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Sabbath: The Day of the Lord

SSNET Staff — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:00:11 +0000

Read for This Week’s Study: Zeph. 1:14-18, Joel 2:1-11, Zeph. 2:1-3, Isa. 11:4, Zeph. 3:1-5, Isa. 62:5, Naham 1-3.

Memory Text: “The Lord will be awesome to them, for He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; people shall worship Him, each one from his place, indeed all the shores of the nations” (Zephaniah 2:11, NKJV).

Key Thought: Judgment is coming; but grace and mercy are still available for those who earnestly seek for it.

If the books of the prophets were placed in chronological order, Zephaniah’s would fit between Isaiah and Jeremiah.

Zephaniah’s preaching condemned the hopeless corruption found in Judean society. He pointed to the need for repentance based on the fact that God’s love still was calling His people to humility and faithfulness. His message was twofold: there is a threat of an imminent and universal judgment, which will include even God’s own people; yet there is also a promise that the saved from all nations will join the remnant of Israel in serving God and enjoying His blessings. This week’s study will show that Zephaniah’s message still matters to those who proclaim God’s message of hope to a fallen world.

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

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Further Study: Trusting God’s Goodness

SSNET Staff — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00:29 +0000

Read the following comments and discuss how they help us to understand better Habakkuk’s messages.

“There is an answer to Habakkuk’s question. It is an answer, not in terms of thought, but in terms of events. God’s answer will happen, but it cannot be spelled out in words. The answer will surely come; ‘if it seem[s] slow, wait for it.’ True, the interim is hard to bear; the righteous one is horrified by what he sees. To this the great answer is given: ‘The righteous shall live by his faith.’ It is an answer, again not in terms of thought, but in terms of existence. Prophetic faith is trust in Him, in Whose presence stillness is a form of understanding.”—Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets, p. 143.

“We must cherish and cultivate the faith of which prophets and apostles have testified—the faith that lays hold on the promises of God and waits for deliverance in His appointed time and way. The sure word of prophecy will meet its final fulfillment in the glorious advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords. The time of waiting may seem long, the soul may be oppressed by discouraging circumstances, many in whom confidence has been placed may fall by the way; but with the prophet who endeavored to encourage Judah in a time of unparalleled apostasy, let us confidently declare, ‘The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him.’”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 387, 388.

Discussion Questions:

Summarize Habakkuk’s dialogue with God. What was his basic complaint? How did he respond to God’s answers?
Could it be that, in God’s eyes, honest questions and even doubts are more a acceptable religious attitude than a mere superficial belief? Justify your answer.
Seventh-day Adventists of past generations all believed that Christ would have been back by now, and that they would have seen the ultimate fulfillment of all these wonderful promises. How do we learn to maintain faith as we, another generation, await His return?

1 comment(s) for this post:

Glyden O. Headley:
23 May 2013 Seventh-day Adventists speak volubly about the future as it relates to Jesus' Second Coming. My question is this: What about the importance of exercising our faith for what happens to us and others now?

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Inside Story: It’s Fun Sharing Jesus

SSNET Staff — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:00:01 +0000

Recently Joshua’s family moved from their country home into a new home in town.

Image © Janet Hyun from GoodSalt.com

Joshua wondered how he could tell the children in his new neighborhood about his friend Jesus. When he heard that some children would be going from house to house collecting treats to celebrate Halloween, he wondered what he could do to turn this holiday that didn’t honor God into a chance to share God’s Love. Then he had an idea.

“My brother, Stephen, and I decided that we could make cookies and put a Bible verse with each cookie,” said Joshua. The boys knew that Halloween can be scary with its emphasis on witches and ghosts. So the boys chose Bible verses that talked about peace. They printed the Bible verses on the family computer and tied one to each cookie bag.

As darkness fell on October 31, children began arriving at the family’s door dressed as princesses, witches, dinosaurs, and super heroes. Joshua and Stephen greeted each child and dropped a bagged cookie into the waiting sacks. “There’s something special for you with your cookie,” they told each child. The children seemed happy to receive the home-baked cookies.

Joshua and Stephen decided to expand their cookie-giving to other times of the year. As Valentine’s Day approached, the boys baked more cookies and gave them to people in a nursing home and to shut-ins and neighbors who lived alone. “It was great to see the smiles on people’s faces when we stopped to visit them,” Joshua said.

But Joshua doesn’t limit his sharing God’s love to cookie-making. He helps people with their yard work, picks up trash, and rakes leaves. “We go to the nursing home to visit people who don’t get visitors,” he says. “That can be very lonely.”

Joshua has found many ways to tell others about Jesus. Sharing God’s love is more than quoting Bible verses to people,” he says. “Others should see Jesus in our kind acts and words. I want to be sure that others see Jesus in me.”

Sharing God’s love and supporting world mission with our offerings are important ways to spread God’s message to a love-starved world.

Joshua Wade lives in the United States. He loves to share God’s love with others and has found many ways to do it.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org

2 comment(s) for this post:

Gina Geertsma:
23 May 2013 Sharing the message is not really hard. It can be thru actions or thru words. Simple ways of doing it is even more effective than making it complicated. Let's continue sharing the gospel even in our own little way.
Nyamagesa Laban:
23 May 2013 By our acts and words we can easly point the sinners to the Lamb of God who taken away the sins of the world.

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Thursday: God Is Our Strength

SSNET Staff — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:00:11 +0000

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines;

Image © Janet Hyun from GoodSalt.com

though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; . . . Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; he will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” (Hab. 3:17-19, NKJV). What is so good about the prophet’s attitude here? How can we cultivate such an attitude for ourselves? See also Phil. 4:11.

The closing words in Habakkuk’s book (Hab. 3:16-19) express the prophet’s response to the revelation of God’s power and goodness. A fresh look on God’s saving acts sparks Habakkuk’s courage as he awaits the enemy attack. His fear stirs his innermost being as he waits for divine judgment to fall upon his nation. Invasion may result in the devastation of the fig and olive trees, so highly prized in Palestine along with the equally needed vines, grain, and cattle. But the prophet’s staunch faith remains untouched because he has had a vision of the living Lord.

Based on his past experiences, Habakkuk knew of God’s absolute faithfulness. That is why he resigned himself to God’s present purposes (Hab. 3:16-19). In spite of all the unfavorable circumstances, the prophet is determined to place his trust in the Lord and in His goodness no matter how hopeless his situation appears.

Habakkuk waits in faithful trust, even though there are no immediate signs of salvation. He is a prophet who, through dialogue, taunts, and a hymn of praise, has instructed the faithful over the ages to develop a deeper living faith in the Redeemer. By his own example, he encourages the godly to dialogue with God, to test their loyalty to Him in harsh times, to develop hope in the Lord, and also to praise Him.

Habakkuk closes his book with a beautifully expressed attitude of faith: regardless of how hard life may become, one can find joy and strength in God. The underlying message of his book points to the need to wait patiently for God’s salvation in a period of oppression that has no visible end. The theme of “waiting on the Lord” dominates Habakkuk’s book. How especially relevant that theme should be for us, as Seventh-day Adventists—we whose very name expresses our faith in the coming of Jesus.

5 comment(s) for this post:

maria maila casido:
22 May 2013 I have experienced and still experiencing the faithfulness of God. Indeed God is a merciful and loving God who can be relied on during the most difficult times in our life. My past experiences of His faithfulness and help gave me the courage and hope to face my daily battles.If we have God in our life, there's no room for fear, disappointment and discouragement. We can trust Him and that trust will give us strength to continue our life with hope and joy while we are waiting for Him. No one and nothing in this world can weaken us because God is the one that sustains us, the one from where comes our strength and help!
Yohane Dzinga:
22 May 2013 This is trying to help us, the Christians of today that are in very bad situations. We must stick to God's guidance, we must tell Him our problems. No matter what troubles might be, always believe that God is near to help you. Let's try Him today.
Jackie Locke:
23 May 2013 God is always our refuge. I am so thankful that I can look back like Habakkuk and see that He has always been faithful and that I can trust Him. When I go through a dry and trying season of life when nothing seems to be going "good" in my circumstances, I can still trust Him by His grace. If my health fails and I have no money for bills and food, I can still trust Him! I can still be carried near to my God because of Jesus and live in the high mountains by faith no matter what my circumstances may be. This state of joy and rejoicing in times of trouble is a miracle of God and not anything I can do apart from Him.
Monique Lecorps:
23 May 2013 Amen Jackie Locke!....God remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself...Trust and obey is indeed the only way to be happy in Jesus! Romans 8 expresses it very well!
Ekow Badu:
23 May 2013 Some of us Christians just believe in God but lack the practical experience of being a child of God. There are a lot of Bible texts that if read, believed and hold on to it will make you like David, Job, Daniel and others.

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Wednesday: Remembering God’s Fame

SSNET Staff — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:00:11 +0000

Read Habakkuk 3.

Image © Janet Hyun from GoodSalt.com

What is Habakkuk doing there, and why is that so important, especially given the tough circumstances and difficult questions he is facing?

Habakkuk expresses his acceptance of God’s ways in a prayer set to music (Hab. 3:19). Being fully aware of God’s power, he asks the Lord to remember His mercy when the judgment begins. The prophet reverently recalls reports of God’s great acts in the past and is praying to Him to bring redemption now. He seems to stand between the times. With one eye he looks back to the Exodus event, while with the other he looks ahead to the day of the Lord. He longs for a display of God’s power in his present situation.

The hymn from Habakkuk 3 poetically describes God’s deliverance of Israel from the Egyptian bondage. What has happened at the time of the Exodus is a foreshadowing of the great judgment day. The godly should not be anxious about the day of the Lord, but they must wait, persevere, and rejoice in the hope that is theirs.

The hymn is also a celebration of the power, glory, and victorious nature of God. The Lord is described as sovereign over the whole earth. The revelation of His glory is comparable to the splendor of the sunrise (Hab. 3:4).

God judges the oppressive nations; yet, at the same time He brings about the redemption of His people in His “chariots of salvation” (Hab. 3:8). On the surface God’s power is not always visible, but the person of faith knows that God is there, no matter what.

Habakkuk calls us to look expectantly for the Lord’s salvation, when He will establish His righteousness on earth and fill the world with His glory. By singing praises to the Lord, the people of God encourage one another (Eph. 5:19-20, Col. 3:16) to meditate on God’s past acts and to hope for the glorious future. Habakkuk’s own example demonstrates how one can persevere by living with a vision.

Dwell upon God’s past leading in your life. How does this help you to learn to trust Him and His goodness, no matter what the immediate future brings? Why is it always so important to look to the ultimate and eternal future that awaits us?

12 comment(s) for this post:

Newton Shaw:
21 May 2013 What’s important to realize is that God isn’t in the business of “pleasing us”—by working in our timing. We're sinners, born in sin. Our timings only bring heartache and more sin. God's timing is the best. He’s the Great I AM. It’s high time His creatures realize this aspect of our God and just trust. I’ve come to a realization that I’m most happy when I am 100% in God’s timing and will. Noah too had to trust when he stayed in the ark for seven days before the rain came. God is good. And His love is unconditional—as being exemplified on Calvary. Here is a bit of modern spin on Hab. 3:17-19 Though the car doesn’t start, and there’s no food in the refrigerator, Though we get laid off at work and there’s no money in our bank accounts, Yet we will rejoice in the Lord, we will be joyful in the Lord our Savior. The Sovereign Lord is our strength.
Jackie Locke:
21 May 2013 I know I have experienced God's leading, His mercy and His provision all through my life. I am so thankful for the way He deals with us. He is so much better at dealing with us than are other people. Still, as He treats me, He can help me treat others more like He has treated me, true empowerment.
Scott Sherwin:
22 May 2013 I so much agree that only our Creator God knows the future and what place to keep you in and the relationships that are best. We many times get tempted to go in a different direction. Obedience is often difficult and confusing because we can't/won't see why we are to do certain things and abstain from others.
jasmine rowe:
22 May 2013 Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait I say, on the Lord. I know when we are in our troubles, it is hard to wait, but with God on our minds, knowing that He did it in time past, He can do it again for us.
Carol emanuel:
22 May 2013 This lesson is speaking directly from God to me, especially Newton Shaw's comment. I am going thru horrific times now. Faith and trust in Christ is all that I have left. I have been so tempted to lose faith and become discouraged, compliments of the enemy. But prayer, faith and trust in Christ is not only getting me thru this, but most importantly, changing my heart and character. I must stay on my knees and be patient , knowing that all things work together for the good... In God's time.
Newton Shaw:
22 May 2013 Amen. Take heart, Carol. I'll be remembering you in my prayers.
Sieg Hoppe:
22 May 2013 God bless you Carol. I too am praying for you. You are an inspiration to all who are suffering. Your faith and trust in Christ may be all you have left but they are infinitely more valuable than anything this ephemeral earth could provide you. I have been to a number of very poor countries and am amazed at how close to God people can be when they have nothing. It's almost as if things (prosperity) separate us from our Creator and when we have fewer of them, we can be closer to Him. Jesus hears your tears like a prayer. "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

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Tuesday: For the Earth Shall Be Filled

SSNET Staff — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:39 +0000

God’s answer to Habakkuk’s question in Habakkuk 1:17, as recorded in chapter 2, continues in the form of a song that mocks the proud oppressor.

Image © Bill Osborne from GoodSalt.com

No less than five woes (Hab. 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19) affirm the message that Babylon’s doom is sealed. The punishment on the enemy will be in accordance with the “measure for measure” principle. What the wicked do to their victims will, in the end, be done to them. They will reap what they sow, because God cannot be mocked by proud human beings (Gal. 6:7).

In contrast to the oppressor, who is in the end judged by God, the righteous have the promise of eternal life in Christ, regardless of what happens to them here in this life. In describing the faithful remnant at the time of the end, the book of Revelation presents the expression “the patience of the saints” (Rev. 14:12). Indeed, the righteous are persistent in their wait for divine intervention, even if they see it only at the Second Coming.

Read Hebrews 11:1-13. How do these verses help us as we wrestle, in our own context, with the same questions with which Habakkuk struggled?

God’s ultimate answer to Habakkuk’s questions was the affirmation of His abiding presence. Trust in God’s presence and confidence in His judgment in spite of the appearances to the contrary; that is the message of Habakkuk’s book, as well as the message of all biblical revelation. Prophetic faith is trust in the Lord and His unchanging character.

“The faith that strengthened Habakkuk and all the holy and the just in those days of deep trial was the same faith that sustains God’s people today. In the darkest hours, under circumstances the most forbidding, the Christian believer may keep his soul stayed upon the source of all light and power. Day by day, through faith in God, his hope and courage may be renewed.”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 386, 387.

2 comment(s) for this post:

Goran Bosanac:
20 May 2013 "Prophetic faith is trust in the Lord and His unchanging character." Good name for our faith: prophetic faith. In world that give evidence that we are no more than animals and the flesh, we still believe in Bible and keep hope on 2. Coming and New Jerusalem. In spite of present unbelief we believe. There is no wonders but to have faith like that is a wonder.
Jackie Locke:
21 May 2013 The message of hope found in Habakkuk is real for us today. Whenever we come to the end of ourselves and have failure and loss, God is still there. He is always way more than enough! I am so thankful that God's promises are there for us! Yes, Goran, it is a wonder to believe. Still, why not believe and give in to this hope? There is something to hang onto and to plant our feet on that is firm underneath us!! He can keep us!

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Monday: Living by Faith

SSNET Staff — Sun, 19 May 2013 13:00:36 +0000

In Habakkuk 1:12-17, God’s answer to Habakkuk’s questions poses an even more vexing question:

Image © Rolf Jansson from GoodSalt.com

can a righteous God use the wicked to punish those who are more righteous than they? Habakkuk’s question in verse 17 had to do with divine justice.

Habakkuk was puzzled, not only by the degeneration of his own people but also by the certainty that his country would be judged by another nation, one worse. The prophet was well aware of Judah’s sins but, by any standards, his people, particularly the righteous among them, were not as wicked as the pagan Babylonians.

Read Habakkuk 2:2-4. What hope is presented there?

Habakkuk 2:2-4 is one of the most important passages in the Bible. Habakkuk 2 Verse 4, in particular, expresses the essence of the gospel, the foundation of the verse that arguably started the Protestant Reformation. Through faith in Jesus Christ we receive God’s righteousness; we are credited with the righteousness of God Himself. His righteousness becomes ours. It is what is known asjustification by faith.

Verse 4 is a summary statement of the way of salvation and of the biblical teaching about justification by faith. How did the New Testament writers use this verse? Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38.

In the midst of all this turmoil and questions about evil, justice, and salvation, Habakkuk 2:4 presents a sharp contrast between the faithful and the proud. The conduct of each group determines its fate: the arrogant will fail while the righteous will live by faith. The original Hebrew word for faith (‘emuna) is best rendered as “faithfulness,” “constancy,” and “dependability.” While the one who lives by faith is not saved by his works, his works show that he lives by faith. His faith is revealed in his works and thus that person is promised life eternal.

22 comment(s) for this post:

adlet nkiwane:
19 May 2013 habbakuk 2:4 The contrast given in this verse outlines two groups whose present choices determine their final judgement. I see the role faith plays in an individual's life. Our alligiance is to the force that wins our hearts, and faithfully we serve the master of our choice. Whatever we do reveals whose side we are in. Our trust in God determines our response toward his instruction. Please help us Lord. Our carnal mind is our own doom.
Goran Bosanac:
19 May 2013 Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38. gives us insight in our Adventist faith in Jesus Who we found in Heavenly Sanctuary to clean our sins of transgression the Law of God. It is meant for us to continue in our faith to be purified to the end. Not to stop in the way or He will not find pleasure in us. Arrogance boasts of his righteousness and he is a liar. 1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Tyler Cluthe:
19 May 2013 Habakkuk raised questions that I think all of us ask at one time or another. As he looked at the situation at that time in history he couldn't understand how God was relating to His people. To him there was a confusion, a contradiction, in his understanding of God's character. He knew all the stories of how God helped His people in the past with all the miracles that attended most of it and yet it appeared that God was doing nothing for his people in his day. To him it wasn't like it was with Moses or even during the period of the Judges. That same kind of thinking also seems to be a problem with us today. To Habakkuk, his contemporaries, and those before him God was everything as Isaiah wrote, "I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things" (Isa. 45:7 NKJV). Not until after the Babylonian captivity did they seem to begin to realize that there was another element working in the world. Such an understanding would account for the difference between 2 Sam 24:1 and 1 Chron 21:1. The book of Samuel is thought to have been written about 1000 BC, way before the captivity (fourth century BC), where Chronicles is believed to have been written sometime after everyone was taken off to Babylon probably during the Persian period, decades after Habakkuk. To us we should understand that when we separate ourselves from God He has no choice but to allow what we choose because He is a god of freedom. Such a thing results in God pulling out and allowing Satan in. Since Satan ferociously hates those who have anything to do with God it is no wonder that calamity strikes like it did with Job and the many times it happened during the wilderness wanderings and again at Ai (Joshua 7). Therefore, when God said, "For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans" (Hab. 1:6 NKJV) He was simply saying what He was allowing Satan to do. It is the same as when He pulled out of Jerusalem in Christ's time that ended in the destruction of that city and eventual exile of the Jews by the Romans from the land God originally promised them and if you are willing to accept it, it is the same that will happen under the seven last plagues. It was Satan's involvement that Habakkuk was unaware of and the reason he questioned God concerning what was going to happen. To him God should have taken care of the sin within Israel on a local level within the family but it was Israel's rejection of God on a national level that caused God to pull His protection from His people.
joseph sianipar:
19 May 2013 Sometimes living by faith is just for the bravest and risk takers. Help us Lord to have faith in you. The longer we serve Him the stronger our faith grow.
Thobeka Nkuna:
19 May 2013 God is not a respector of men. Even those Babylonians were created by Him hence He used them to punished the "righteous"
Gina Geertsma:
20 May 2013 Living by Faith gives us guaranty of eternal life.
Jackie Locke:
20 May 2013 Everyone around us and in our lives are equally valuable to God and invaluable to us in ways we can discover. Even those who are our enemies in some form or fashion are the very ones that God can use mightily in our lives for our good. Sometimes that "good" will seem tarnished by their selfishness or cruelty. Still, even though their choices are such that God would never condone, He can bring about much good in our lives if we turn to Him with our challenges involving that or those problem people. We can give our difficulties that involve others over to God and He definitely will bring about untold good. Just as in Israel's history, many situations come about because of our own poor choices. However, even these situations with the others involved can be stepping stones and learning tools God can use in our lives when we surrender to Him anew.

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Sunday: Perplexed Prophet

SSNET Staff — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:00:16 +0000

Read Habakkuk 1.

Image © Providence Collection from GoodSalt.com

What are the questions that the prophet asks of God? Though his situation is, of course, different from ours, how often do we find ourselves asking these types of questions?

Habakkuk is unique among prophets because he did not speak for God to the people but rather spoke to God about the people. The prophet begins his struggle to understand God’s purposes with a cry of bewilderment: “How long, O Lord?” In the Bible, this question is typical of a lament (Ps. 13:1, Jer. 12:4). It implies a situation of crisis from which the speaker seeks deliverance.

The crisis about which Habakkuk calls for help is violence that permeated society. The original Hebrew word for “violence” is hamas, and it is used six times in Habakkuk’s book. The term implies acts of injury, both physical and moral, inflicted on others (Gen. 6:11).

Being a prophet, Habakkuk knows well how much God loves justice and hates oppression; so, he wants to know why God allows injustice to continue. All around he notices violence and law-breaking, and it seems that the wicked triumphs over the righteous. Justice is being perverted by the powerful, as it was in the time of Amos (Amos 2:6-8), and as it so often is today.

God’s answer reveals His future plans. The Lord will use the army of Babylon to punish the people. This announcement surprises the prophet. He did not anticipate that God would use such a ruthless army to discipline Judah. In verse 8 the Babylonian cavalry are compared to a leopard, wolf, and eagle—three predators whose speed and power bring violent death to their prey.

Babylon’s ruthless arrogance acknowledges no accountability, seeks no repentance, offers no reparations. It violates the most fundamental order of created life. Habakkuk is told that Babylon’s army will be used as a “rod of My [God’s] anger” (Isa. 10:5, NKJV). The punishment will take place during Habakkuk’s lifetime (Hab. 1:5). This whole situation raises even more difficult questions about divine justice.

How can we learn to trust in God’s goodness and justice when the world seems so full of badness and injustice? What is our only recourse?

6 comment(s) for this post:

Niyigena Samson:
18 May 2013 We have studied in 4th lesson, this quarter, that our God, is the Lord of all nations, and because He loves His people, sometimes He punishs him in order to make him to return to His God. We have an example in Hebrews 12:6, 7"For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?"
Ibiam Chikwendu D.:
19 May 2013 let us take corrections from history of the past nation, and learn how to trust God and believe in his words and promises for he said instead his word will not come to fulfilment it is better the heaven and the earth pass away.
Jermie Runcie:
19 May 2013 God uses various methods of discipline, this is just one of them. The responsibility is ours to ensure that our lives are in comunion with God, so that we are not punished with the wicked.
Ngoni Chimbwanda:
20 May 2013 God settles everything in the fullness of time. Galatians4:7. David was once surprised when he saw the wicked prospering and that they had everything, ate well, were in good health, were rich and their families were well. David became envious. (Psalms73:1-16). Until David went into the sanctuary and saw their end was he comforted (Psams73:17) Someone who is seeing all the injustice in the world might be asking the question, 'how long O Lord?' You are trying to do things fairly and you always lose but those who bribe and are unfaithful are prospering, HOLD ON IT WONT BE LONG. CHRIST now is in the Most Holy Place and anytime He is coming to redeem us. You must go forward like the children of Israel in Exodus14:15 so that one day you will say like what Paul said in the book of Timothy that, 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course(race) and I have kept the faith' Hold on like the prophet Habakkuk, hold on like Daniel, hold like Christ in Getsmane, hold on like Peter, hold on like John the beloved disciple, In the fulnes of time, Christ is going to come and there will be no tears again. Revelation21:1-4
job:
21 May 2013 [Moderator's Note: Please use full names when commenting. Thank you.] thank you ngoni for that explanation. many people including myself at times do question the very justice of the lord. we forget that what makes us different from the wicked is that we have been tested and passed the test. the test for elijah was at the brook cherith, otherwise he might have ended up having an affair with the widow of zerephath, and the message would have been completely different. when we are tested we must come out as gold [job 23:10]
milka juma:
24 May 2013 Lesson 3, "a holy and just God" we learned that God is willing to draw us closer to Him by all means, negative or positive like we saw the massive locust plaque + severe drought that devastated the southern kingdom judah...."perplexed prophet". God is again using the army of Babylon to punish the people of Judah. We do not need to question God's dealing with us today.

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Sabbath: Trusting God’s Goodness

SSNET Staff — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:00:18 +0000

Read for This Week’s Study: Hab. 1:1-17, 2:2-4, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 11:1-13, Habakkuk 3, Phil. 4:11.

Memory Text: “‘For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea’” (Habakkuk 2:14, NASB).

Key Thought: We may not understand always why tragedy happens, but we can trust God, no matter what.May not understand always why tragedy happens, but we can trust God, no matter what.

After preaching about God’s abiding presence amid life’s adversities, a pastor was confronted by a woman who tearfully asked: “Pastor, where was God on the day when my only son died?” Reading a deep sorrow on her face the pastor kept silent then replied: “God was in the same place where He was on the day His only Son died to save us from the eternal death.”

Like us, Habakkuk witnessed injustice, violence, and evil. Even worse, God appeared to be silent amid it all, though He did ask Habakkuk to trust in His promises.

The prophet did not live to see the fulfillment of those promises; yet, he learned to trust in them anyway. His book begins with a complaint to God but ends with one of the most beautiful songs in the Bible. Like Habakkuk, we must wait in faith until the time when the world will be “filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 25.

13 comment(s) for this post:

jack:
18 May 2013 [Please submit full name with comment. Thank you.] one thing is needed even in trusting in the Lord. A true relationship of love with him. Like a marriage vow. In sickness prosperity
Ogal Moses:
18 May 2013 Thank God. But should we be like many usually do? No. Let's be strong in faith.
Anna G:
18 May 2013 [Please submit full name with your comment. Thank you ] Question: The last paragraph of the introduction part the prophet insist on waiting while trusting the Lord by faith until the time when the world will be “filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” When you read psalm 88:11 talks about if the good Lord has delayed to respond, in this case until maybe the response is useless. should we still trust the Lord even if the destruction happen or is nearly to happen?
Makhosini:
18 May 2013 [Thank you for your comment, but please submit your full name with your comments.] I think we should trust the Lords whether we understand the hows" whys" and whens" of a situation we must wait on the Lord and "feed on His goodness" just as the psamlist said. We must believe like job that "though he slay me" God still has "a plan for us" to give us a future and a hope just as Jerem bilieved.
Murengezi casmil.:
19 May 2013 Yes we should wait God's promises because GOD loves us and whatever happens God have a full control on them! GOD NEVER LIES!
Inge Anderson:
19 May 2013 Anna, if we do not trust the Lord, what other choice have we? I believe we cannot go wrong if we say with Job, "Though he kills me, yet I will trust Him." Job 13:15 Bible history brings us the story of Abraham who several times tried to do it his own way, with sorry results, until he trusted God even when He asked him to offer his own son as an offering. It was that kind of faith that made him the father of the faithful. By the grace of God, you and I may exercise the same kind of faith.
Tumiso Sebatane:
19 May 2013 I thank God for the Pastor's response towards the woman's question. Our situations don't remove God from His throne or change Him. He didn't stop the fire from burning,but He was there in the fire with them. Why? Simply because they trusted in Him completely. May we also learn to trust Him, both in good times and the bad,because the God of the good times,is still God in the bad. We need to trust Him more especially when it comes to evangelism, we seem to doubt God sometimes.

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Further Study: God’s Special People

SSNET Staff — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:58:31 +0000

“If Jerusalem had known what it was her privilege to know, and had heeded the

light which Heaven had sent her, she might have stood forth in the pride of prosperity, the queen of kingdoms, free in the strength of her God-given power. There would have been no armed soldiers standing at her gates. . . . The glorious destiny that might have blessed Jerusalem had she accepted her Redeemer rose before the Son of God. He saw that she might through Him have been healed of her grievous malady, liberated from bondage, and established as the mighty metropolis of the earth. From her walls the dove of peace would have gone forth to all nations. She would have been the world’s diadem of glory.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 577.

Discussion Questions:

If you want to understand in a more modern context the suffering that God’s prophets often endured, read from the book Life Sketches by Ellen G. White. What does this book teach about the toils and trials that God’s faithful messengers can face?
It is so easy to get caught up in religious forms, traditions, and rituals, all of which may be fine. At the same time, though, what happens when these forms and rituals become ends in themselves, instead of pointing us toward what it truly means to be a follower of the God whom we worship with those forms?
Dwell more on the whole idea of the incarnation, the idea that the Creator God took upon Himself our human flesh. As one medieval theologian wrote, “Retaining all that He was, Christ took upon Himself what He wasn’t”—and that is our humanity. Think about what this amazing truth reveals about God’s love for us. Why should this truth fill us with hope, gratitude, and praise, regardless of our circumstances?

2 comment(s) for this post:

moseti:
16 May 2013 [Moderator Note: Please use full name when commenting, thank you!] We should be ready to confess our sins, God is a merciful God. He not only forgives, but also makes one to pure in heart...if only we have faith and trust in Him. But mostly, faith.
Bush komulo:
17 May 2013 God's people never mourn but laughs

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Inside Story: Mysterious Television Truth

SSNET Staff — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:47 +0000

Mandela Hector lives in Trinidad.

He had no special interest in religion. Then his cousin invited him to attend his church, and Mandela realized that God wanted to be part of his life. He bought a Bible and began reading it. Questions arose in his mind that his cousin’s pastor couldn’t answer, so Mandela searched elsewhere for answers.

He discovered a religious television station and began watching it. A sermon on prophecy caught his interest. He was impressed that the speaker’s message was based on the Bible. Mandela read each Bible text for himself and was convinced that the words were from God.

One evening the speaker talked about how the Sabbath had been changed to Sunday long after Jesus had died and rose again. Mandela realized that the Sabbath wasn’t Sunday but Saturday. He told his boss that he would no longer work on Saturdays. But because he knew of no church that worshipped on the Sabbath, he rested at home that day and worshipped with his cousin on Sundays.

When Mandela realized that the station was affiliated with Adventists, he found a church in town. On Sabbath morning he got up early, eager to celebrate the Sabbath in God’s house. When one member learned that a television program had brought Mandela to the church, he was amazed for Adventist television wasn’t generally available in Trinidad at that time. Only then did Mandela realize that God had provided the television signal in one small neighborhood where he lived so that he could learn God’s truths.

A few months later Mandela cemented his relationship with Christ by baptism. He wanted to share his new faith with others. He discovered Adventist books and began reading. When he learned about literature evangelists, he knew he had found his calling. He quit his job to work for God.

Although not everyone wanted his books, Mandela saw God leading him. He met people who told him they had dreamed that a man would come with a book or magazine to answer their questions just before Mandela arrived. “This is truly God’s ordained work,” Mandela says. “When I think of how God led me to His truth, I’m amazed that He could care so much for one person. I want to share that with others.”

Our mission offerings bring God’s message to people in many different ways. Mandela and millions of others thank you for sharing God’s truths with them through your mission offerings.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Find more stories like this at AdventistMission.org

email: info@adventistmission.org

1 comment(s) for this post:

Annmarie Tucker:
22 May 2013 Great story, another reminder that when we search for the Lord with all our hearts, we will find Him and He is willing to help us.

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Thursday: Into the Depths of the Sea

SSNET Staff — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:54 +0000

Micah’s book begins with a description of judgments, but it ends with words of hope.

There are people who try to explain away or deny the reality of God’s judgments. To do so is to fall into the trap that Micah’s contemporaries did, those who believed that God never would send judgments on the chosen nation.

God’s justice is the other side of His love and concern. The good news presented by Micah is that punishment is never God’s last word. God’s action in Scripture consistently moves from judgment to forgiveness, from punishment to grace, and from suffering to hope.

Read Micah 7:18-20. How is the gospel revealed in these verses? What hope is seen here for all of us? Why do we need it so desperately?

Micah’s closing verses present his praise filled with hope. The question “Who is like God . . . ?” matches Micah’s name, which means “Who is like the Lord?” It serves as a reminder of the uniqueness of God and affirms the truth that there is no one like Him. How could there be? After all, He alone is the Creator. Everything else is created. Even more importantly, our Creator is a God of grace, of forgiveness, a God who went to the most unimaginable extremes possible in order to save us from the destruction that is, rightly, ours. He would do it for the Hebrew nation; and He will do it for us, as well.

It is possible that we today are surrounded by difficult circumstances and painful experiences that leave us to wonder why God allows all this to happen. Sometimes it is just so hard to make sense of things. In such times, our hope rests only with the Lord, who promises to hurl our sins into the depths of the sea. There is hope for the future in remembering what God has done in the past.

Take a good hard look at yourself. Why is your only hope found in the promise that God will cast your sins “into the depths of the sea”?

9 comment(s) for this post:

Chris Pemhiwa:
15 May 2013 I love Thursday's lesson which points out a key truth. There's hope for the future as we recall what God has done for us in the past. We really ought to count our blessings! Name them one by one.
Goran Bosanac:
15 May 2013 I have only one hope found in the promise that God will cast mine sins “into the depths of the sea” because if He not do that My sins will be as heavy on me like all waters of sea. I cant do that casting. Saving me is like going to the depths to take me up, and going to the depths again to leave my sin there buried. Not to be risen again. Not to be shown on judgement call.
Adiraino Meson:
15 May 2013 God is marvellous!
wilson:
16 May 2013 [Moderator Note: Please use full name when commenting, thank you!] The forgiveness of our sins is the only road to Calvary. That completes our joy I am so thrill with this amazing gospel. and this gospel add to the truthfulness of the statement "Who is like unto God"
Michael Smith:
16 May 2013 The Lord cast our forgiven sins into the depths of the sea. However, we sometimes acts as deep sea divers and bring back the sins of others and sometimes our own to view and remember them again- even after God has forgotten them. Lord help us to let go and forget like You!
zacharia mwita:
16 May 2013 Our Lord is an extra ordinary being. He knows what is to be ahead of things and provides resolution. We need to be believing, having hope, do the right thing and stay under His umbrella covered with love for all without distinction. Our understanding and forgiviving each other is a way to dump the sins into the sea, may His grace partake our paths.
Charles Robinson:
16 May 2013 Praise God for his wonderful and healing power. The difficulties and pain of life sometimes are almost unbearable, except for the hope of or Savior and Lord

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