Daily Lesson for Monday 27th of January 2025

God becomes angry at evil because God is love. God is so compassionate and gracious that one biblical prophet even chastised God for being too merciful!

Image © Kim Justinen at Goodsalt.com

Jonah’s reaction to God’s mercy is telling in two primary ways. First, it displays Jonah’s own hardheartedness. He hated the Assyrians so much for what they had done to Israel that he did not want God to show them any mercy.

What a lesson for us! We must be careful to guard against this same attitude, however understandable it may be. Of all people, those who have received the grace of God should recognize unmerited grace and thus be willing to extend grace to others.

Secondly, Jonah’s reaction reinforces how central God’s compassion and grace are to His character. So familiar was Jonah with God’s mercy that—precisely because God is “gracious and merciful” and “slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness” (Jonah 4:2, NKJV)—Jonah knew that the Lord would relent from bringing judgment against Nineveh. God deals justly and mercifully with all peoples and nations.

The Hebrew phrase translated “slow to anger” or “longsuffering” could be literally translated “long of nose.” In Hebrew idiom, anger was metaphorically associated with the nose, and the length of nose metaphorically images how long it takes for one to become angry.

References to God as “long of nose,” then, convey that God is slow to anger and long-suffering. While it does not take long for humans to become angry, God is exceedingly long-suffering and patient, and bestows grace freely and abundantly, yet without justifying sin or turning a blind eye to injustice. Instead, God Himself makes atonement for sin and evil via the cross so that He can be both just and the justifier of those who believe in Him (Romans 3:25-26).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-05-god-is-slow-to-anger/

The studies in this quarter’s pamphlet encourage us to see God’s Love and Justice, just as we may sing in
Hymn 79 – O Love of God, How Strong and True! which is a beautiful theme hymn for our studies.

Our theme hymn returns again and again this week and reminds us constantly that there is 
Nothing Between – Hymn 322 us and our Saviour.

Even though our gracious God is grieved by our evil habits (Sunday), He gives abundantly such 
Marvelous Grace – Hymn 109 and shows we see how 
Great Is Thy Faithfulness – Hymn 100 toward us.

As our human race has decisions to be made (Wednesday), it is our choice to say
Lord, I Have Made Thy Word My Choice – Hymn 273.

Thursday we are encouraged that “there will never again be divine wrath because never again will there be the need for it” as there is coming a 
Day of Judgment, Day Of Wonders! – Hymn 418 as we will see that 
The Judgment Is Set – Hymn 416. Oh, the joy that “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:9, NKJV) – 
To The Name That Brings Salvation – Hymn 646.

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/5-the-wrath-of-divine-love-singing-with-inspiration/

Daily Lesson for Sunday 26th of January 2025

The God of the Bible loves justice and hates evil. Sin and evil, therefore, provoke Him to passion, a passion expressed on behalf of those oppressed and abused, and even in cases in which one’s evil affects primarily oneself. God hates evil because evil always hurts His creatures, even if self-inflicted. In the biblical narratives, God is repeatedly provoked to anger by what biblical scholars refer to as the cycle of rebellion. This cycle goes as follows:

Image © Rolf Jansson at Goodsalt.com

The people rebel against God and do evil, sometimes even horrendous atrocities, such as child sacrifice and other abominations in His sight.

God withdraws according to the people’s decisions.

The people are oppressed by foreign nations.

The people cry to God for deliverance.

God graciously delivers the people.

The people rebel against God again, often more egregiously than before.

In the face of this cycle of egregious evil and infidelity, however, God repeatedly meets human unfaithfulness, but with unending faithfulness, long-suffering forbearance, amazing grace, and deep compassion.

According to the Bible, love and justice are intertwined. Divine anger is the proper response of love against evil because evil always hurts someone whom God loves. There is no instance in Scripture where God is arbitrarily or unfairly wrathful or angry.

And while God’s people repeatedly forsook and betrayed Him, over the centuries God continued patiently to bestow compassion beyond all reasonable expectations (Nehemiah 9:7-33), thus demonstrating the unfathomable depth of His long-suffering compassion and merciful love. Indeed, according to Psalms 78:38, God, “being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath” (NKJV).

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-05-grieved-by-evil/

Daily Lesson for Sabbath 25th of January 2025

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study: Psalms 78:1-72; Jonah 4:1-4; Matthew 10:8; Matthew 21:12-13; Jeremiah 51:24-25; Romans 12:17-21.

Memory Text:

“But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath” (Psalms 78:38, NKJV).

Though God’s compassion is often celebrated, many find the idea of His wrath disturbing. If God is love, they think He should never express wrath. That notion, however, is false. His wrath arises directly from His love.

Some claim that the Old Testament God is a God of wrath and that the New Testament God is a God of love. But there is only one God, and He is revealed as the same in both Testaments. The God who is love does become angry at evil—but precisely because He is love. Jesus Himself expressed profound anger against evil, and the New Testament teaches numerous times about the righteous and appropriate wrath of God.

God’s anger is always His righteous and loving response against evil and injustice. Divine wrath is righteous indignation motivated by perfect goodness and love, and it seeks the flourishing of all creation. God’s wrath is simply the appropriate response of love to evil and injustice. Accordingly, evil provokes God to passion in favor of the victims of evil and against its perpetrators. Divine wrath, then, is another expression of divine love.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 1.

Sunday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25a-05-the-wrath-of-divine-love/

Join the HIt the Mark panel as they discuss Sabbath School Lesson 4 – God Is Passionate and Compassionate. It’s the fastest hour of the week!

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/god-is-passionate-and-compassionate-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/