Key Thought: God’s law was an integral part of the covenant. Law is a means by which grace is manifested and expressed in the lives of those who receive grace.
May 22, 2021

1. Have a volunteer read Deuteronomy 4:13.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. How closely is God’s covenant linked to His law?
3. Personal Application: Can you have a love relationship with someone without any rules to guide you? Why or why not? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “If the Old Covenant is linked to the Ten Commandments, then the New Covenant destroyed the need for obedience to the Ten Commandments. The New Covenant is based on grace, not law.” How would you respond to your friend?

2. Have a volunteer read Deuteronomy 10:12,13.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Why is the law- teaching and instruction – good for us and our children and society?
3. Personal Application: What kind of laws or rules do you have in your household that make sense to you and help keep it running smoothly? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: “I see rules and laws as being restrictive to my freedom and ability to have independent thought and action. I want to choose my own boundaries. I can’t see how that can hurt anyone.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Malachi 3:6, James 1:17, Amos 3:3..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What does the presence of God’s law in the covenant relationship teach us about God’s essential nature?
3. Personal Application: In what ways are marriage vows between a husband and wife similar to the covenant between God and His people? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “If the law can’t save us from sin, why is it part of the agreement between God and men?“ How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Deuteronomy 5:33..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. How do blessings and obedience relate to each other here? Does obedience earn blessings?
3. Personal Application: Is it possible that we run the risk of making ourselves ineffective because we do not uphold the law and make it honorable?” Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

Amen!(1)

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Deuteronomy 7:7

Jewish tradition has taught that God made the covenant with Israel only because other nations rejected it first. Though there is no biblical evidence for that position, it does, however, help bring home the point that for whatever reasons the Lord chose the Hebrew nation, it was not because they were deserving of the high honor and privilege the Lord bestowed upon them.

Image © Kim Justinen at Goodsalt.com

They had no merit of their own that would make them worthy of God’s love and His choice of them as His people. They were few in number, a group of enslaved tribes, and politically and militarily weak. Plus, in terms of culture and religion, they were mixed, bland, and without much influence. The basic cause, then, for Israel’s election lay in the mystery of God’s love and grace.

At the same time, however, we need to be careful as we look at this idea of election, because it is fraught with the potential for theological misunderstanding. What did God choose Israel for? Was it to be redeemed, while everyone else was chosen to be rejected and lost? Or were they chosen to be vehicles who would offer the world what they had been offered? How do the following verses help us to understand the answers to these questions?

Exodus 19:6

Isaiah 56:7

Hebrews 2:9

As Seventh-day Adventists, we like to view ourselves as the modern-day counterpart of Israel, called by the Lord, not to be the only ones redeemed but to proclaim the message of redemption, in the context of the three angels’ messages, to the world. In short, we believe we have something to say that no one else is saying. This is, basically, the situation with ancient Israel, as well. The purpose of Israel’s election was not to turn the Hebrew nation into some exclusive club, hoarding the promise of salvation and redemption for themselves. On the contrary, if we believe that Christ died for all humanity (Hebrews 2:9), then the redemption the Lord offered Israel was offered to the whole world as well. Israel was supposed to be the vehicle by which this redemption was to be made known. Our church has been called to do the same thing.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Amen!(0)

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