We have a new president which will come as a surprise to many. Elder Wilson did much good, but it was time for a change. Let us  pray for Elder Erton C. Köhler who was elected GC secretary during the 2021 Spring Meeting.

Born in Brazil, he is the son of a Seventh-day Adventist pastor. He completed a bachelor’s degree in theology at the Adventist Teaching Institute  in 1989 and graduated with a master’s degree in pastoral theology. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry degree from Andrews University.

From 1990 to 1994, Köhler served as a local church pastor in São Paulo. He was then elected Youth Ministries director of the Rio Grande do Sul Conference in 1995, and in 1998 became the Youth Ministries director of the Northeast Brazil Union. In July 2002, Köhler returned to the Rio Grande do Sul Conference to serve as conference secretary. The following year he was elected Youth Ministries director for the eight countries comprising the South American Division (SAD). After serving for four years as youth director, he became the SAD president in 2007.

Thursday        July 10
The Circumcision

Read Exodus 4:18-31. How do we understand this strange story, and what lesson can we take from it?

Bible students are shocked when they read that, after Moses obeyed the Lord and started his journey back to Egypt, the Lord "was about to kill him" (Exod. 4:24, NIV). From the context of the story, it is evident that the issue was circumcision. His youngest son was not circumcised, as the Abrahamic covenant demanded (Gen. 17:10-11).

Moses, as the leader of God’s people, needed to show his perfect submission and obedience to God, in order to be qualified to lead other people to be obedient. He had to be a model of that total surrender to God. His wife Zipporah was a woman of action and circumcised her son in order to save the life of her husband. She touched Moses with the "bloody foreskin," and this blood represents atonement, life, and the sealing of the covenant. The fact that it was done so quickly added to the drama of the situation.

An important lesson can be learned from this episode: never fail to do what we know is right.

"On the way from Midian, Moses received a startling and terrible warning of the Lord’s displeasure. An angel appeared to him in a threatening manner, as if he would immediately destroy him. No explanation was given; but Moses remembered that he had disregarded one of God’s requirements … he had neglected to perform the rite of circumcision upon their youngest son. He had failed to comply with the condition by which his child could be entitled to the blessings of God’s covenant with Israel; and such a neglect on the part of their chosen leader could not but lessen the force of the divine precepts upon the people. Zipporah, fearing that her husband would be slain, performed the rite herself, and the angel then permitted Moses to pursue his journey. In his mission to Pharaoh, Moses was to be placed in a position of great peril; his life could be preserved only through the protection of holy angels. But while living in neglect of a known duty, he would not be secure; for he could not be shielded by the angels of God."-Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 255, 256.

What should this story say to you if you are indeed guilty of neglecting what you know you should be doing? What changes do you need to make, even right now?

Tuesday         July 8
The Name of the Lord

Read Exodus 3:13-22.

It is a blessing to see the author of the lesson going verse by verse through Exodus, that nothing be left out.


13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:
17 And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.
18 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.
20 And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go.
21 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty:
22 But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.

Why did Moses want to know God’s name, and what is the significance of His name?

God presents Himself to Moses as "’ehejeh ’asher ’ehejeh," which literally means "I will be who I will be," or "I am who I am." In Exodus 3:12, God uses the same verb ’ehejeh as in verse 14, when he states to Moses "I will be" (with you). It means that God is eternal. He is the transcendent God, as well as the immanent God, and He dwells with those "who are contrite and humble in spirit" (Isa. 57:15, NRSV).

The proper name of God, "Yahweh" (translated in English Bibles usually as "the LORD"), was known to God’s people from the beginning, even if they didn’t know its deeper meaning. Moses also knew the name Yahweh, but, like others, he did not know the real meaning. His question, "What is your name?" is a query about that deeper meaning.

A helpful hint is in Exodus 6:3, where God stated: "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself fully known to them" (Exod. 6:3, NIV). It does not signify that Adam, Noah, Abraham, and the patriarchs did not know the name "Yahweh" (see Gen. 2:4-9; Gen. 4:1-26; Gen. 7:5; Gen. 15:6-8; etc.). It means, instead, that they did not know its deeper meaning.

His name, Yahweh, points to the fact that He is the personal God, the God of His people, the God of the covenant. He is a close, intimate God who intervenes in human affairs. The Almighty God (Gen. 17:1) is the God who miraculously intervened by His power. But Yahweh is a God who demonstrates His moral power by love and care. He is the same God as Elohim ("mighty, strong, transcendent God," the "God of all people," "the Ruler of the universe," "the Creator of everything"), but different aspects of His relationship to humanity are revealed by the name Yahweh itself.

Knowing the name or calling on God’s name is not something magical. It is about a proclamation of His name, which means teaching others the truth concerning this God and the salvation that He offers to all who come in faith. As Joel says: "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved" (Joel 2:32, NIV).

In what ways in your own life have you experienced the closeness and intimacy with Yahweh that He seeks to have with all who are surrendered to Him?

The closeness with God comes as we learn of Him and call upon Him  to help us through  the tribulations of life. He sends the Holy Spirit to reveal His character and to empower us to keep His  commandments. It is through an intimate knowledge  of Him who gave all that we might have love, joy, and peace in this world. As we grow in this knowledge of Him, we also grow in a knowledge of our great continual need of Him in order that we serve Him rightly. He is the God of forgiveness and justice. What a God we serve! How long has He been working with His church today? So very long that we are surprised that He continues to believe we can be saved. He has promised He will not only bring about revival and reformation in this church that is filthy and full of idols (Eze. 36:25), but will also graft back into Himself the natural branch which had been cut off so many years ago (Rom 11).

Sunday        July 6
The Burning Bush

After Moses fled to Midian, he had a relatively easy life. He married, had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer (Exod. 18:3-4), and was part of the extended family of Jethro, his father-in-law and priest in Midian. He spent 40 relaxed years being a shepherd, like David (2 Sam. 7:8 ), enjoying God’s presence, especially as revealed in nature.

His life was more stern than his life had been living in luxury as the grandson of the ruler of Egypt. The tribulation he experienced in the wilderness prepared him for what was to come. And as he depended upon God, he was greatly blessed by a knowledge of God that blesses us today.

Yet, this time was not simply for Moses to smell the flowers (or perhaps, in this case, the desert cactus?). These years of walking with the Lord changed him and prepared him for a leadership role. God also used Moses in this quiet wilderness to write, under divine inspiration, two of the oldest biblical books: Job and Genesis (see Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 251; Francis D. Nichol, et al., eds., The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1140). Moses also received from God crucial insights about the great controversy, the Creation, the Fall, the Flood, the patriarchs and, most importantly, the plan of salvation. Thus, Moses was instrumental in passing on to all humanity the true knowledge of the living God, our Creator and Sustainer, and knowledge about what God is doing in view of the sin that has wreaked havoc on this planet. Biblical and salvation history make little sense apart from the crucial foundation that, under inspiration, Moses gave us, especially in the book of Genesis.

Read Exodus 3:1-6.

1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

What significance can be found in the fact that the Lord introduced Himself to Moses as "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"?

It tied together what God was going to reveal to him with what he had learned of the God through Abraham the father of all of Israel.

Moses saw that the burning bush was not being consumed by the fire, and thus he knew he was seeing a miracle, and that something dramatic and important must be taking place right before him. As he moved closer, the Lord told him to take his shoes off as a sign of deep respect because God’s presence made the place holy.

The Lord presented Himself to Moses as "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exod. 3:6). The Lord had promised these patriarchs that their descendants would inherit Canaan, a promise Moses surely knew about. Thus, even before saying it, God was already opening the way for Moses to know what was coming and what crucial role he was to play.

Moses needed 80 years before God deemed him ready for his task. What might this truth teach us about patience?

Amen!  The first 40 gave him and education few receive. The next 40 gave him even greater education that few if any receive, for he became the meekest man on Earth.  The 40 years in the wilderness was where he became patient. How? Rom. 5:3-5 tells us how he became more patient as the years went by. 

 5:3   And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 
 5:4   And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 
 5:5   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. 

As it is with man, so it was with Jesus. From Hebrews:

 5:8   Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 
 5:9   And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 

Friday        July 4

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, "Moses," pp. 241-251, in Patriarchs and Prophets, which will give you significant insights into the studied portion of the biblical text for this week.

The biblical text states that "the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive" (Exod. 1:17, NKJV). Ellen G. White aptly comments on the faithfulness of the midwives and the Messianic hope: "Orders were issued to the women whose employment gave them opportunity for executing the command, to destroy the Hebrew male children at their birth. Satan was the mover in this matter. He knew that a deliverer was to be raised up among the Israelites; and by leading the king to destroy their children he hoped to defeat the divine purpose. But the women feared God, and dared not execute the cruel mandate. The Lord approved their course, and prospered them."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 242.

The good news in all this is that, despite Satan’s plans, God overruled, and He used faithful people to thwart the enemy. We do live in the territory of our enemy, whom Jesus called "the prince" or "ruler of this world" (Eph. 2:2, NKJV; John 14:30). Satan usurped this position from Adam, but Jesus Christ defeated him in His life and through His death on the cross (Matt. 4:1-11, John 19:30, Heb. 2:14). Although Satan is still alive and active, as revealed in his attempt to kill those children, his own execution is certain (John 12:31; John 16:11; Rev. 20:9-10, 14). The good news is that life’s difficulties can be overcome by God’s grace (Phil. 4:13). That grace is our only hope.

Amen!! If God be for us, who can be against us!!  We glory in our tribulation because it makes us more patient and the love of God is shed abroad. The world sees that there is a God of great power in that we have been transformed so that we indeed do glory in our tribulation because it brings glory to God. This is the power of grace to transform sinners into saints.

Discussion Questions:

    Why did God allow the Hebrews to live in Egypt and be oppressed? Why did it take so long for God to intervene on their behalf? Remember, too, that each person suffered only as long as the person lived. That is, the time of suffering for the nation was long, but each person suffered only as long as that single person lived. Why is making that distinction important in seeking to understand human suffering in general?

There are two kinds of suffering. One on account of our sin, the other we glory in because it makes us more patient and the love of God is shed abroad (Rom. 5:3-5).  It is for our good and God's glory. Then we do not think it strange that God allows His faithful ones to suffer. The Jews were not faithful as a people and thus God allowed them to become slaves in Egypt.

    Dwell more on the questions regarding how God was able to use Moses’ hotheaded act of killing the Egyptian. Suppose he hadn’t done it? Would that have meant the Hebrews would not have eventually escaped from Egypt? Explain your reasoning.

Moses believed he was doing right when he killed the Egyptian.  He sided with the Jews and began the work God had given him. Like many today he did not understand God's way of delivering us. Moses had a lot to learn and unlearn before he could reveal in his life the character of His Savior. It took 40 years in the desert before He was ready to suffer for another 40 years dealing with a rebellious people.