Deuteronomy 7:7

Jewish tradition has taught that God made the covenant with Israel only because other nations rejected it first. Though there is no biblical evidence for that position, it does, however, help bring home the point that for whatever reasons the Lord chose the Hebrew nation, it was not because they were deserving of the high honor and privilege the Lord bestowed upon them.

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They had no merit of their own that would make them worthy of God’s love and His choice of them as His people. They were few in number, a group of enslaved tribes, and politically and militarily weak. Plus, in terms of culture and religion, they were mixed, bland, and without much influence. The basic cause, then, for Israel’s election lay in the mystery of God’s love and grace.

At the same time, however, we need to be careful as we look at this idea of election, because it is fraught with the potential for theological misunderstanding. What did God choose Israel for? Was it to be redeemed, while everyone else was chosen to be rejected and lost? Or were they chosen to be vehicles who would offer the world what they had been offered? How do the following verses help us to understand the answers to these questions?

Exodus 19:6

Isaiah 56:7

Hebrews 2:9

As Seventh-day Adventists, we like to view ourselves as the modern-day counterpart of Israel, called by the Lord, not to be the only ones redeemed but to proclaim the message of redemption, in the context of the three angels’ messages, to the world. In short, we believe we have something to say that no one else is saying. This is, basically, the situation with ancient Israel, as well. The purpose of Israel’s election was not to turn the Hebrew nation into some exclusive club, hoarding the promise of salvation and redemption for themselves. On the contrary, if we believe that Christ died for all humanity (Hebrews 2:9), then the redemption the Lord offered Israel was offered to the whole world as well. Israel was supposed to be the vehicle by which this redemption was to be made known. Our church has been called to do the same thing.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: Exod. 19:6, Isa. 56:7, Heb. 2:9, Deut. 4:13, Deut. 10:13, Amos 3:3, Gen. 18:19.

Memory Text: “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9, NIV).

One of the important phrases in Psalm 23 indicates where God desires to lead us. “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake,” David declares in verse 3 (emphasis supplied). Because of His own moral uprightness, God will never lead us astray. He will provide safe paths for our spiritual walk through life.

What are the safe “paths of righteousness”? A writer of another psalm answers this question through a prayer request: “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight” (Ps. 119:35, emphasis supplied). “All thy commandments are righteousness” (Ps. 119:172). God’s law is a safe, firm path through the treacherous swamp of human existence.

Our lesson this week centers on God’s law and its place in the Sinai covenant.

The Week at a Glance: What did Israel’s election mean? How does Israel’s election parallel our own? How important was the law in the covenant? Does the covenant come unconditionally? Why is obedience such an integral part of the covenant relationship?

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 22.

Sunday–>

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Support for the mission activities of the Seventh-day Adventist church has always been part of the Sabbath School program. This video is Mission Spotlight for this week.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44gUzpfS_VY&w=560&h=315]

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“Let’s Go to Church!”

By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission

Something curious happened once Dr. Hernando Díaz began working at the Seventh-day Adventist clinic on the campus of Colombia Adventist University in Medellin, Colombia. He couldn’t stop praising God.

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Hernando had long been a Christian, but he had never loved God so much. When no one would hire him as a physician, the Adventist Medical Center offered him a flexible schedule that allowed him to spend as much time as he needed with his critically ill 2-year-old son, Samuel.

His love for God overflowed. He prayed with every patient who consented. He told everyone who would listen that God had miraculously saved his son’s life and marvelously provided him with the job at the clinic. He invited people to the university church, where he and his family regularly worshiped on Sabbath even though they weren’t Adventists.

One Sabbath after his baptism, Hernando stopped at a red light as he was driving the family to church. A street vendor approached the car holding packs of chewing gum for sale. The sight was typical in Medellin, but Hernando had an unusual response. When he rolled down the window, the street vendor eagerly came up to him, hoping to make a sale. Hernando didn’t mention the chewing gum at all. “Let’s go to church!” he said.

The street vendor didn’t hesitate. “Let’s go!” he said.

Hernando could tell from the street vendor’s accent that he was from Venezuela. Thousands of Venezuelans have crossed the border into neighboring Colombia to look for work amid an economic crisis at home.

Hernando shared his personal testimony with the street vendor as they traveled to the university church.

The next Sabbath, the Venezuelan man returned to church with his own family. He and his family never missed a Sabbath. He now cooks and sells food on the street outside the Adventist Medical Center, using a food cart donated by church members. He and his family are taking baptismal classes. Hernando is praying that the family will give their hearts to Jesus, joining the six other people who have been baptized through his efforts.

Hernando said it isn’t difficult to lead people to Jesus. He follows the instructions that Jesus gave to the formerly demon-possessed man: “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you” (Mark 5:19; NKJV).

“I haven’t stopped glorying God with my personal testimony,” Hernando said. “It has touched many hearts.”

This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open a missionary training center at Colombia Adventist University.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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Further Thought:

Read Ellen G. White, “The Exodus,” pages 281-290; “From the Red Sea to Sinai,” pages 291-302; “The Law Given to Israel,” pages 303-314, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

“The spirit of bondage is engendered by seeking to live in accordance with legal religion, through striving to fulfill the claims of the law in our own strength.

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There is hope for us only as we come under the Abrahamic covenant, which is the covenant of grace by faith in Christ Jesus. The gospel preached to Abraham, through which he had hope, was the same gospel that is preached to us today, through which we have hope. Abraham looked unto Jesus, who is also the Author and the Finisher of our faith.” — Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1077.

“During the bondage in Egypt many of the Israelites had, to a great extent, lost the knowledge of God’s law, and had mingled its precepts with heathen customs and traditions. God brought them to Sinai, and there with His own voice declared His law.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 334.

Discussion Questions:

Summary:

The covenant God formed with Israel at Sinai was a covenant of grace. Having given abundant evidence of His gracious love and care by an extraordinary deliverance from Egyptian slavery, God invited the nation into a covenant with Him that would maintain and promote their freedoms. Although Israel responded in the affirmative, they lacked a true faith motivated by love. Their later history indicates that, for the most part, they failed to understand the true nature of the covenant and corrupted it into a salvation-by-works system. We need not follow Israel’s failure and ignore the marvelous grace which has been extended to sinners.

<–Thursday

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