Almost every school child has heard the story about an apple falling on Isaac Newton’s head, and Voila! Newton discovered gravity. Whether or not an apple really fell on his head isn’t the crucial point; instead, the point is that Newton’s great insight (he didn’t discover gravity either; anyone who fell down already knew about gravity) was to understand that the same force that dropped the apple (gravity) also kept the moon in orbit around the earth, the earth in orbit around the Sun, and so forth.

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This was important because, for millennia, many people believed that the laws that governed the heavens were different from the laws that governed the earth. Newton showed that this belief was wrong.

And though Newton’s contribution was in the area of natural law, the same principle holds true with moral law. The same freedom, the freedom inherent in love, that led to Lucifer’s fall in heaven led to humanity’s Fall on earth, as well.

Read  Genesis 2.16-17 and Genesis 3:1-7. How do these verses about perfect people, in a perfect environment, created by a perfect God, also reveal the powerful truth about the freedom inherent in love?

After the Fall, things went from bad to worse, even to the point where the Lord said about humanity “that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). And if their thoughts were bad, their actions surely were, as well, until things got so evil that the Lord destroyed the entire world with a Flood — in a sense giving humanity a chance to start over, a kind of second creation. However, as the story of the Tower of Babel shows (Genesis 11:1-9), humanity still seemed intent on defying God. “When the tower had been partially completed, a portion of it was occupied as a dwelling place for the builders; other apartments, splendidly furnished and adorned, were devoted to their idols. The people rejoiced in their success, and praised the gods of silver and gold, and set themselves against the Ruler of heaven and earth.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 119. Thus, besides confusing their language, God scattered the fallen race across the face of the earth.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Welcome to the fourth quarter’s studies for 2021.

Flipping through the new quarterly, there are a number of titles that have the word ‘love’ in them – Love, to Be Loved; To Love God; He First Loved Us; To Love the Lord Your God; to name just a few. Hence, I believe a wonderful hymn to devote to as a theme will be
Hymn 349 – God Is Love. Our first Memory Text says “for God is Love”, 1 John 4:8. As the book of Deuteronomy is the book of the covenant, it would also be good to add
Hymn 347 – Built On the Rock as verse four tells us of God ‘Making with us His covenant”.

Abraham’s (Abram’s) story on Tuesday will give us
Hymn 11 – The God of Abraham Praise and
Hymn 264 – O for That Flame of Living Fire in verse 2.

God gave to the nation of Israel the choices He gives to each of us today – to follow Him. This story unfolds in
Hymn 606 – Once to Every Man and Nation. Continuing on in Wednesday’s study we find God’s grace abounds to His nation:
Hymn 108 – Amazing Grace,
Hymn 109 – Marvelous Grace and
Hymn 607 – God of Grace and God of Glory.

The question of “What if?” comes along on Thursday, as Israel repeatedly says “All that the LORD has spoke we will do” Exodus 19:8, but as with all humans, we fail in our promises to God. What if we were to follow through and trust God’s leading?
Hymn 279 – Only Trust Him,
Hymn 510 – If You Trust in God to Guide You,
Hymn 590 – Trust and Obey, and then through Jesus:
Hymn 524 – ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus and
Hymn 535 – I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus.

Oh, how wonderful it will be to step forward and go into the Land that God has promised us:
Hymn 382 – O Day of Rest and Gladness. Meantime, we wait to reach the promised land in
Hymn 532 – Day By Day in verse 3 and
Hymn 520 – On Jordan’s Stormy Banks.

We are bound for The Promised Land! Hallelujah!! Come, Lord Jesus come – very soon.

Blessings for a wonderful week ahead.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing, but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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1 John 4:8 says, “God is love.” However simple those three words (four in Greek), the idea behind them is so deep, so profound, that we can barely grasp their implications. They don’t say that God loves, or that God reveals love, or that God is a manifestation of love but that God is love. Is love — as if love is the essence of God’s identity Himself. As fallen human beings, with only a few pounds of tissue and chemicals in our heads with which to grasp reality, we just aren’t able to fully comprehend what “God is love” fully means.

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But we can, certainly, understand enough to know that it’s very good news. If, instead of “God is love,” it said “God is hate” or “God is vindictive” or “God is indifferent,” this revelation about Him could have been something to worry about.

And the truth that “God is love” helps us better understand the idea that God’s government, how He rules all the creation, is reflective of that love. Love permeates the cosmos, perhaps even more than gravity does. God loves us; and we, too, are to love God back, in return (see Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:30).

Love, though, to be love, must be freely given. God cannot force love; the moment He does it’s no longer love. Hence, when God created intelligent and rational beings in heaven and on earth with the ability to love, the risk always existed that they might not love Him back. Some didn’t — and, hence, the origins of what we know as the great controversy.

Why do the following texts make sense only in the context of the freedom, and the risk, involved with love? (Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-17, Revelation 12:7).

Especially insightful is Ezekiel 28:15, which shows that though this angel, Lucifer, was a perfect being created by a perfect God, iniquity was found in him. It was not because He had been created with that iniquity to begin with. Instead, created with the ability to love, Lucifer had true moral freedom, and despite all that he had been given (“Every precious stone was your covering”), this angel wanted more. One thing led to another until, well, there was “war in heaven.”

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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