalm, David reminds us that God wants His “way [to] be known on earth, [His] salvation among all nations” (Ps. 67:2, NKJV). Tragically, God’s people have often failed in this task. Israel’s record in the Old Testament contains some dark chapters, as does the record of the Christian church over the last two millennia. It is as if we have painted our hearts with an ultra-dark substance, content to absorb God’s light without reflecting it.

Sometimes, we treat God’s last-day movement as a kind of privileged departure lounge reserved for spiritual frequent flyers, and we seem quite content that the rest of the world must sit in the noisy uncomfortable gate lounge, unprepared for the journey ahead. The remnant church of Revelation 14, however, is not content just to stand on Zion with Christ, basking in His presence. Instead, they fly across the face of the earth, urging the world to join them on God’s holy mountain.

What obligations should we as a church, and as individuals, feel toward teaching others the truths that we love so much?

He who is born of the Spirit do not see sharing the gospel as an obligation, but a joy. If we do not want to tell the world about Jesus, what does that say about our spiritual condition?  Hear from Jesus what it means. He speaks to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Revelation:

 3:14   And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 
 3:15   I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 
 3:16   So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 
 3:17   Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 
 3:18   I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 
 3:19   As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 
 3:20   Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 
 3:21   To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 
 3:22   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

And one more than a prophet speaks to us as a people:

I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen, and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this will cause a shaking among God’s people.
 
The testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded. This testimony must work deep repentance, and all that truly receive it will obey it and be purified. { 1T 181.2}

[Richard Myers]

Friday         May 30

Further Thought: Read Psalm 133, Acts 1:4-9, and Revelation 5:4-7. “During the patriarchal age the influence of the Holy Spirit had often been revealed in a marked manner, but never in its fullness. Now, in obedience to the word of the Saviour, the disciples offered their supplications for this gift, and in heaven Christ added His intercession. He claimed the gift of the Spirit, that He might pour it upon His people.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 37.

The disciples were instructed to bear witness to Christ “ ‘to the end of the earth’ ” Acts 1:8, a work that would herald the return of Christ (Matt. 24:14). We are to continue what they had started.

When Christ told us to carry the gospel to the world, He did not leave us alone to figure out how it might happen. The work is directed from heaven’s sanctuary. Our work is intimately wrapped up in Christ: He guides and empowers us. This is His work, not ours: we are asked to follow His lead. You will notice this is how it worked with Israel: God asked them to follow His instructions, and then He made the impossible happen. The Spirit is already at work in the hearts of our neighbors; we are asked to be there when the moment of decision arrives, so that we can invite them to join God’s people as they stand with the Lamb on Zion. We do not have to invent new means and methods, because we have never been in charge of the work.

Amen!  We have been given a blueprint in every area of ministry. It is very sad we have not been following it. When we do, Jesus will come.


Discussion Questions:

    There are lots of unreached people, even though the three angels’ messages have gone all over the world. In class, discuss how we as a church can better fulfill the task that Christ is using us to fulfill. How can we learn not to despair when it remains true that still so many people have not heard of these truths for the last days?

We need to be a converted church. We remain in a Laodicean condition. The gospel message has not been taken to the whole world. We bring reproach upon the gospel when we misrepresent our Savior. Read Eze. 36:22-37. His church will be revived and reformed.

    In Revelation 5, John witnesses the sealed scroll being given to the Lamb because He is worthy. When the seals on the scroll are opened in Revelation 6, we see the history of the New Testament church clearly predicted down to the end of time. From this description, what lessons can we learn about the way God intends to finish the work?

The lesson we need to learn is what it means to be converted and what must I do to be born again of the Spirit. When God has a church that has ceased to sin, then Jesus will come. Right now, this is impossible because most in the church do not believe all who are converted do not sin. From 1 John chapter 3:

3:4   Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. 
 3:5   And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. 
 3:6   Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. 
 3:7   Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 
 3:8   He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 
 3:9   Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 
 3:10   In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 
 3:11   For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 

    What are the present events we see in the world that could, easily, lead to what we know is coming in Revelation 13 and Revelation 14? What obstacles remain?

The signs all point to the soon coming of Jesus. So it was in 1888. But, the church is not ready, nor was it in 1888. When Christ says, "let Him who is holy be holy still," then Jesus will come.