Blueprint for a Better World (2019, Quarter 3, Lesson 2)

by admin admin July 06, 2019

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Sabbath (July 6): Blueprint for a Better World

In this lesson we will look at God’s original plan for the nation of Israel as His ambassadors to a sinful world. Particular attention will be given to God’s intent to bless Israel so that they, in turn, would be able to share those blessings with others.

Discussion Questions:

• The Exodus from Egypt and the formation of the nation of Israel did not occur until nearly 2,500 years after Creation. Why might God have waited this long to form the nation of Israel? Asked another way, for what reasons might God at this time have formed a nation, rather than families alone, to serve Him? (Answers will vary. As time progressed rebellious man became more organized and sin’s effects on humanity became stronger and stronger. Perhaps God saw fit for His people on earth to become more organized and thus “stronger” as well.)

• In what ways was Israel to serve a similar purpose as the earlier patriarchs and their families? (They were to represent God to the world, maintain true worship, teach their children about the law of God, and maintain the lineage through which the Messiah would come.)

• In what ways was Israel’s mission and purpose different from the earlier patriarchs and their families? (Israel was a theocracy with God as the direct leader. Under His direction, they were to engage in warfare against the sinful nations surrounding them. God also intended to bless the nation economically, politically, and socially, in ways that would not have been possible on the patriarchal scale.)

Sunday (July 7): The God Who Hears

In this broken world of sin, and in our lives that are so often and so deeply affected by this brokenness, it can often be difficult to remember that there is a God in heaven Who not only sees everything that is happening, but Who also cares. In today’s lesson we will look at God’s call to Moses, and what this reveals about the character of God, and about our mission in the world today.

Discussion Questions:

• Read Exodus 3:7-9. What characteristics of God are revealed in these verses? (Answers will vary. God is attentive to what happens on earth, He is moved with compassion for the oppressed, He works to defend and protect His people, and He desires the best for His people.) Do you think this revelation of God’s character was a surprise to Moses? (Perhaps. While Moses’ earliest years had been spent with his God-fearing mother, his formative years growing up to manhood were spent in the Egyptian palace, surrounded by the worship of false gods. On the other hand, Moses had learned many valuable lessons as a shepherd in the wilderness, and his character had been shaped by God during those 40 years of exile.) Do you think this revelation of God’s character is surprising to people in the world today? (For many people, it most certainly would be surprising.)

• Read Exodus 3:10. What does God instruct Moses to do? (Go back to Egypt and tell Pharoah to let the Israelites leave Egypt.) Has God ever asked you to do something that seems impossible? If so, what was it, and how did God help you do it? (Answers will vary.) In what ways is the mission of God’s people today similar to that of Moses? (Like Moses, we are called to represent God to a world that does not believe in Him. We are also called to explain God’s character, and to depend on His power so that He can work miracles to free people from sin.)

Monday (July 8): The Ten Commandments

Today’s lesson points out that the Ten Commandments acted like a sort of constitution for the nation of Israel, as they should for us today. Just as a nation’s constitution reflects the values and characters of those who write that document, “God’s law is a transcript of His character” (COL 305).

Discussion Questions:

• Read Exodus 20:1-17. If you were to summarize the principle behind each commandment in a single word, what word would that be, and why? (Answers will vary.) How do each of these single words reflect the character of God? (Answers will vary.)

Tuesday (July 9): Slaves, Widows, Fatherless, Foreigners

God’s instructions to Israel regarding the treatment of slaves, widows, foreigners, and the oppressed remains part of the Christian’s calling today. In this lesson we will investigate some of the reasons why God calls His people to care for others, and what God’s ultimate goal in extending this call includes.

Discussion Questions:

• Read Exodus 22:21-23; 23:9; and James 1:27. What common elements are shared in God’s instructions to Israel and James’ counsel to the Christian church? (Our treatment of the poor, needy, and oppressed is part of “pure religion”.)

• Read James 1:27 and Hebrews 1:9. What similarities do you see between “pure religion” and God’s character as it is described in Hebrews 1:9? (Just like pure religion fights against injustices and evil in this world by helping the “fatherless and widows in their affliction,” God’s character hates iniquity. In a similar way, just like pure religion helps us remain “unspotted from the world,” God’s character loves righteousness.) What does this reveal about the true purpose of religion? (The purpose of true religion is to bring us closer and closer to the image of God.) For what reasons do you think it is so easy for religion, even Christianity, to lose this focus of bringing people closer to God’s character? (As selfish, sinful human beings, we easily gravitate toward a religious experience that makes us feel comfortable where we are and leaves us unchallenged in our spiritual walk.) In what ways could the form of Christianity practiced in your life, your family, and your church, approach more closely this ideal of “pure religion”? (Answers will vary.)

Wednesday (July 10): Second Tithing

Among the many aspects of stewardship found in the Bible is the responsibility and privilege of tithing—returning the Lord’s portion, or ten percent of our increase. In this lesson we will investigate the concept of a “second tithe,” or the return to God of more than ten percent of our increase.

To promote the assembling of the people for religious service, as well as to provide for the poor, a second tithe of all the increase was required. Concerning the first tithe, the Lord had declared, “I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel.” Numbers 18:21. But in regard to the second He commanded, “Thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.” Deuteronomy 14:23, 29; 16:11-14. This tithe, or its equivalent in money, they were for two years to bring to the place where the sanctuary was established. After presenting a thank offering to God, and a specified portion to the priest, the offerers were to use the remainder for a religious feast, in which the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow should participate. Thus provision was made for the thank offerings and feasts at the yearly festivals, and the people were drawn to the society of the priests and Levites, that they might receive instruction and encouragement in the service of God. {PP 530.1}

Every third year, however, this second tithe was to be used at home, in entertaining the Levite and the poor, as Moses said, “That they may eat within thy gates, and be filled.” Deuteronomy 26:12. This tithe would provide a fund for the uses of charity and hospitality. {PP 530.2}

Discussion Questions:

• Read Deuteronomy 14:22. What do you think the Bible means to “truly tithe”? (A true tithe will take into account all of our increase. Its return will also be a priority for us.)

• Read Deuteronomy 14:23-26. Today our tithe paying is usually completed with money. Are there other ways to return our ten percent, and if so, what might they be? (Answers will vary. God asked the Israelites to return tithe out of their increase. In their agricultural and land-based society, this often took the form of produce and livestock. Today most people are paid for their labor with money, and therefore money remains the logical and, most often, best way to return tithe.)

• Read Deuteronomy 14:27. What was an important reason for tithing ancient Israel? (Tithing provided an important means of sustenance for the Levites, who did not inherit any land.) What would the modern equivalent of this be for us today? (Tithing today is to support ministers and the work of the ministry.)

• Read Deuteronomy 14:28,29. What might a modern equivalent of this unique tithe every third year look like for us today? Does our regular system of tithing accomplish this purpose to provide for those “within our gates”? (Answers will vary.)

• Read Deuteronomy 26:1,2. For what reasons does God ask us to return a tithe from the “first of all the fruit of the earth”? What does this imply about the true motivation behind tithing? (Tithing should come from the first and the best of our increase. Making this a monthly or weekly priority helps us return our tithe with a spirit of thankfulness and faith that God will provide for the rest of our needs.)

Thursday (July 11): The Years of Jubilee

Among the most fascinating aspects of God’s design for ancient Israel were the years of jubilee. Every fiftieth year, land that had been sold was to return to the family that originally had inherited it. Although the Bible appears to indicate that the years of jubilee were not faithfully observed (see 2 Chronicles 36:21), God’s instructions regarding them provide a thought-provoking insight into the principles of God’s kingdom.

Discussion Questions:

• Read Leviticus 25:8-10. The year of jubilee was to begin on the Day of Atonement. What significance might connect these two events? (On the annual Day of Atonement the people were to “be clean from all [their] sins before the Lord” [Leviticus 16:30], and regard themselves freed from the condemnation and oppression of sin. The lessons of this day of spiritual cleansing were to be lived out in a practical way by the entire nation every fiftieth year.)

• Read Leviticus 25:13-17. What were God’s instructions to Israel regarding buying and selling of land? (No land sale was permanent, and the price would be prorated based on the interval to the next year of jubilee.) What reason did God give for this arrangement? (No one would be oppressed.)

• Read Leviticus 25:1-7. What was Israel to do every seventh year? (Every seventh year was a sabbath in which no crops were to be planted, and no harvest gathered.)

• Read Leviticus 25:18-22. What did God promise to do for the Israelites if they observed these sabbath years of rest every seventh year? (He would bless their harvests the sixth year, the eighth year, and the ninth year.) Would this be an exercise in faith for them? (Absolutely!) In what ways could these principles apply to us today? (Answers will vary.)

Every seventh year special provision was made for the poor. The sabbatical year, as it was called, began at the end of the harvest. At the seedtime, which followed the ingathering, the people were not to sow; they should not dress the vineyard in the spring; and they must expect neither harvest nor vintage. Of that which the land produced spontaneously they might eat while fresh, but they were not to lay up any portion of it in their storehouses. The yield of this year was to be free for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and even for the creatures of the field. Exodus 23:10, 11; Leviticus 25:5. {PP 531.3}

But if the land ordinarily produced only enough to supply the wants of the people, how were they to subsist during the year when no crops were gathered? For this the promise of God made ample provision. “I will command My blessing upon you in the sixth year,” He said, “and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.” Leviticus 25:21, 22. {PP 531.4}

The observance of the sabbatical year was to be a benefit to both the land and the people. The soil, lying untilled for one season, would afterward produce more plentifully. The people were released from the pressing labors of the field; and while there were various branches of work that could be followed during this time, all enjoyed greater leisure, which afforded opportunity for the restoration of their physical powers for the exertions of the following years. They had more time for meditation and prayer, for acquainting themselves with the teachings and requirements of the Lord, and for the instruction of their households. {PP 532.1}

• Read Deuteronomy 25:25-28, 35-41. What additional general principles governed the laws surrounding the jubilee? (The Israelites were not to oppress or take advantage of others, including other Israelites and foreigners.) What would their society have looked like, and what would ours look like today, if these principles were followed? (Answers will vary. The grinding poverty that we see in our world today would be greatly minimized, and all people, especially the wealthy, would have good reason to remember and help the situation of those less fortunate.)

Friday (July 12): God’s Care for the Poor

The book Patriarchs and Prophets contains this insightful statement regarding the relationship between the rich and the poor:

If the law given by God for the benefit of the poor had continued to be carried out, how different would be the present condition of the world, morally, spiritually, and temporally! Selfishness and self-importance would not be manifested as now, but each would cherish a kind regard for the happiness and welfare of others; and such widespread destitution as is now seen in many lands would not exist. {PP 536.1}

The principles which God has enjoined, would prevent the terrible evils that in all ages have resulted from the oppression of the rich toward the poor and the suspicion and hatred of the poor toward the rich. While they might hinder the amassing of great wealth and the indulgence of unbounded luxury, they would prevent the consequent ignorance and degradation of tens of thousands whose ill-paid servitude is required to build up these colossal fortunes. They would bring a peaceful solution of those problems that now threaten to fill the world with anarchy and bloodshed. {PP 536.2}

Discussion Questions:

• In Monday’s lesson, we created a one-word summary pointing to the principle behind each of the ten commandments. Using this list, discuss how each of these principles could and should apply to the social order and societal rules that God gave to ancient Israel. How would each of these principles help to create a fair, non-oppressive, and mutually beneficial society for all people? (Answers will vary.)

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