Inside Story for Friday 4th of July 2025

By Andrew McChesney

Peter Siamikobo enjoyed digging for rats in a mountainous village in Zambia. The boy and his family ate the rodents with maize-meal porridge at mealtime. They also enjoyed eating pigs and bubble fish. Pork was always on the table at Christmas. Bubble fish was popular for its boneless meat.

So, it came as a surprise to Peter when he learned that the Bible prohibited his favorite meats.

He heard about unclean food for the first time when he traveled about 20 miles from his hometown to visit a brother who was working at a farm operated by Seventh-day Adventist missionaries from the United States. He stayed for Sabbath worship services, and the preacher spoke about the clean and unclean animals of Leviticus 11:1-47. Peter realized that he and his family were following a meal plan that didn’t match the Bible’s teaching.

After a while, the missionaries began to hold worship services in Peter’s elementary school on Sabbath afternoons. Peter attended the meetings, even though he had to walk two miles to reach the school.

His parents, however, discouraged him from going and reminded him that he had been baptized as a baby. Father even ordered him to work on the family farm on Saturdays. Peter didn’t know anything about Sabbath observance, and he quickly did his work in the morning so he go to the afternoon meeting.

In high school, Peter made new friends from Adventist families. He studied the Bible with them and gave his heart to Jesus in baptism by immersion. He stopped eating rats, pork, and bubble fish.

Over time, his parents grew to appreciate the seventh-day Sabbath. They understood why he didn’t eat unclean meat. Every Sabbath that he was at home, they encouraged him not to be late for Sabbath School.

Today, there is an Adventist church in Peter’s town. Through the Adventist influence, many townspeople have stopped eating unclean food.

Peter is grateful that he learned as a boy about the importance of healthy living and glorifying God with his diet. After all, 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (NKJV).

“Thank Jesus for saving me from unclean food,” said Peter, a church elder and head of the Social Sciences Department at Rusangu Secondary School, a Seventh-day Adventist high school, in Zambia.

Pray for the gospel to be proclaimed in Zambia and other countries in the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division, the recipient of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-01-inside-story-no-rats-for-lunch/

Daily Lesson for Friday 4th of July 2025

Further Thought:

Read Ellen G. White, “Moses,” Pages 241–251, in Patriarchs and Prophets, which will give you significant insights into the studied portion of the biblical text for this week.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

The biblical text states that “the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive” (Exodus 1:17, NKJV). Ellen G. White aptly comments on the faithfulness of the midwives and the Messianic hope: “Orders were issued to the women whose employment gave them opportunity for executing the command, to destroy the Hebrew male children at their birth. Satan was the mover in this matter. He knew that a deliverer was to be raised up among the Israelites; and by leading the king to destroy their children he hoped to defeat the divine purpose. But the women feared God, and dared not execute the cruel mandate. The Lord approved their course, and prospered them.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 242.

The good news in all this is that, despite Satan’s plans, God overruled, and He used faithful people to thwart the enemy. We do live in the territory of our enemy, whom Jesus called “the prince” or “ruler of this world” (Ephesians 2:2, NKJV; John 14:30). Satan usurped this position from Adam, but Jesus Christ defeated him in His life and through His death on the cross (Matthew 4:1-11, John 19:30, Hebrews 2:14). Although Satan is still alive and active, as revealed in his attempt to kill those children, his own execution is certain (John 12:31; John 16:11; Revelation 20:9-10,14). The good news is that life’s difficulties can be overcome by God’s grace (Philippians 4:13). That grace is our only hope.

Discussion Questions

<–Thursday

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-01-further-thought-oppression-the-background-and-the-birth-of-moses/

Daily Lesson for Thursday 3rd of July 2025

What would Moses do? Would he succumb to the lure of Egypt and to the pleasures of the court, or would he endure hardship with his embattled people? Events soon forced a decision for him.

“When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well” (Exodus 2:15, NKJV).

Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com

After the killing, Moses really had no choice, at least as far as remaining in Egypt. Thus, whatever plans there were for him to ascend to the throne of Egypt and to become a “god,” those plans were quickly ended. Rather than becoming a false god, Moses would serve the true God instead. No doubt, at the time when he fled, Moses had no idea what the future held for him.

“The whole matter [of Moses’ killing the Egyptian] was quickly made known to the Egyptians, and, greatly exaggerated, soon reached the ears of Pharaoh. It was represented to the king that this act meant much; that Moses designed to lead his people against the Egyptians, to overthrow the government, and to seat himself upon the throne; and that there could be no security for the kingdom while he lived. It was at once determined by the monarch that he should die; but, becoming aware of his danger, he [Moses] made his escape and fled toward Arabia.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 247.

Moses lived 120 years (Deuteronomy 34:7), and his life can be divided into three parts of 40 years each. The first 40 years were in Egypt, much of them in the royal palace. The second 40 years he spent in Jethro’s house in the Midian territory.

It’s the last 40 years, however, that take up the bulk of the first five books of Moses (and this quarter), and they tell the story of Israel’s early calling to witness to a world steeped in idolatry, revealing the nature and character of the true God (see Deuteronomy 4:6-8).

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-01-a-change-of-plans/

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

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/1-oppression-the-background-and-the-birth-of-moses-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/

View an in-depth discussion of Oppression: The Background and the Birth of Moses 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/1-oppression-the-background-and-birth-of-moses-hope-sabbath-school-video-discussion/