Daily Lesson for Friday 16th of February 2024

Read Ellen G. White, “The Sinner’s Need of Christ,” pages 17–22, in Steps to Christ.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

In the Psalms, the voices of God’s people join as one in repeating the chorus “His mercy endures forever” in celebration of God’s eternal love (Psalms 106:1, NKJV; Psalms 107:1, NKJV; Psalms 118:1-4,29, NKJV; Psalms 136:1-26, NKJV). “Not to praise God would mean to forget all His benefits, not to appreciate God’s gifts. Only those who praise do not forget. Thinking and speaking about God is not yet praising Him. Praise begins when one acknowledges God’s majesty and works and responds with adoration of His goodness, mercy, and wisdom.”—Hans LaRondelle, Deliverance in the Psalms, p. 178.

The significance of the solemn confession of God’s enduring mercy gains even deeper significance when we remember that God’s khesed—namely His covenantal loving-kindness and faithfulness—stands firm and unchanging amid human sin and rebellion against God.

“We have sinned against Him, and are undeserving of His favor; yet He Himself has put into our lips that most wonderful of pleas, ‘Do not abhor us, for Thy name’s sake; do not disgrace the throne of Thy glory; remember, break not Thy covenant with us.’ Jeremiah 14:21. When we come to Him confessing our unworthiness and sin, He has pledged Himself to give heed to our cry. The honor of His throne is staked for the fulfillment of His word unto us.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 148.

Experiencing God’s graciousness to him (Psalms 103:2) encourages the psalmist to say that “the Lord executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed” (Psalms 103:6, NKJV; emphasis supplied). Thus, the final aim of the psalmist’s personal testimony, and praise of God’s mercy in his life, is to reassure others of God’s loving-kindness so that they, too, can open their hearts to God and receive His saving grace and praise God (Psalms 9:11-12; Psalms 22:22-27; Psalms 66:16).

Discussion Questions

1. What are the practical implications of the fact that God’s mercy is everlasting for the people’s salvation? Why does this not mean that one can continue sinning because God’s mercy is forever?
2. How do we reconcile God’s forgiveness of our sins with the idea of God’s judgment on sin?
3. How do the expressions of God’s mercy in the New Testament fit with those in the Psalms (Ephesians 2:4-5; 1 Timothy 1:16; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 4:16)?

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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/7-your-mercy-reaches-unto-the-heavens-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/

View an in-depth discussion of Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens 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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Daily Lesson for Thursday 15th of February 2024

Psalms 103:1-22 enumerates the Lord’s manifold blessings. The blessings include “all his benefits” (Psalms 103:2) for a flourishing life (Psalms 103:3-6). These blessings are grounded in God’s gracious character and in His faithfulness to His covenant with Israel (Psalms 103:7-18). The Lord “remembers” human frailty and transience and has compassion on His people (see Psalms 103:13-17).

Image © Jeff Preston at Goodsalt.com

Remembering is more than mere cognitive activity. It involves a commitment that is expressed in action: God delivers and sustains His people (Psalms 103:3-13). The powerful images in Psalms 103:1-22:11-16 illustrate the immeasurable greatness of God’s grace, which can be compared only to the infinite vastness of the heavens (Isaiah 55:9).

How, then, should people respond to God’s loving-kindness?

First, by blessing the Lord (Psalms 103:1-2).

Blessing is generally understood as an act of bestowing material and spiritual benefits upon someone (Genesis 49:25, Psalms 5:12). Because God is the Source of all blessings, how can human beings bless God? An inferior can bless a superior as a means of thanking or praising him (1 Kings 8:66, Job 29:13). God blesses people by conferring good on them, and people bless God by praising the good in Him; that is, by revering Him for His gracious character.

Second, by remembering all His benefits and His covenant (Psalms 103:2, 18–22), just as the Lord remembers the feeble human condition and His covenant with His people (Psalms 103:3–13). Remembering is a crucial aspect of the relationship between God and His people. Just as God remembers His promises to the people, so the people are indebted to remember God’s faithfulness and respond to God with love and obedience.

With this idea in mind, these famous words of Ellen G. White are so appropriate: “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point, and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones. As we thus dwell upon His great sacrifice for us, our confidence in Him will be more constant, our love will be quickened, and we shall be more deeply imbued with His spirit. If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 83.

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Daily Lesson for Wednesday 14th of February 2024

Psalms 113:1-9 and Psalms 123:1-4 praise both the majesty and mercy of the Lord. The Lord’s majesty is revealed in the greatness of His name and in the exalted place of His throne, which is above all nations and above the heavens (Psalms 113:4-5; Psalms 123:1). “Who is like the Lord our God” (Psalms 113:5, NKJV) is a statement of faith that no power within or outside of the world can challenge the God of Israel.

Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com

The unapproachable heights where the Lord dwells are illustrated through the fact that the Lord is willing to “humble Himself” or “stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth” (see Psalms 113:6, NIV; emphasis supplied). God’s abiding on high does not prevent Him from seeing what is occurring here below. The Lord’s mercy is manifested in His gracious readiness to be involved with the world and to save the needy and poor from their troubles. His generous hand is obviously not hidden from His servants though His dwelling place is in the distant heavens.

God’s greatness and care, which cannot be fully discerned in God’s amazing transcendence, becomes explicit in God’s deeds of mercy and compassion. The needy, the poor, and the oppressed might experience firsthand God’s sovereign power in the remarkable reversals that He can perform in their favor. The exalted God manifests His greatness by using His power to exalt the downcast. The people are free to approach the Lord because His sovereign majesty and supremacy do not change the fact that He is their gracious Creator and Sustainer and that the people are His servants, His beloved children.

Worship is, thus, motivated, not only by God’s magnificence but also by His goodness. Praise is not limited by time and space (Psalms 113:2-3). God’s greatness and mercy are best manifested in Jesus Christ, who was willing to stoop down from heaven and be brought as low as death on the cross in order to lift up fallen humanity (Philippians 2:6-8). Here, in the Cross, we have the greatest reasons possible to worship and praise God for what He had done for us.

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