Daily Lesson for Thursday 25th of January 2024
Read Psalms 3:4; Psalms 14:7; Psalms 20:1-3; Psalms 27:5; Psalms 36:8; Psalms 61:4; and Psalms 68:5,35. Where does help come from in these texts?
The motif of spiritual and physical refuge and help notably appears in the context of the sanctuary. The sanctuary is a place of help, of safety, and of salvation. The sanctuary provides a shelter to the troubled.
God defends the orphans and widows and gives strength to His people from His sanctuary. When “out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth” (Psalms 50:2, NKJV), God’s righteous judgments are proclaimed, and the Lord’s blessing goes forth (Psalms 84:4, Psalms 128:5, Psalms 134:3).
The refuge in the sanctuary surpasses the security provided by any other place in the world because God personally dwells in the sanctuary. The presence of God, not merely the temple as a firm building, provides safety. Likewise, being the mountain where the Lord dwells, Mount Zion surpasses other mountains though in itself it is a modest hill (Psalms 68:15-16; Isaiah 2:2).
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16, NKJV).
In what ways do these verses parallel what the psalmist says about the sanctuary?
The holiness of God’s sanctuary prompts the psalmist to acknowledge that all people are sinful and completely undeserving of God’s favor, and he claims that deliverance is based on God’s faithfulness and grace alone (Psalms 143:2,9-12). Nothing in us gives us any merit before God. It is only when people stand in a right relationship with God through repentance and acceptance of God’s grace and forgiveness that they can plead for God’s assurance of deliverance. The sanctuary service represented the salvation found in Jesus.
The post Thursday: Help From the Sanctuary appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-04-help-from-the-sanctuary/