Daily Lesson for Wednesday 26th of November 2025

The land was so central to the existence of Israel as God’s people that it could not be apportioned as a whole. It had to be divided by tribes, clans, and families (Numbers 34:13-18) in order to prevent it from becoming the possession of a few leading elites.

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

By contrast with Egypt, where citizens regularly lost their land and became Pharaoh’s serfs, the purpose of God for the Israelites was that they would never become indefinitely disenfranchised. Nobody, outside the clan and family to whom it had been originally allotted, could own the land. In fact, according to God’s plan, the land could literally never be sold; it could only be leased according to its value established by the number of years left until the next jubilee. Therefore, the relatives of a person who was obliged to “sell” his ancestral land had the duty to redeem it even before the jubilee (Leviticus 25:25).

The allotment of the land becomes a window into God’s heart. As our heavenly Father, He wants His children to be generous with those who are less fortunate and to allow their lands to feed them every seventh year. The sabbatical year applied the principle of the Sabbath commandment on a larger scale. Besides valuing and encouraging hard work, ownership of the land also calls for respect and kindness to those facing financial challenges.

Land ownership legislation provided every Israelite with the opportunity to be freed from inherited or self-induced oppressive circumstances and to have a fresh start in life.

In essence, this is the main purpose of the gospel: to erase the distinction between rich and poor, employer and employee, privileged and underprivileged, putting us all on equal footing by recognizing our complete need of God’s grace.

Unfortunately, Israel neglected to keep the standard set by God and, after centuries, the warnings of dispossession were fulfilled (2 Chronicles 36:20-21).

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25d-09-the-jubilee/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25d-09-the-jubilee

Join It Is Written Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this quarter’s author, Dr. Barna Magyarosi, as they provide additional insights into this week’s Sabbath School lesson.”

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/9-heirs-of-promises-prisoners-of-hope-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=9-heirs-of-promises-prisoners-of-hope-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author

View an in-depth discussion of 9: Heirs of Promises: Prisoners of Hope 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/9-9-heirs-of-promises-prisoners-of-hope-hope-sabbath-school-video-discussion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=9-9-heirs-of-promises-prisoners-of-hope-hope-sabbath-school-video-discussion

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 25th of November 2025

Given that for centuries the Israelites had been living as slaves, their military skills were inadequate to conquer the land. Not even their slave masters, the Egyptians, with their skilled and well-equipped armies, were able to occupy it permanently. The Egyptians never conquered Canaan completely because of the impregnability of the walled cities. Now a nation of former slaves is told to conquer a land that their former masters were unable to subdue. If they are ever to possess the land, it will be through God’s grace alone, not through their own effort.

Image © Steve Creitz from GoodSalt.com

Joshua 13:1-33 through 21 deals with the division of the land to the various tribes of Israel. This allotment tells the Israelites not only what has been apportioned to them but also what still must be occupied within that territory. The Israelites can securely live in the land that God has given to them as an inheritance. They are the rightful and legitimate tenants of the land under God’s ownership. Yet, God’s initiative must be matched by human response. The first half of the book shows how God gave the land by dispossessing the Canaanites; the second half reports on how Israel took the land by settling it.

This complexity of the conquest illustrates the dynamics of our salvation. Similar to Israel, we cannot do anything to earn our salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a gift, just as the land was God’s gift to the Israelites based on their covenantal relationship with Him. It certainly wasn’t based on their merits (see Deuteronomy 9:5).

However, for the Israelites to enjoy God’s gift, they had to assume all the responsibilities that came with living in the land, just as we have to go through the process of our sanctification in loving obedience to the requirements of being citizens of God’s kingdom. Though not the same thing, the parallel between their being given the land by grace and our being given salvation by grace are close enough. We have been given a wonderful gift, but it is something that we can forfeit if we are not careful.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25d-09-the-challenge-of-the-land/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25d-09-the-challenge-of-the-land

As we work our way through the book of Joshua this quarter, we will see that he is ready to 
Fight The Good Fight – Hymn 613 and to move forward into the Promised Land. We may still use last quarter’s theme hymn as this will pop up throughout this quarter as well: 
Hymn 620 – On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand. These two hymns will resound throughout the quarter.

Israel often slumbered and slept in all their travels to the Promised Land, which is what we find in the beginning of 
Hymn 594 – Heirs Of The Kingdom. May we all be awake to go to the New Earth when Jesus comes to take us to the Promised Land.

The land that the people travelled through “reminded the people of their constant dependence on God”, which reminds us that 
I Need Thee Every Hour – Hymn 483. Monday continues saying that “all humans are strangers and sojourners” as we find in 
Hymn 444 – I’m A Pilgrim and 
Hymn 445 – I’m But A Stranger Here.

As discussed on Tuesday and Wednesday, with all the un-Godly choices made by the travelers, we find 
Marvelous Grace – Hymn 109 is given to them, just as we are able to receive today.

Thursday gives us the great reminder that 
Jesus Is Coming Again – Hymn 213, which is “the ultimate fulfillment of all the promises”.

It is with great joy we find our Sister White encourages us that “the heavenly Shepherd leads His flock to fountains of living waters”: 
Hymn 545 – Saviour, Like A Shepherd, so that we can go to 
Jerusalem, My Happy Home – Hymn 420.

Please continue to search the scriptures this week to be blessed, and to bless others.

 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/Search 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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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/9-heirs-or-promises-prisoners-of-hope-singing-with-inspiration/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=9-heirs-or-promises-prisoners-of-hope-singing-with-inspiration