Daily Lesson for Thursday 1st of February 2024

These psalms lament the current prosperity of the wicked and the challenge that this fact poses to the righteous. The wicked not only prosper but at times also openly despise God and oppress others. The perplexing issue is that while “the scepter of wickedness” (Psalms 125:3, NKJV) dominates the world, the “scepter of righteousness” (Psalms 45:6, NKJV) seems to be failing. Why not, then, give up and embrace evil as others do?

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While the psalmist in Psalms 73:1-28 remained focused on the current iniquity in the world, he was unable to see the big picture from God’s point of view. The problem that the prosperity of evil posed to his faith was overwhelming; he believed, also, that his argument about the uselessness of faith was based on reality.

However, Psalms 73:1-28 shows that “these things mock those who ignore the first verse of this psalm, which is the summary of the whole psalm: ‘How good the God of Israel is to those who are upright in heart!’ ”—Johannes Bugenhagen, Reformation Commentary on Scripture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018), p. 11.

The psalmist is led to the sanctuary, the place of God’s sovereign rule, and was reminded there that “today” is only one piece of the mosaic, and he should consider the “end,” when the wicked will face God’s judgment. The fact that the psalmist understood this truth in the sanctuary and confessed his previous folly shows that reality can be grasped only by spiritual insight and not by human logic.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-05-lest-the-righteous-be-tempted/

Join It Is Written Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this quarter’s author, Dragoslava Santrac, as they provide additional insights into this week’s Sabbath School lesson, “The Lord Reigns.”

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/5-singing-the-lords-song-in-a-strange-land-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/

View an in-depth discussion of Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris.  
Click on the image below to view the video:

With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/5-singing-the-lords-song-in-a-strange-land-hopess-video-discussion/

Daily Lesson for Wednesday 31st of January 2024

Psalms 77:1-20 begins with a plea to God for help that is filled with lament and painful remembering of the past (Psalms 77:1-6). The psalmist’s whole being is mournfully turned to God. He refuses to be comforted by any relief except the one coming from God.

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However, remembering God appears to intensify his anguish. “When I remember God, I moan” (Psalms 77:3, ESV). Hebrew hamah, “moan,” often depicts the roar of raging waters (Psalms 46:3). Similarly, the psalmist’s whole being is in a state of intense unrest.

How can remembering God produce such strong feelings of distress? A series of troubling questions betray the cause of his anguish (Psalms 77:7-9): Has God changed? Can God possibly betray His covenant?

The stark contrast between God’s saving acts in the past and God’s apparent absence in the present causes the psalmist to feel abandoned by God. If God has changed, then the psalmist has no hope, a conclusion that he struggles to reject.

Meanwhile, the psalmist cannot sleep because the Lord keeps him awake (Psalms 77:4). This recalls other biblical characters whose insomnia was providentially used by God to advance His purposes (Genesis 41:1-8, Esther 6:1, Daniel 2:1-3). The long sleepless night causes the psalmist to consider the Lord’s past acts of deliverance but with new resolve (Psalms 77:5,10).

The assurance that the psalmist receives from God does not consist of explanations about his personal situation but rather a confirmation of God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness (like Job). The psalmist is encouraged to wait on the Lord in faith, knowing that He is the same God who performed miracles in Israel’s past (Psalms 77:11-18). The psalmist also realizes that “Your footsteps were not known” (Psalms 77:19, NKJV), recognizing God’s guidance, even in situations in which His presence is not obvious to human eyes. The psalmist acknowledges that God is simultaneously revealed and hidden, and so, he offers praise to the Lord’s mysterious and sovereign ways.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-05-has-his-promise-failed-forevermore/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 30th of January 2024

Not only does personal and communal sufferings trouble the psalmist but also, if not more, God’s seeming lack of attention to His servants’ hardships. God’s absence is felt like intense thirst in a dry land (Psalms 42:1-3, Psalms 63:1) and mortal anguish (Psalms 102:2-4). The psalmist feels removed from God and compares himself to lonely birds. “I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop” (Psalms 102:6-7, NKJV).

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The mention of wilderness highlights the sense of isolation from God. A bird “alone on a housetop” is outside of its nest, its resting place. The psalmist cries to God “out of the depths,” as if being engulfed by mighty waters and sinking into a “deep mire” (Psalms 69:1-3, Psalms 130:1). These images depict an oppressive situation from which there is no escape, except by divine intervention.

It is remarkable that the psalmists resolve not to keep silent in the face of God’s silence. The psalmists unswervingly believe in prayer because prayer is directed to the living and gracious God. God is still there, even when He is apparently absent. He is still the same God who heard them in the past, and so, they are confident that He hears them now.

The occasions of God’s silence cause the psalmists to examine themselves and to seek God, but with confession and humble petitions. They know that God will not remain silent forever. The Psalms demonstrate that communication with God must go on, regardless of life’s circumstances.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-05-where-is-god/