Lesson 10 Nov. 28-Dec. 4 The Destruction of Jerusalem
Study this week's lesson to prepare for
Sabbath, December 5.
Web Page: http://ssnet.org/lessons/15d/less10.html
http://ssnet.org/study-guides/lesson-archives/2010-2019/2015-q4-jeremiah/
Memory Text: “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have
carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will
prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7, NIV).
Within a few short years the king of Babylon was to be used as the instrument
of God's wrath upon impenitent Judah. Again and again Jerusalem was to be invested
[surrounded] and entered by the besieging armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Company after
company-at first a few only, but later on thousands and tens of thousands-were to be
taken captive to the land of Shinar, there to dwell in enforced exile. Jehoiakim,
Jehoiachin, Zedekiah-all these Jewish kings were in turn to become vassals of the
Babylonian ruler, and all in turn were to rebel. Severer and yet more severe
chastisements were to be inflicted upon the rebellious nation, until at last the entire
land was to become a desolation, Jerusalem was to be laid waste and burned with
fire, the temple that Solomon had built was to be destroyed, and the kingdom of
Judah was to fall, never again to occupy its former position among the nations of
earth."-Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 422, 423.
As we have seen, and will see, none of this came upon them without plenty of
warnings and pleadings by the prophets, especially Jeremiah. Their refusal to obey
brought only ruin. May we learn from their mistakes!
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Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 422 – 425.
Chapter 35 – Approaching Doom
The first years of Jehoiakim's reign were filled with warnings of approaching doom.
The word of the Lord spoken by the prophets was about to be fulfilled. The Assyrian
power to the northward, long supreme, was no longer to rule the nations. Egypt on
the south, in whose power the king of Judah was vainly placing his trust, was soon to
receive a decided check. All unexpectedly a new world power, the Babylonian
Empire, was rising to the eastward and swiftly overshadowing all other nations.
Within a few short years the king of Babylon was to be used as the instrument of
God's wrath upon impenitent Judah. Again and again Jerusalem was to be
invested and entered by the besieging armies of Nebuchadnezzar. Company
after company--at first a few only, but later on thousands and tens of
thousands--were to be taken captive to the land of Shinar, there to dwell in
enforced exile. Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah--all these Jewish kings were in
turn to become vassals of the Babylonian ruler, and all in turn were to rebel.
Severer and yet more severe chastisements were to be inflicted upon the
rebellious nation, until at last the entire land was to become a desolation,
Jerusalem was to be laid waste and burned with fire, the temple that Solomon
had built was to be destroyed, and the kingdom of Judah was to fall, never
again to occupy its former position among the nations of earth.
Those times of change, so fraught with peril to the Israelitish nation, were
marked with many messages from Heaven through Jeremiah. Thus the Lord gave the
children of Judah ample opportunity of freeing themselves from entangling alliances
with Egypt, and of avoiding controversy with the rulers of Babylon. As the threatened
danger came closer, he taught the people by means of a series of acted parables,
hoping thus to arouse them to a sense of their obligation to God, and also to
encourage them to maintain friendly relations with the Babylonian government.
To illustrate the importance of yielding implicit obedience to the requirements of
God, Jeremiah gathered some Rechabites into one of the chambers of the temple
and set wine before them, inviting them to drink. As was to have been expected,
he met with remonstrance and absolute refusal. "We will drink no wine," the
Rechabites firmly declared, "for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded
us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons forever."
"Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, ill
ye not receive instruction to hearken to My words? saith the Lord. The words of
Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are
performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father's commandment."
Jeremiah 35:6, 12-14.
God sought thus to bring into sharp contrast the obedience of the
Rechabites with the disobedience and rebellion of His people. The Rechabites had
obeyed the command of their father and now refused to be enticed into
transgression. But the men of Judah had hearkened not to the words of the Lord, and
were in consequence about to suffer His severest judgments.
"I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking," the Lord declared, "but ye
hearkened not unto Me. I have sent also unto you all My servants the prophets, rising
up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and
amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in
the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your
ear, nor hearkened unto Me. Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have
performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this
people hath not hearkened unto Me: therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, the
God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of
Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken
unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not
answered." Verses 14-17.
When men's hearts are softened and subdued by the constraining influence of
the Holy Spirit, they will give heed to counsel; but when they turn from admonition
until their hearts become hardened, the Lord permits them to be led by other
influences. -Refusing the truth, they accept falsehood, which becomes a snare to
their own destruction.
Sunday November 29 Weeping for Tammuz
Though Jeremiah might have felt very much alone at times, he wasn't. God had
raised up Ezekiel, a contemporary, among the captives in Babylon, in order to
comfort and to warn the exiles as well as to confirm what the Lord had been
speaking through Jeremiah all these long and hard years. Through his ministry,
Ezekiel was to warn the captives against the folly of believing the false predictions of
an early return from Babylon. He was also to foretell, by various symbols and
messages, the devastating siege that would eventually befall Jerusalem because of
the people's refusal to repent and turn away from their sin and apostasy.
Read Ezekiel 8:1-18.
Eze 8:1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of
the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the
hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.
Elders. These may have represented a degree of civil organization preserved in captivity and
not suppressed by the Babylonians. It is possible that they, together with the exiled priests,
frequently consulted one another about public affairs. The fact that the elders came to inquire of
the Lord concerning their present state of affairs (see chs. 14:1; 33:31) makes it plain that
Ezekiel was already known as a prophet and held in respect among the captives.1
Eze 8:2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the
appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the
appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.
Eze 8:3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine
head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought
me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh
toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to
jealousy.
2. The appearance of fire. Ezekiel does not directly specify the being as human in form, but
the mention of the loins and of “the form of an hand” (v. 3) implies that such was the case. The
LXX reads “man” instead of “fire.” Ezekiel was given another theophany (see on ch. 1:1)...
3. The spirit lifted me up. We need not suppose that Ezekiel was literally transported in
body. The movements were doubtless in vision (see on Dan. 8:2). But like Paul, Ezekiel could
probably not tell whether he was out of the body or in the body (see 2 Cor. 12:3).
The door of the inner gate. This is one of the gateways that led from the court of the people
Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 602). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
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to the court of the priests...It was probably one of the most conspicuous portions of the Temple,
where the people gathered in large numbers.
Image. Heb. semel, a word occurring only here and in v. 5; Deut. 4:16 (translated “figure”);
2 Chron. 33:7, 15 (translated “idol”). Various conjectures have been made as to the identity of
this image, such as, that it represents Baal, Molech, or Astarte. But perhaps “image of jealousy”
was not designed as a proper name designating a particular heathen deity, but rather as a
descriptive name of an image that provoked the Lord to jealousy. The setting up of a rival god
in the place dedicated to the worship of Yahweh would produce such an effect. There may have
been heathen idols in the Temple at this time. A growing propensity toward idolatry had been
evident since the days of Solomon, who had erected places of worship for the various idols of
his wives “in the hill that is before Jerusalem” 1 Kings 11:7. Possibly pressure of the Assyrian
king, Ahaz had placed an idolatrous altar in the Temple itself, moving the brazen altar to the
north to make room for it (see on 2 Kings 16:10–16). Later Manasseh “built altars in the house
of the Lord” (2 Kings 21:4). With the exception of Josiah, subsequent kings of Judah were
wicked. It is altogether possible that they used the Temple area for idolatrous worship. 2
Eze 8:4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the
vision that I saw in the plain.
Eze 8:5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward
the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward
at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
Eze 8:6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even
the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go
far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater
abominations.
6. That I should go. In the Hebrew the verb is in the form of an infinitive with no subject
expressed. We may regard either the people as the ones to be removed, or the Lord as the one
who would forsake His sanctuary. The latter seems the more probable. The people placed their
confidence in the belief that God would protect His Temple and His city. The prophet was to
inform them that because of their iniquities both the city and the Temple would be given over to
destruction.
Greater abominations. A recurring refrain in this chapter (vs. 13, 15). The prophet is led
onward as through the successive stages of an intrigue of idolatry.3
Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, pp. 602–603). Review
and Herald Publishing Association.
3 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 603). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
2
Eze 8:7 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a
hole in the wall.
Eze 8:8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had
digged in the wall, behold a door.
8. Dig. This was done in vision. The object of this part of the vision was doubtless to stress the
extreme secrecy of the activities that the prophet was to see.4
Eze 8:9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that
they do here.
Eze 8:10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and
abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the
wall round about.
Eze 8:11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house
of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every
man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
11. Seventy. Possibly a round number. The group must not be confused with the Sanhedrin,
which did not come into existence till after the Captivity. The company was seen in vision, not
in actuality, and any discussion as to whether the Temple courts contained a chamber big
enough to hold so large a number is therefore beside the point.
Jaazaniah. Some have attempted to identify him with “Jaazaniah the son of Azur,” one of
the wicked princes mentioned in ch. 11:1. The identity cannot be established, nor can we be
certain that the Shaphan here mentioned was the scribe serving under King Josiah (2 Kings
22:8, 9).
Eze 8:12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of
the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for
they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
12. The Lord seeth us not. They did not deny the being the providence of God, but seemed to
think of Yahweh as a local deity who had abdicated. Ezekiel puts the philosophy of the group
into the form of a popular saying, a characteristic feature of the prophet’s style (see chs. 9:9;
11:3, 15; 12:22, 27; 18:2, 25, 29; 33:10, 24, 30; 35:12; 37:11).5
Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 603). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
5 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, pp. 603–604). Review
and Herald Publishing Association.
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Eze 8:13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater
abominations that they do.
Eze 8:14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD'S house which
was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
14. Tammuz. A deity worshiped by the Babylonians under the name Du’ūzu, variously
designated the brother or son, husband or lover, of the goddess Ishtar. Tammuz was the god of
vegetation and pasture and the patron of flocks. According to ancient tradition he died annually
and descended into the nether world. His passing was marked by the drying up of the crops,
pastures, and streams by the summer’s heat. His departure was celebrated by public festivities
of mourning and the singing of dirges in the 4th month of the Semitic year (Duzu or Tammuz,
beginning in our June or July, see Vol. II, p. 116.) Annually, too, Ishtar was believed to descend
into the underworld to awaken the dead god. His awakening and return were supposed to cause
vegetation to flourish again. The Greeks preserved a similar account in their myth of Demeter
and Persephone.
Tammuz was worshiped in Babylonia, Assyria, Phoenicia, and Palestine. In Phoenicia, the
cult took the form of the worship of Adonis (Semitic ’adon, “lord”), a local Phoenician deity,
and the name Adonis was transmitted to the Greeks, whose myth of Venus and Adonis was
passed on through the Romans. Although early tradition identified Tammuz with Adonis,
actually the worship of Adonis was only one form of the widespread worship of Tammuz.
When the cult was first adopted by the Jews is not known.
The fact that the Tammuz festival fell in the fourth month and not in the “sixth month,” the
time of Ezekiel’s vision, presents no problem. The prophet saw it in vision and was doubtless
shown representations of the wickedness practiced at various times in Jerusalem. 6
Eze 8:15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet
again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
Eze 8:16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house, and,
behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar,
were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD,
and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
Eze 8:17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light
thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit
here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me
to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 604). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
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17. Violence. Heb. chamas. The same word is used to describe the antediluvian wickedness
(Gen. 6:11). The LXX reads “lawlessness.”
Have returned. Or, “turned again,” that is, the people went back again and again to their evil
doings.
Put the branch. In the so-called “Adonis gardens” rootless flowers were put in a bowl filled
with earth, and held up before the face. The custom is pictured on a mural from Pompei.
Ancient Jewish tradition claims that the reading should be “my nose,” that is, the Lord’s nose. It
paraphrases the passage, “they put an affront upon me, by turning their back parts to me in the
place dedicated to my worship.” The LXX supports, in part, this meaning, rendering the
passage, “they are as those that mock.”7
Eze 8:18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I
have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear
them.
18. Not hear. It is too late now to avert national catastrophe. Yet, individual salvation is not
precluded. The few “that sigh and that cry for all the abominations” done in the land will be
delivered. The rest have chosen destruction by their stubborn course.
By their stubborn refusal to listen to the voice of the Lord calling them to amend their ways,
men eventually render themselves deaf to the voice of God. When that time comes God will no
longer hear them.8
What was the prophet shown? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: The prophet was
shown the abominations and sins of the people from the highest office to
the least.
What does this tell us about how powerful the prevailing culture can be, and
how it can impact even the most sacred things? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: it
tells us that the was very corrupting and pervasive. It blinded their eyes
and demoralized their natures. They had lost sight of the true God while
maintain a semblance of religiosity.
What warnings should be here for us? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: it should
warn us to not take our eyes of Jesus. Especially the leaders should direct
the people in the straight and narrow way of God’s revealed will. It warns
us to not assimilate into the customs and values of the culture or society.
No matter how often, and clearly, the writings of Moses and the prophets
warned against idolatry and worshiping other gods, these verses show that this is
exactly what was being done, even within the sacred precincts of the temple.
Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 604). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
8 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 604). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
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“Weeping for Tammuz” was a lamentation ritual for a Mesopotamian god. No wonder
2 Chronicles said: “Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people,
transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the
house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem” (2 Chron. 36:14).
Look carefully at Ezekiel 8:12. The translation about the chambers of their own
“imagery” is a little ambiguous. It could mean the chambers where they stored their
own idols, or it could mean the chambers of their own imagination, their own hearts.
Either way, the elders, the leaders, had fallen so far that they said the Lord didn't
see what they were doing, that the Lord had abandoned them. It is another way of
saying, “The Lord doesn't care about these things; they aren't important.” Right
there, in the sacred precincts of God's temple, these people engaged in the grossest
idolatry, doing everything that they had specifically been forbidden by God's words
to do. Even worse, in their own minds they justified their deeds. Here we see again
what Paul meant when he talked about those who worshiped the creation instead of
the Creator (see Rom. 1:22-25 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and
changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man
- and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to
dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the
lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed
forever. Amen).
Monday November 30 The Unhappy Reign of King Zedekiah
Zedekiah, whose name means “righteousness of Yahweh,” was the last king on
the throne of Judah before its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 b.c. At first he
seemed to have been willing to obey the words of Jeremiah and submit to the
Babylonians. However, this attitude did not last.
Read Jeremiah 37:1-10.
Jer 37:1 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of
Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
Made king. Zedekiah was a puppet king of the Babylonians, yet at the same time a legitimate
heir to the throne. He was no doubt required to take an oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar,
but within a few years violated that oath by entering into an alliance with various neighbor
nations against Babylon. Zedekiah and his counselors thus invited the tragedy of 586 B.C.9
Jer 37:2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken
unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.
Jer 37:3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah
the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the
Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 484). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
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LORD our God for us.
Jer 37:4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not
put him into prison.
Jer 37:5 Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the
Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from
Jerusalem.
4. Not put him into prison. Jeremiah was not imprisoned until the final siege of Jerusalem,
during the 10th year of Zedekiah (see on ch. 32:1, 2), although the siege actually began in his
9th year (ch. 39:1).
5. Then Pharaoh’s army. This incident was doubtless the outgrowth of the agreement
between Hophra (called Apries by the Greeks) and Zedekiah to resist Nebuchadnezzar (see on
Eze. 17:15). The Egyptian armies were generally well equipped with chariots and horses (Eze.
17:15; see Isa. 31:1), and capable of carrying out siege operations (Eze. 17:17).10
Jer 37:6 Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
Jer 37:7 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of
Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is
come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
Jer 37:8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take
it, and burn it with fire.
7. Shall return. Zedekiah’s appeal for Egyptian help broke his “covenant” with the
Chaldeans (Eze. 17:17, 18). The Egyptians’ approach, like Tirhakah’s during the Assyrian
invasion (2 Kings 19:9; Isa. 37:9), resulted in nothing more than a temporary suspension of
hostilities around Jerusalem.
8. Chaldeans shall come again. After Nebuchadrezzar repulsed the attempt of Apries he
returned to his attack upon Jerusalem, captured it, and utterly destroyed it (2 Kings 25:1–10; 2
Chron. 36:17–19).11
Jer 37:9 Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall
surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.
Jer 37:10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight
Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 484). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
11 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 484). Review and
Herald Publishing Association.
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against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they
rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
10. Remained but wounded. A graphic figure illustrating the certainty of Jerusalem’s doom. In
view of the fast-approaching destruction of the Temple, some of the righteous in Jerusalem
determined to place the sacred ark beyond the reach of the ruthless hands of the invading armies
(see on ch. 27:19). The present interlude in the final siege, during which the Babylonians
temporarily lifted the siege to meet the threat of an advancing army from Egypt (see on ch.
32:2), afforded these pious men the needed opportunity to hide the ark. With mourning and
sadness they secretly carried the ark to a safe hiding place in a cave, where it is “yet
hidden. It has never been disturbed since it was secreted” (PK 453). Within the ark were
the tables of stone on which God had written the Ten Commandments with His own finger
(Deut. 10:1–5). See EGW, Supplementary Material, on Ex. 31:18.
What was Jeremiah's warning to King Zedekiah? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: To
submit to Babylon and not deceive themselves in thinking that because the
Egyptians has come to help them, that they will succeed.
Under pressure from his subjects, most likely the nobility, Zedekiah ignored the
warnings of Jeremiah and made a military alliance with the Egyptians instead, in
hopes of staving off the Babylonian threat. (See Ezek. 17:15-18.) As he had been duly
warned, salvation didn't come from the Egyptians after all.
Read Jeremiah 38:1-6.
Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the
son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah
had spoken unto all the people, saying,
Jer 38:2 Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword,
by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall
live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
Jer 38:3 Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the
king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.
Jer 38:4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man
be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in
this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for
this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
Jer 38:5 Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is
not he that can do any thing against you.
Jer 38:6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the
son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah
with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in
the mire.
What happened to Jeremiah (again) because of his proclaiming the word of God
to the people? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: He was put into prison.
As Jesus said, “ 'A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among
his own kin, and in his own house' ” (Mark 6:4). Poor Jeremiah again faced the wrath
of his own countrymen. Like the rest of the nation, though, Jeremiah couldn't say
that he hadn't been warned. In this case though, the warning was about the trials
that he would face if he stayed faithful, which he did!
How difficult it must have been for Jeremiah, too, because he was accused of
weakening the morale of the nation. After all, when the people were facing an
enemy from without, whom they wanted to fight against, and Jeremiah had been
going around for years and years saying it's a lost cause, that they couldn't win, and
that even the Lord was against them-it's understandable that you would want to shut
him up. So hardened in sin, they didn't hear the voice of the Lord talking to them;
indeed, they thought it was the voice of an enemy instead.
However difficult the pit was, think about how much harder it was for
Jeremiah to hear the charge against him that he was seeking the hurt, not
the welfare, of his own people. What's it like to be accused of hurting the
very ones you are trying to help? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: It is hurtful.
You feel alone because you are the only one being accused and mad/upset
because you feel that they should be able to look at your pass relationship
with them and know better. In some ways one may feel betrayed because
you feel that they should have supported you.
Tuesday December 1
The Fall of Jerusalem
The siege of Jerusalem began in earnest in January, 588 b.c., and lasted until the
late summer of 586 b.c. Jerusalem had been able to hold out for more than two
years before Jeremiah's prophetic words were fulfilled, and the Babylonian troops
broke through the wall and destroyed the city. Starvation was so bad inside the walls
that the defenders lost all strength and couldn't resist any longer. King Zedekiah fled
with his family, but in vain. He was captured and taken to Nebuchadnezzar, who had
his sons executed before his eyes. We can read much of this sad story in Jeremiah
39:1-10.
Read Jeremiah 40:1-6.
Jer 40:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that Nebuzaradan
the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him
being bound in chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and
Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon.
Jer 40:2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The
LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.
Jer 40:3 Now the LORD hath brought it, and done according as he hath said:
because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore
this thing is come upon you.
Jer 40:4 And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon
thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I
will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon,
forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient
for thee to go, thither go.
Jer 40:5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah
the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made
governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go
wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard
gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.
Jer 40:6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and
dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.
What is the significance of the words of Nebuzaradan to Jeremiah? MY
POSSIBLE ANSWER: What was significant about his words was that he
knew that it was because of the people’s sins that God brought the
destruction upon them and that he gave Jeremiah a choice as to where to
stay, even rewarded him.
How fascinating that this pagan commander understood the situation so much
better than did Jeremiah's own people! Obviously the Babylonians knew something
about Jeremiah and his work, and they were treating him differently than they did
the others, such as Zedekiah (see Jer. 39:11-12). Just why this pagan leader
attributed the demise of Jerusalem to the Lord as a punishment for the sins of the
people rather than to the superiority of his own gods over Judah's, the text doesn't
say. Whatever the reason, it's a startling testimony to how, even amid such
unnecessary calamity, the Lord had revealed something about Himself to the pagans.
What choice would Jeremiah make-go with the captives to Babylon, or stay
behind with those remaining? Neither prospect would be particularly appealing,
considering the circumstances for them all. Certainly, though, the spiritual needs of
both groups would have been great, and Jeremiah could minister wherever he went.
Jeremiah decided to stay among the group that remained behind in the land, with
the poor people who no doubt were going to need all the encouragement and help
that they could get (see Jer. 40:6-7).
How can you learn to minister to others, regardless of the situation you are
in? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: By prayerfully asking for the mind and heart
of Jesus....by thinking of their needs first and foremost. By seeing the
recipients in the light of Christ...what would Jesus do? Put yourself in their
place.
Why is it important, even for yourself, that you minister in whatever way
you can? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: It will strengthen us...broaden our
scope of ministry. We can never tell what will come out of it. God can us to
bless that person. Outward appearance is no indicator of the true
condition that the person may be in.
Wednesday December 2 All Your Heart
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13,
NIV). What has been your own experience with this promise? What does “with all
your heart” mean? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: I have found that it is a promise
that God can be found or discovered if the seeker applies his/her entire
person to discover Him it means that God can do nothing for His people
unless they seek Him with sincerity of purpose.
The Lord knows the beginning from the end. Even while people in Jerusalem were
still fighting the Babylonians, still hoping that the words of the false prophets were
true, the Lord was using Jeremiah to speak to the future, to speak to those who
were already in Babylon and to those who would eventually be there. And what
words he spoke!
Read Jeremiah 29:1-14. “Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the
prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried
away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom
Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
1. The words of the letter. Probably not long after Jehoiachin was taken captive (see on v. 2)
this letter was sent by Jeremiah to the captives in Babylon (2 Kings 24:8–16; 2 Chron. 36:5–8;
Dan. 1:1–4). Despised and rejected by his brethren at home, Jeremiah directs his attention to the
exiles.
The residue of the elders. This shows that not all of these leading men (see Eze. 8:1; 20:1)
had gone into exile.
Jer 29:2 (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes
of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from
Jerusalem;)
Jer 29:3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of
Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon) saying,
2. After that Jeconiah. See on ch. 22:24. This was probably written in the early part of
Zedekiah’s reign, and so before the events of chs. 27 and 28 (see on chs. 27:1; 28:1).
The queen. That is, the queen mother (see on ch. 13:18); Jehoiachin’s mother, Nehushta,
wife of Jehoiakim, was captured with him (2 Kings 24:8, 12, 15).
Carpenters, and the smiths. See on ch. 24:1. 3. By the hand. These two men were evidently
friends and supporters of Jeremiah, and it was natural that Jeremiah should entrust them with
his messages to the exiles in Babylon. Elasah, called “the son of Shaphan,” was likely a brother
of Ahikam, Jeremiah’s protector (see on ch. 26:24). Gemariah was probably the son of the
Hilkiah who was the high priest during Josiah’s reign, and who found the book of the law and
was otherwise prominent in the work of reformation (see 2 Kings 22; 2 Chron. 34). The letter
was sent from Jerusalem (Jer. 29:1).
Jer 29:4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried
away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto
Babylon;
Jer 29:5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the
fruit of them;
4. I have caused. The prophet informed the exiles that their being in captivity at that time
was not contrary to God’s will, and that they should accept quietly their fate and make the best
of the situation.
5. Build ye houses. The fact that such counsel was necessary indicates that, like their
brethren in the homeland (see ch. 28), the Jewish exiles in Babylon were restless and unwilling
to yield to their Chaldean conquerors. This attitude received support from the false prophets
among them, who urged the people not to submit. Jeremiah counseled the exiles to accept
patiently their present state of subjection.
Jer 29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your
sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and
daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
Jer 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried
away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye
have peace.
6. They may bear. The birth of grandchildren in exile indicates that their captivity would last
for at least two generations. It was also revealed that they would be left in comparative peace to
pursue their ways, for their captors would permit them to possess houses and land (see on v. 5).
The royal favor extended to Daniel must have been a factor in easing the lot of the Jewish
captives.
7. Peace. See on ch. 6:14. To carry out this injunction to pray for Babylon must have been a
most difficult experience for the exiles, in view of the natural feeling of resentment the captives
would harbor against their conquerors (see Ps. 137). The Lord manifested the same kindly,
tolerant spirit toward the Chaldeans that Jesus later displayed toward the inhospitable
Samaritans (see Luke 9:54–56).
Jer 29:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets
and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your
dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
Jer 29:9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them,
saith the LORD.
Jer 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at
Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you
to return to this place.
8. Prophets and your diviners. These two classes of deceivers were carrying on their work
in Babylon as in Judea, predicting that the Jews would be speedily delivered from their captivity
(see ch. 28:1–3). The “diviners” were those who attempted to foretell the future by various
methods of interpretation of signs and omens (see on Dan. 1:20).
Ye cause to be dreamed. These deceptive dreams were, after all, those that the Israelites
wanted to hear, again emphasizing the earlier divine lament, “my people love to have it so” (see
Jer. 5:31; Isa. 30:9, 10; Micah 2:11).
9. In my name. In unholy boldness and hypocrisy these deceivers pretended to speak for
God (see on ch. 14:13).
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD,
thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jer 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I
will hearken unto you.
10. Seventy years. In denial of this illusive hope of a short captivity, God again affirms that
the Captivity will be for the full 70 years (see ch. 25:12). By this time about 10 years of the 70
had already passed by (see on ch. 25:1, 12).
I will visit you. See on Ps. 8:4; 59:5. When the 70 years would come to its end, then, and not
before, would God “perform” His “good word” of promised grace and mercy by causing His
people “to return to this place.”
11. Thoughts of peace. See on ch. 6:14. Even the captivity of the exiles would be for their
own good (see on ch. 24:5–10). God assured and comforted His people with the promise that
when the 70 years would end, His “eyes” would be “upon them for good” (ch. 24:6).
An expected end. Literally, “a latter end and an expectation.” In other words, God promises
His chosen nation that all things will come out well for them in spite of their captivity. If in
justice the Lord had to “wound” His children by means of the Captivity, in His love and mercy
He would “heal” them by means of the restoration (see Deut. 32:39; Job 5:18; Hosea 6:1).
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all
your heart.
13. With all your heart. This wonderful promise is an echo of Deut. 4:29. God makes it
plain that He can do nothing for His people unless they seek Him with sincerity of purpose.
Jer 29:14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your
captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I
have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I
caused you to be carried away captive.”
How is the love and mercy of God revealed in these texts? MY POSSIBLE
ANSWER: The love and mercy of God is seen in it He assured and
comforted His people with the promise that when the 70 years would end,
His “eyes” would be “upon them for good” (ch. 24:6). God promises His
chosen nation that all things will come out well for them in spite of their
captivity. If in justice the Lord had to “wound” His children by means of
the Captivity, in His love and mercy He would “heal” them by means of the
restoration (see Deut. 32:39; Job 5:18; Hosea 6:1).
Here was a true message of grace, unlike the false message of “grace” that the
people had heard from the prophets who told them that their exile would be over in
short order, even just two years. That was not God's plan, and it was not going to
happen. Instead, based on the clear teachings of Moses, they had to accept that this
was their fate, at least for now; but just as Moses had said, if they repented, they
would be restored to the land.
Read Deuteronomy 30:1-4. And it shall come to pass, when all these things are
come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou
shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath
driven thee,
Deu 30:2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice
according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine
heart, and with all thy soul;
Deu 30:3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have
compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations,
whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.
Deu 30:4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from
thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee:
1. Call them to mind. Literally, “bring them back to thy heart.” Note the same expression in
1 Kings 8:47. It would be necessary for them to meditate upon the causes of their exile and
their relation to Jehovah as a preliminary to their restoration to God’s favor (see Lev.
26:40; Deut. 4:29, 30).
2. Return. There must also be a turning away from sin and a return to the worship of
Jehovah (see Neh. 1:8, 9). Sincerity would be reflected in obedience.
3. Turn thy captivity. Compare Ps. 14:7; 85:1–3; 126:1, 4; Eze. 16:53. It is not a deliverance
from physical captivity that is most important, but rather deliverance from captivity to sin (see
Ps. 41:4; Jer. 3:22; 17:14; Hosea 14:4; Matt. 13:15).
4. The outmost parts of heaven. The prophet Nehemiah refers to the promise of this verse
(Neh. 1:8, 9). For a similar expression see Deut. 4:32; Ps. 19:4; Isa. 13:5. Jehovah would not
cast off His people; as individuals He has never rejected them. Dispersion was to be their
punishment. Divine chastisement always has a particular objective. When that effect is
brought about, God turns to His child with offers of, and help to accomplish, restoration (see
Job 23:10; Hosea 6:1–3; Heb. 12:11).
How do these texts reflect what Jeremiah said to the people? (See also Deut.
4:29.) MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: They reflect it the message by supporting
the same sentiment of God’s blessing being channeled to an undeserving
people who turn to Him in contrition and obedience.
We have been given the prophetic gift in the wonderful ministry of Ellen G.
White. How can we be sure that we don't show the same attitude toward
her today that many (but not all) had toward Jeremiah? MY POSSIBLE
ANSWER: We cant be sure....its left with us to not despise the messenger
of the Lord. It is a part of His plan for the building up of the body of the
church and is a means of fortifying the remnant. Rev. 12:17.
Thursday December 3
The Seventy Years
Jeremiah's prophecies should have had a double effect on the thinking of the
captives: on the one hand they should not believe what the false prophets were
saying, and on the other hand they should not be dispirited. He asked his captive
countrymen to pray for Babylon. This request might have surprised those who had
been deported. What Jeremiah was asking from the captives was unheard of in the
earlier history of Israel. It had been absolutely unknown to pray for an enemy who
had done what the Babylonians had done to them, God's chosen nation. The
prophet broke all their understandings regarding the temple and Jerusalem; they
could pray in a pagan country, and the Everlasting God would listen to them.
Notice, too, what Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 29:7: that the prosperity of their
“host” nation will mean their prosperity, too. As aliens and strangers in the land,
they were especially vulnerable if things went badly in the nation in general. All
through history, we have seen sad examples of intolerance becoming especially bad
when a nation faces hard times; people look for scapegoats, those whom they can
blame, and minorities, or aliens, often become easy targets. It is an unfortunate
reality.m
What wonderful hope is given to the exiles in Jeremiah 29:10?
For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will
visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this
place.
10. Seventy years. In denial of this illusive hope of a short captivity, God again affirms that
the Captivity will be for the full 70 years (see ch. 25:12). By this time about 10 years of the 70
had already passed by (see on ch. 25:1, 12).
I will visit you. See on Ps. 8:4; 59:5. When the 70 years would come to its end, then, and not
before, would God “perform” His “good word” of promised grace and mercy by causing His
people “to return to this place.”
11. Thoughts of peace. See on ch. 6:14. Even the captivity of the exiles would be for their
own good (see on ch. 24:5–10). God assured and comforted His people with the promise that
when the 70 years would end, His “eyes” would be “upon them for good” (ch. 24:6).
An expected end. Literally, “a latter end and an expectation.” In other words, God promises
His chosen nation that all things will come out well for them in spite of their captivity. If in
justice the Lord had to “wound” His children by means of the Captivity, in His love and
mercy He would “heal” them by means of the restoration (see Deut. 32:39; Job 5:18;
Hosea 6:1).
(See also Jer. 25:11-12; And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an
astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 2
Chron. 36:21; To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the
land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to
fulfil threescore and ten years. Dan. 9:2. In the first year of his reign I Daniel
understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD
came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the
desolations of Jerusalem.) MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: That after 70 years, God
would demonstrate favor in permitting them to return to their home land.
Everything the Lord had said would happen had happened, so, they had every reason
to trust that He would fulfill this prophecy as well (Jer. 29:10). Why 70 years would
be the exact time of their exile we don't know, though it clearly is linked to the idea
of Sabbath rest for the land (see Lev. 25:4, 26:34, 43). What's so important about
this prophecy is that, if they had taken in faith and submission, it would have given
the captives great hope and assurance of the Lord's complete sovereignty. Despite
appearances, despite the terrible calamity that befell them, they could know that all
was not lost, and the Lord had not left them. They were still the covenant people,
and the Lord wasn't through with them or the nation of Israel. Redemption was
available there for all of those ready to meet the conditions.
What prophecies give you great hope for the future? MY POSSIBLE
ANSWER: Revelation 19:7. Church made herself ready. 21:1,2 . New earth.
Isaiah 49:25. Save thy children. Ezekiel 36:26. New heart. Jeremiah 29:11
Plans for me. 1 Thess 5:23-24.
Which ones strengthen your faith and help you learn to trust the Lord for
whatever will come? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Jeremiah 29:11 For I know
the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace,
and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Friday
December 4
Further Thought:
“We are in continual danger of getting above the simplicity of the gospel. There is an
intense desire on the part of many to startle the world with something original, that
shall lift the people into a state of spiritual ecstasy, and change the present order of
experience. There is certainly great need of a change in the present order of
experience; for the sacredness of present truth is not realized as it should be, but
the change we need is a change of heart, and can only be obtained by seeking God
individually for His blessing, by pleading with Him for His power, by fervently praying
that His grace may come upon us, and that our characters may be transformed. This
is the change we need today, and for the attainment of this experience we should
exercise persevering energy and manifest heartfelt earnestness. We should ask with
true sincerity, 'What shall I do to be saved?' We should know just what steps we are
taking heavenward.”-Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book One, pp. 187, 188.
Discussion Questions:
1 As we saw, Jeremiah told the people to “seek the Lord.” How do we do that? What if
someone were to say to you, “I want to know God for myself; how do I find Him?”
how would you reply?
2 Dwell more on this idea of why, historically, the prophets had been so mistreated and
misunderstood in their own time. What should and could this teach us about how
we relate to the ministry of Ellen G. White? Think about her in the context of
what Jesus said here: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you
hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the
righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not
have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify
against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the
prophets” (Matt. 23:29-31, NIV).
3 Dwell more on the final question at the end of Thursday's study. Many Bible
prophecies have been fulfilled in the past, and from our perspective today we can
see that they were fulfilled. In what way can these fulfillments help us to trust
that the ones yet future to us will be fulfilled as well?
Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, Book One, pp. 185 - 188.
Chapter 23 - Beware of Any Time Setting
“It is not for you to Know the Times or the Seasons”
“He shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of
them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: and,
being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart
from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have
heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the
Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they
asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the
Father hath put in his own power” (Acts 1:3-7).
The disciples were anxious to know the exact time for the revelation of the
kingdom of God; but Jesus tells them that they may not know the times and the
seasons; for the Father has not revealed them. To understand when the kingdom of
God should be restored, was not the thing of most importance for them to know.
They were to be found following the Master, praying, waiting, watching, and
working. They were to be representatives to the world of the character of Christ.
That which was essential for a successful Christian experience in the days of the
disciples, is essential in our day. “And he said unto them, It is not for you to know
the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” And after the Holy
Ghost was come upon them, what were they to do? “And ye shall be witnesses unto
me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost
part of the earth” (Acts 1:7, 8).
Improve Present Opportunities
This is the work in which we also are to be engaged. Instead of living in expectation
of some special season of excitement, we are wisely to improve present
opportunities, doing that which must be done in order that souls may be saved.
Instead of exhausting the powers of our mind in speculations in regard to the times
and seasons which the Lord has placed in His own power, and withheld from men, we
are to yield ourselves to the control of the Holy Spirit, to do present duties, to give
the bread of life, unadulterated with human opinions, to souls who are perishing for
the truth.
Satan is ever ready to fill the mind with theories and calculations that will divert
men from the present truth, and disqualify them for the giving of the third angels
message to the world. It has ever been thus; for our Saviour often had to speak
reprovingly to those who indulged in speculations and were ever inquiring into those
things which the Lord had not revealed. Jesus had come to earth to impart important
truth to men, and He wished to impress their minds with the necessity of receiving
and obeying His precepts and instructions, of doing their present duty, and His
communications were of an order that imparted knowledge for their immediate and
daily use.
Jesus said: “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). All that was done and said had this
one object in view - to rivet truth in their minds that they might attain unto
everlasting life. Jesus did not come to astonish men with some great announcement
of some special time when some great event would occur, but He came to instruct
and save the lost. He did not come to arouse and gratify curiosity; for He knew that
this would but increase the appetite for the curious and the marvelous. It was His
aim to impart knowledge whereby men might increase in spiritual strength, and
advance in the way of obedience and true holiness. He gave only such instruction as
could be appropriated to the needs of their daily life, only such truth as could be
given to others for the same appropriation.
He did not make new revelations to men, but opened to their understanding truths
that had long been obscured or misplaced through the false teaching of the priests
and teachers. Jesus replaced the gems of divine truth in their proper setting, in the
order in which they had been given to patriarchs and prophets. And after giving them
this precious instruction, He promised to give them the Holy Spirit whereby all things
that He had said unto them should be brought to their remembrance.
We are in continual danger of getting above the simplicity of the gospel. There
is an intense desire on the part of many to startle the world with something
original, that shall lift the people into a state of spiritual ecstasy, and change
the present order of experience. There is certainly great need of a change in the
present order of experience; for the sacredness of present truth is not realized
as it should be, but the change we need is a change of heart, and can only be
obtained by seeking God individually for His blessing, by pleading with Him for
His power, by fervently praying that His grace may come upon us, and that our
characters may be transformed. This is the change we need today, and for the
attainment of this experience we should exercise persevering energy and
manifest heartfelt earnestness. We should ask with true sincerity, “What shall I
do to be saved?” We should know just what steps we are taking heavenward.
Matthew 23:29-31
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of
the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived
in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood
of the prophets.’”
31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who
murdered the prophets.”
++++++++++++Inside Story~
Mission Story
Cry of the Kalahari—Part 1
Heat waves danced above the burning sands. A tiny, black Bushman strode
purposefully eastward across the vast Kalahari Desert, glancing frequently at a small
gray cloud in the sky ahead. Sekoba was obeying instructions given to him in a
dream. An angel had directed him to look for a man named William, who would
teach him about the true God.
As wise men once followed a star, so Sekoba followed the cloud until it stopped over
a village. But when he told the inhabitants of the village about his dream they
mocked and laughed at him. That night the angel appeared again and told him to
continue his eastward journey. After traveling over the desert for nearly a month,
Sekoba found Pastor William Moyo, who had been prepared for his coming through a
dream.
For several weeks Pastor William taught Sekoba about God. In turn the Bushman told
a marvelous story of God's guidance. As a young man he had felt a strong impression
that he must learn to read and write, so now he was able to read Pastor William's
Bible for himself. Several years earlier when hungry lions were killing many cattle,
he felt impressed that a higher power controlled the lions. When he prayed to this
power the lions left the area. When he heard of Christianity and began seeking God
in earnest, an angel in a dream had led him to Pastor William.
After Sekoba had learned the good news of the gospel he took Pastor William back
with him to tell the rest of his family and prepare them for baptism. And that is how,
at a camp meeting in 1948, the first converts among the Bushmen were baptized.
The Bushmen are a short race, averaging about five feet in height, who traditionally
wander in small groups, hunting and gathering wild fruit. They are a nomadic people
who have learned to survive in the harsh desert region of Botswana.
Botswana's climate is generally arid; the Kalahari Desert, which covers the
southwestern part of the country, receives less than nine inches of rain a year. For
many years they have had contact with Seventh-day Adventists through the
dedicated doctors at Kanye Hospital. In the next Inside Story, Dr. K. Seligman tells of
one encounter.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist
Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org
All Rights Reserved. No part of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide may be
edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any
person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists.
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