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Health – Process This

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The Bible talks about the refining process whereby God prepares His people for everlasting life. (See Malachi 3.) This refining process is necessary and good because it removes impurities from the character just as impurities must be removed from gold or silver by a refining process. However, not all refining is necessarily good. Ecclesiastes 3:14 says that when God does something, nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it; in other words, when we try to add something to it or take something from it we end up getting ourselves into trouble, and this trouble becomes worse the more that we attempt to add or the more that we attempt to take away from what God has made. In no other area is this fact more evident than in the food that we eat. God made certain foods for His children to eat (Genesis 1:29), and when we attempt to add to these foods or take away from them by refining, we can get ourselves into trouble when this becomes a significant part of our diet.

This does not mean that refining of our food is wrong—just that we need to understand exactly what we are doing and not allow this refined food to become a major part of our diet. The fact that refined food is all right in moderation is shown by the communion supper. At the communion supper we do not eat grapes or raisins but a refined product of the grape, the juice of the grape which, of course, is a refined product of the grape. However, this was never intended to become a major part of our diet (See I Corinthians 11:21, 22). Not only do we drink a refined product at the communion supper, but we also eat a refined product—the unleavened bread used at the Passover season was made with oil, which is also a refined product from the olive (or sesame seed in ancient times).

Just as there is nothing wrong with using grape syrup or sugar, in the same way there is nothing wrong with using oil from the olive, even though both are refined products, but we should understand exactly what we are doing and not allow these refined foods to become a major part of our diet.

There has been a great amount of confusion about fat intake and the relation of this fat intake to serious diseases such as heart disease and cancer. A most revealing observation is made by Dr. T. Colin Campbell in The China Study, pages 82 and 83, about this confusion: “The unanswered questions on fat remain unanswered, as they have for the past forty years. … The details that underlie these questions, when considered in isolation, are very misleading. … The correlation between fat intake and animal protein intake is more than 90%. This means that fat intake increases in parallel with animal protein intake; in other words, dietary fat is an indicator of how much animal-based food is in the diet. It is almost a perfect match.”

As Christians we should know what we are eating. With this in mind, we are now going to explain to you briefly how refined oils are processed so that you will have information to evaluate what you are seeing on food labels in the grocery store.

There are three methods of extracting oils from nuts or grains or beans or seeds or fruits such as the olive. Probably the most ancient method is by the use of a press. Today we use hydraulic presses to do this. This method yields a good quality of oil. It can be used only on sesame seeds and olives. These are the only two oils that can truthfully be called “cold-pressed.”

A second method of extracting oils is with a screw or press that has a constantly rotating worm shaft (called an expeller). Cooked material goes into one end and at the other end is discharged with the oil squeezed out. Although this oil is sometimes referred to as cold-pressed, normal temperatures for this process are from 200 to 250 degrees.

The third method of extracting oil from these same plant sources is called solvent extraction. The products containing the oils are ground up and then cooked and then mixed with a petroleum-based solvent which dissolves out of the oils, leaving a dry residue. The solvent is separated from the oils. Naptha solvents are used such as pentane, heptane, hexane or octane, the one most commonly used in the past has been hexane. (Synthetic Trichlorethylene has also been used.) These oils are not processed by a press, but are extracted by the solvent.

Sodium hydroxide and temperatures over 400 degrees are commonly used, but the oil generally undergoes further processing to make it more palatable. These processes include filtration, deodorization and bleaching. Even after considerable refining, it has been acknowledged that traces of solvent (usually hexane) remain in the oil.

Natural oils from plant products contain many nutrients, including pro-Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and a variety of fatty acids. Some of the natural nutrients are either altered, removed or destroyed by the refining processes.

Our ancestors did not eat these oils because they were not available to them, they only had access to what we call cold-pressed oils. Refining of corn began in about 1844, and the first commercial production of corn oil was in 1889.

In the 1950s as a result of conclusions made from the Framingham study (on heart disease), polyunsaturated fat was promoted to the American consumer. The idea was that if we increased our intake of polyunsaturated fat, we would decrease our risk of heart disease. (Study carefully the quotation from Dr. Campbell above in this regard.) Intake of polyunsaturated fat has increased a great deal since the 1950s and many are now asking the question, “Is there any danger in this high intake of polyunsaturated fat?” The answer to this question is sobering. We know now that large amounts of polyunsaturated fats are associated with numerous health problems, including cancer. Excessive use of vegetable oils are damaging to the lungs and the reproductive organs and huge increases in cancer at these sites have occurred during the last few decades.

A new controversial question about oil has emerged in the last 20 years. A hybridized rapeseed oil (given the commercial name “canola,” the actual name is “Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed” or LEAR oil) was developed and was given GRAS status (generally recognized as safe) by the US FDA in 1985. Use of this oil has soared all over the world. It is commonly used in spreads such as margarines, baked goods, snack foods, and use of hydrogenated canola oil for frying is increasing in restaurants.

There are no research studies that would give strong proof that this oil is harmful to humans, but the problem with this statement is that no long-term studies on humans have been done—it has not been used long enough to do a long-term study. We are in unknown territory. We are using a food that has only been in existence for a few years, and we simply do not know what the long-term consequences might be. Some have stated that this oil has been used for thousands of years in China, but remember that it was not the new hybridized rapeseed, and also, just as importantly, it was crude oil processed by stone presses that pressed out the oil at low temperatures, whereas today it is solvent-extracted at high temperatures and with chemicals as explained in the explanations earlier. The standard deodorization process removes a large portion of the omega-3 fatty acids and turns them into trans fatty acids. The University of Florida found trans fatty acids as high as 4.6 percent in the commercial liquid oil. (If the oil is then hydrogenated, the level of trans fatty acids could be as high as over 40%.) You should always read the labels of the products you are buying to see if the oil or fat is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated.

There are scientific studies using canola oil that point in the direction that this oil may not be healthy for the cardiovascular system. One of the apparent problems with the use of canola oil is lack of saturated fat that can occur if other fats containing saturated fatty acids, such as butter, lard, tallow, palm oil or coconut oil are not part of the diet. It now appears that high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and low levels of saturated fats could be dangerous. In other words, eating some coconut might not be at all as dangerous as you have read in the past.

In our technologically advanced age we might still profitably ponder and choose to adopt some of the dietary practices of our ancestors who chose mainly traditional whole foods which had been grown with biological rather than chemical methods and were processed only minimally, and did not have their fat content altered by chemical means or removed by processing.

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Nature – Katydids

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katydidRelated to crickets and grasshoppers, katydids are members of the long-horned grasshopper family. There are more than 6,400 species worldwide with the majority of species being found in the tropics. Katydids are broad-sided, leaf-like insects which live in trees and shrubs where they are well camouflaged from their numerous predators. Green is the usual color of katydids but occasionally they are brown, red, or, rarely, pink. Katydids are mostly nocturnal and arboreal (tree-dwelling), and range in size from 1 ¼ to 5 inches long. Their diet consists mainly of leaves but they will also eat flowers, bark, seeds, insect eggs, slow insects like aphids, and even carrion. Some species in the tropics are exclusively predatory, feeding on other insects, snails, and even small vertebrates such as snakes and lizards.

The name “katydid,” originated in North America where there are about 255 species. Male katydids have sound-producing organs on the hind angles of their front wings. Their songs are made by scraping a toothed file-like edge on the base of the left fore wing across a hard knife-like edge on the right fore wing. These sounds in some species were thought to resemble the words “Katy did, Katy didn’t”; hence, the name. The male katydid’s song is given at night and is used to attract females with which to mate. The females will usually answer the male’s song with chirping sounds. Katydids hear each other through structures on their legs that act as ears. Males in close proximity to each other will frequently call in unison and harmony creating a loud, resonating chorus. The speed of their calls is determined by temperature. On warm nights they sing fast, and on cool nights they sing slower. Katydids in temperate regions typically call from mid-summer through fall.

Female katydids are usually larger than males and have a long, sharp, lance-like organ at the end of the abdomen called an ovipositor. After mating, the ovipositor is used to deposit their eggs into the ground or into plant tissue. The eggs hatch in the spring, and the young resemble the adults, except for their smaller size and lack of wings. The young go through several molts before reaching full size. On their last molt they obtain their wings and become adults. Species in temperate regions live only for a year or less, while species in the tropics can live for several years.

Just as the male katydids sing together in unison and harmony, so we can sing the same way with heavenly musicians while here on earth. “When human beings sing with the spirit and the understanding, heavenly musicians take up the strain and join in the song of thanksgiving. He who has bestowed upon us all the gifts that enable us to be workers together with God, expects His servants to cultivate their voices, so that they can speak and sing in a way that all can understand. It is not loud singing that is needed, but clear intonation, correct pronunciation, and distinct utterance. Let all take time to cultivate the voice, so that God’s praise can be sung in clear, soft tones, not with harshness and shrillness that offend the ear. The ability to sing is the gift of God; let it be used to His glory.” Messages to Young People, 294. “Music forms a part of God’s worship in the courts above, and we should endeavor, in our songs of praise, to approach as nearly as possible to the harmony of the heavenly choirs. The proper training of the voice is an important feature in education, and should not be neglected.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 594. [Emphasis is original]

David Arbour writes from his home in De Queen, Arkansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Question and Answer – Eradicating Selfishness and Pride

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Question

How do I eradicate selfishness and pride?

Answer

Selfishness and pride are natural human frailties. We each have a sinful nature to battle against. (See Romans 7 and 8.) Selfish and proud thoughts will come into our minds as long as we live in sinful flesh, but Jesus has promised to help us overcome and to bring every thought into subjection to Christ. (See II Corinthians 10:5.)

We have to live with ourselves, and the Lord has created us with the wonderful privilege of choosing to be the kind of a people with whom we would like to live. Besides this, God created us with natural laws in our bodies. For example, if we do a certain thing over and over again we establish a habit; practices of which become so strong that we ourselves cannot change them. These habits may be good or bad; they may be the way we eat, the way we talk, or a myriad other things, but these things define who we are and this is what we depict to others. Our habits designate how we react to life.

There is another dimension of life that would be helpful upon which to deliberate. The Creator gave us thinking power and the ability to reason. These are the powers that guide and direct the choices we make in life. For instance, we choose where to live, what career to pursue, and many other things that we have the power to govern and the ability to accomplish. Through the power of conscious choice and reasoning we may learn that we have developed some habits that are not pleasing, then make a decided effort to change. Yet it is here that most are struck with the realization that habits are stronger than we are. The anger, peevishness, indignation, and other sudden reactions that arise when situations are not to our liking are the result of habits that have been formed.

Now we come to another aspect of life: we have a loving, all-powerful Saviour who came to this earth and lived a sinless life. He met every temptation that we have to meet and, through prayer and faith in His Heavenly Father, overcame sin. The beautiful thing about this is that Christ has promised to give us the same power that He had so we can also overcome.

In order to have the power to overcome that Jesus had, we must live the kind of life that He lived. He was determined to do His Father’s will, He spent many hours talking with His Father in Prayer, and He spent time memorizing the Scriptures. When He was tempted, He quoted Scripture or prayed. We may do the same thing and, through His power, overcome sin.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12.

Selfishness and pride are not things that can be overcome quickly or easily, or by human power alone. If these things are to be overcome, the heart must be humbled and committed. Prayerfully petition the Holy Spirit to create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you. Become intimately acquainted with the character of Christ, for by beholding, we become changed. “As the flower turns to the sun, that the bright beams may aid in perfecting its beauty and symmetry, so should we turn to the Sun of Righteousness, that heaven’s light may shine upon us, that our character may be developed into the likeness of Christ.” Steps to Christ, 67, 68.

If you have a Bible question you wish to have answered, please e-mail it to: ruthgrosboll@stepstolife.org

The Pen of Inspiration – Christian Soldiers

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Strength comes by exercise. All who put to use the ability which God has given them will have increased ability to devote to His service. Those who do nothing in the cause of God will fail to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. A man who would lie down and refuse to exercise his limbs would soon lose all power to use them. Thus the Christian who will not exercise his God-given powers not only fails to grow up into Christ, but he loses the strength which he already has; he becomes a spiritual paralytic. It is those who, with love for God and their fellow men, are striving to help others that become established, strengthened, settled, in the truth. The true Christian works for God, not from impulse, but from principle; not for a day or a month, but during the entire period of life. How is our light to shine forth to the world unless it be by our consistent Christian life? How is the world to know that we belong to Christ, if we do nothing for Him? Said our Saviour: “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” [Matthew 7:16.] And again: “He that is not with Me is against Me.” [Matthew 12:30.] There is no neutral ground between those who work to the utmost of their ability for Christ and those who work for the adversary of souls. Everyone who stands as an idler in the vineyard of the Lord is not merely doing nothing himself, but he is a hindrance to those who are trying to work. Satan finds employment for all who are not earnestly striving to secure their own salvation and the salvation of others.

The church of Christ may be fitly compared to an army. The life of every soldier is one of toil, hardship, and danger. On every hand are vigilant foes, led on by the prince of the powers of darkness, who never slumbers and never deserts his post. Whenever a Christian is off his guard, this powerful adversary makes a sudden and violent attack. Unless the members of the church are active and vigilant, they will be overcome by his devices.

What if half the soldiers in an army were idling or asleep when ordered to be on duty; the result would be defeat, captivity, or death. Should any escape from the hands of the enemy, would they be thought worthy of a reward? No; they would speedily receive the sentence of death. And is the church of Christ careless or unfaithful, far more important consequences are involved. A sleeping army of Christian soldiers—what could be more terrible! What advance could be made against the world, who are under the control of the prince of darkness? Those who stand back indifferently in the day of battle, as though they had no interest and felt no responsibility as to the issue of the contest, might better change their course or leave the ranks at once.

The Master calls for gospel workers. Who will respond? All who enter the army are not to be generals, captains, sergeants, or even corporals. All have not the care and responsibility of leaders. There is hard work of other kinds to be done. Some must dig trenches and build fortifications; some are to stand as sentinels, some to carry messages. While there are but few officers, it requires many soldiers to form the rank and file of the army; yet its success depends upon the fidelity of every soldier. One man’s cowardice or treachery may bring disaster upon the entire army.

There is earnest work to be done by us individually if we would fight the good fight of faith. Eternal interests are at stake. We must put on the whole armor of righteousness, we must resist the devil, and we have the sure promise that he will be put to flight. The church is to conduct an aggressive warfare, to make conquests for Christ, to rescue souls from the power of the enemy. God and holy angels are engaged in this warfare. Let us please Him who has called us to be soldiers. All can do something in the work. None will be pronounced guiltless before God unless they have worked earnestly and unselfishly for the salvation of souls. The church should teach the youth, both by precept and example, to be workers for Christ. There are many who complain of their doubts, who lament that they have no assurance of their connection with God. This is often attributable to the fact that they are doing nothing in God’s cause. Let them seek earnestly to help and bless others, and their doubts and despondency will disappear.

Many who profess to be followers of Christ speak and act as though their names were a great honor to the cause of God, while they bear no burdens and win no souls to the truth. Such persons live as though God had no claims upon them. If they continue in this course they will find at last that they have no claims upon God.

He who has appointed “to every man his work,” [Mark 13: 34.] according to his ability, will never let the faithful performance of duty go unrewarded. Every act of loyalty and faith will be crowned with special tokens of God’s favor and approbation. To every worker is given the promise: “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” [Psalm 126:6.]

Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, 393–395.

Thoughts on Thoughts

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Thoughts on Thoughts

Christians are front-line soldiers for Christ. Enduring the fiercest of the devil’s attacks, we stand firm in the faith. Despite the strength of the devil’s weapons, no Christian will ever fly the white flag of surrender. Christ stands before his army a conqueror, having taken, what would have been to us, a debilitating blow so we may stand for Him. We fall victim from time to time to the enemy’s cruelty and deceit, but our Commander is constant. Just as He has been the Arm for His people throughout the ages, so He too is our Arm to help us maintain our position. But to do this we need to know what type of weapons the enemy has. Satan’s weapon of choice against individual Christians is thought. Every factor that dictates our lives; emotion, word, action, stems from our thoughts. The devil knows that if you knock out the foundation, the whole house will fall.

Our world is being unapologetically saturated with the most debasing mentality that people have yet faced. The thoughts and ideas held by the majority of the population hold dear no divine characteristic. The results of which we see played out not only in the news, but in the personal lives of every individual. It is obvious that the great controversy is not just a bloody battle between Christ and Satan; it is equally a battle fought privately between the ears of every Christian; a battle which is gaining in its ferocity.

The issues are not simply a result of a failing societal system and a rapidly regressing public conscience, they are personal attacks designed by Satan on the minds and hearts of God’s people. And what a clever devil he is—an enemy who knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows every thought, feeling, and desire. Our thoughts are his door into our minds, hearts, actions, and lives. When Adam and Eve were created they ruled the earth under God, but the moment they sinned, the dominion over earth and everything in it was given to Satan. Christians have a way out of this though, by claiming Christ as a personal Savior. However, laying that claim is where the real work begins. Our duty from that moment on is to learn to exemplify Him. We are told to look to the life of Christ as an example by which to live; a perfect example. But we fall so short. We try and try again to change what we do and say to imitate Jesus and … we fall and fall again. If we are not surrounding ourselves with things that are Christ-like, if we are meditating on things that Jesus would not have anything to do with, there is no possibility for change. The mind and what goes on in it is the key to absolutely everything in our lives.

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character.” Unknown.

In other words, everything starts with our thoughts. They are ground zero. Our words are the result of what we are processing in our minds. It makes no difference whether they are impulsive or well thought through. If we are in the habit of thinking things that we would not want to say aloud, it will come out when we are not guarded, or in times of intense emotion. Focusing solely on changing our words and actions is like taking the cough out of the cold. The cough may go away for a little while but so long as the cold still lingers, the cough and all the other miserable symptoms will recur. The devil knows this and will attack us at the very foundation—our thoughts. The Bible put it very simply; “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7. This is true not just because our true motives, ideas, and emotions, which are not shown to anyone else, are stored there, but because our mentality is exemplified in our lives.

Mark Twain once said, “What a small part of a person’s life are his actions and his words. His real life is led in his head; known to no one but himself.” How true this is. The famous author is saying that our actions and words are only the fruit of the plant, but there would be no plant without the seed—our thoughts. “Great thoughts, noble aspirations, clear perceptions of truth, unselfish purposes, yearnings for piety and holiness, will bear fruit in words that reveal the character of the heart treasure.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 338. Bearing the fruit that Christ says all true Christians will bear begins in the mind. People can attempt to change their actions and words; we can try to change our lives by moving in a different direction outwardly, but without changing how we think, it is a hopeless cause; we will always revert back to the same rut. Jesus likening us to the fruit of a vine is more apropos than many may think. We are the fruit of what we dwell upon. We can try to put on the fruit of Christianity for a time, but if the seed planted is still a thistle, that is what will be produced. We cannot generate fruit unless we change the seed. Our thoughts are the seeds from which everything else in our lives spring forth, and only by dwelling on the fruits of Christ can we produce His fruits.

“It is a law both of the intellect and the spiritual nature, that by beholding we become changed. The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it is allowed to dwell.” The Great Controversy, 555. When a vineyard is planted, trellises are erected to guide the vine as it grows. We have trellises in our lives also. The things that we allow into our lives and minds are the trellis and we will naturally grow in the direction in which it leads. There is not one thing in life that we are not affected by. Where and how we spend our time, what relationships we cultivate, the environment in which we live, the media we allow; our thought patterns are affected by all these things, and thus, since our words, actions, and lives are driven by our thoughts, we are affected drastically.

Every person is endowed by the Holy Spirit with a conscience. It is a tool that allows us to distinguish what things we would have in our lives. It is much like a muscle; when it is used, it grows stronger. In neglect, it dissipates into nothing. The same principle applies to our moral lives and what we take in. When our spiritual muscles are growing weak with the relenting of scruples, we lose the muscle we once had and cannot withstand the pressures of the world we once could when we were in better condition. And since thought is a precursor to action, when we allow things into our minds that are questionable, we are weakening our senses to the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. As the saying goes, “Use it or lose it”. We can strengthen our consciences again only by responding to the slightest of reproofs and reigning in our words and actions based upon those whispers. When we seek to justify ourselves, we are working against the Holy Spirit, and our actions will show it. If we feel a right to thinking or saying or behaving in a way that is against God’s character, we will naturally exhibit those things and grieve the Holy Spirit.

“It is not necessary that anyone should yield to the temptations of Satan and thus violate his own conscience and grieve the Holy Spirit. Every provision has been made in the Word of God whereby all may have divine help in their endeavors to overcome.” God’s Amazing Grace, 73.

If a garden is not carefully tended, weeds will overtake everything that was once beautiful and thriving. It takes no work at all, no effort, for something to be destroyed. The mind can be an amazing tool if properly maintained; however, the slightest neglect gives the devil room to come in, for an idle mind is the devil’s playground. We must constantly be educating ourselves in Christ. If our minds are stagnant for a moment, or if we allow thoughts in that are directly contrary to Christ, we are giving the devil a space to force his own agenda. Satan’s portal of entry into our lives is through our minds, and he will put thoughts in our heads without our permission. He is invasive and forceful. God, on the other hand, is not. His principles are based on love, and He is ever patient and gives us freedom of choice. If we want Him and his attributes in our lives we must seek it out, and there is nothing that pleases Him so well; He wishes us to seek Him and His kingdom. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33. Satan wants to dominate us, and since he is the only one that will invade our lives where he is not wanted, is it any wonder that we would tend to think things that Christ would wish never to enter our heads? Thoughts are so very fleeting; they come and go even without us being aware of them sometimes. It is something like breathing. We do not need to try to have a thought come into our minds, just like we do not need to try to take a breath. It would, in fact, take quite a concerted effort not to breathe or think.

We should not let anything into our lives that we would be ashamed to dwell on in God’s presence. He is always aware of what we are thinking, saying and doing. Nothing escapes His omniscience. What if our thoughts were known to those around us? What if we each wore a neon sign that exposed every single thing that crossed our minds? There is absolutely no doubt, in this case, that we would control our thoughts, and if there was a fleeting thought that came across our neon sign that we would loath to share, we would quickly change our train of thinking rather than dwelling upon it. Why, though, would we be so very concerned with a neon sign that would expose us to other people, when we broadcast our every notion to God?

I have often chuckled at the stupidity of the devil when he called a “secret” meeting of the angels in heaven to turn them against God. What was he thinking? God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent; yet we share in the devil’s stupidity in believing that if we just think, we are getting away with something. But this is obviously not the case. “Guard your thoughts, close the door to temptation. Do your work as in the sight of the divine Watcher.” Counsels on Health, 341. Rather than condemning us though, God simply asks us, to revert our attention back to Him.

We must control what thoughts come and go, but given how quick and unbidden they are, it is quite a challenge. The mind needs to become educated by the character of Christ. When we focus our attention on worldly pleasures, we are starving our spiritual beings. The whole of a person’s being operates on one basic principle: what we put into it, we will get out of it. If we only ate food that lacked the nutrition our body requires to maintain itself, our physical health would plummet, and our quality of life would deteriorate also. Likewise with the mind; if we feed our minds with things that are nonsensical and of an immoral nature, we are starving our mental, spiritual, and emotional beings, the effects of which will show in how we feel emotionally, what we say, and how we act. God is our teacher and wishes to train our minds to dwell upon His attributes and to think as He would think, and behave as He would; be one with Christ as Christ and the Father are one (See John 17:21), beginning with everything that we dwell on and allow into our minds and hearts. It is more difficult to retrain than to learn, and it will not be an easy task. Doing so requires us to be surrounded only by those things which are holy, things in which God may be present. When we become accustomed to things that are distasteful to God, we must retrain our spiritual and mental tastes. The devil ensures that sin looks far more glamorous and appealing and satisfying than does holiness and purity. It takes discipline and self-denial to train the mind simply to want something different. Constant prayer that God would give you a desire for things that are pleasing to Him is also needed, and while He is working on your heart and mind, work hard to eradicate anything that may be displeasing to Christ. He is desperate to work with us, but refuses to play tug-o-war with us. So long as we are on the same side of the rope as Jesus, He will help us, and the devil will fall.

There is nothing that a person exhibits—thoughts, words, or actions, that has not already been processed in the mind. An impulsive word may come out unbidden, but is the direct descendant of a thought pattern. If thoughts are habitually pure and kind, there is no possibility of having anger and hatred come out. It would be like planting a grapevine and coming out with a thistle. It simply does not happen. This is why we are told in Philippians 4:8, “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” In these things the Holy Spirit can work with us. If we do not grieve Him in our thoughts and in what springs forth from our thoughts, Christ can dwell with us and guide us. Only in Him is there purity and beauty, and only through Him can we ever hope to eradicate anything unworthy of God’s children.

Alicia Freedman is currently working on our LandMarks team and can be contacted at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Prerequisites of Unity

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Surrounded by the eleven men who were going to be responsible for taking the gospel of His grace to the whole world, Jesus offered the prayer for them that we find recorded in John 17. This prayer, however, is not for those eleven men alone, because verse 20 says; “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” All who believe in Jesus are included, because we only know of Him through the testimony of these men.

Jesus continues in verse 21: “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” All the way to the end of His prayer in verse 26, the primary point for which Jesus expressed great concern was that there might be unity among His people.

Unity is not just something that is important; it is something that must take place before Jesus comes again. It is so important that Ellen White has told us that if we do not press together in unity, we will be destroyed.

From time to time, I have been asked to meet with various individuals in administration in the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization. While I would be glad to meet with these men, I cannot do it unless some conditions are met. We can have no unity with the various branches of the organization until there is repentance and confession.

For what do we need to repent? We need to repent for having wandered into doctrinal error, or heresy. There was a time when the head of our medical work, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, wandered into some theological positions that were not sound. Not only were they not sound, they would have destroyed Adventism had they been accepted, as was pointed out by Ellen White.

“I leave this matter as it now stands; for I am pained beyond measure because our brother’s spiritual views are not founded on a solid basis. The man can never be relied upon in the future, unless heart and soul, mind and strength, are entirely changed, revamped. As matters now stand, I can not see how there can be Christian unity between the medical missionary work as led by those in error, and the gospel ministry. There can be no unity without a decided change in the one who has stood as leader of our medical work.” Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, 54. [Emphasis supplied.]

Notice that she said that he could never be trusted in the future. It is no different today. When a minister or leader wanders into doctrinal heresy, he cannot be trusted unless his error is fully repented of and that fact has been demonstrated by a full confession. Our problem is that we have grown up in an era of public relations where people believe that you can smooth everything over with a veneer, and after a time, everyone will forget and life can go on, but this is not the gospel.

Because of their desire for harmony, many people are tempted to seek a type of unity with those whom they know to be in error. The devil wants us to harmonize with error, but there is a grave danger in doing so, and we must not do it.

“Oh, how deceptive is the human heart! How easy it is to harmonize with that which is evil! There is nothing more detrimental to the soul’s interest, its purity, its true and holy conceptions of God, and of sacred and eternal things, than constantly giving heed to and exalting that which is not from God. It poisons the heart, and degrades the understanding.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 78.

What does it mean to repent? In the Greek language, the word for repentance comes from a word that means “a change of mind.” In other words, you change your mind about sin, and when repentance is genuine, you will change your life. That is why we are told that genuine repentance is followed by reformation. (See The Desire of Ages, 555.) If there is no reformation in the life, then there has not been true repentance.

If, however, we are too proud to confess and repent, we can never come into unity.

It is so easy for people who have been Christians for a long time, and have not been living openly immoral lives, to think that somehow they no longer need to confess. This is especially true of those in positions of trust. Ministers, however, need to study the subject of repentance and confession just as much as anyone else, and maybe more, because their position makes repentance and confession so much more difficult to do.

“If when the Lord reveals your errors you do not repent or make confession, His providence will bring you over the ground again and again. You will be left to make mistakes of a similar character; you will continue to lack wisdom, and will call sin righteousness, and righteousness sin. The multitude of deceptions that will prevail in these last days will encircle you, [she is talking to ministers here] and you will change leaders, and not know that you have done so.

“I ask you who are handling sacred things, I ask the individual members of the church, Have you confessed your sins?” The Review and Herald, December 16, 1890.

It is a dangerous thing, when God reveals to a person something in his life that is wrong, for that person not to accept it with repentance and confession. When this takes place, the thinking becomes distorted so that sin appears as righteousness and righteousness as sin. It is even possible for a minister to continue preaching and call himself a Seventh-day Adventist, but to have changed leaders without realizing it. Instead of following Christ, he has become a part of Satan’s organization.

Confession is absolutely vital and of all people, ministers should be the most diligent to be sure that their sins are repented of and confessed.

“Confess your faults to one another, that you may be healed. How many there are who are carrying a load of unconfessed wrongdoing. They try to shape matters so that their dignity will not be hurt. To make wrongs right from the very first departure, looks to them like extinguishing themselves.” The Signs of the Times, October 30, 1901.

To where am I to go back, to get things made right? To the very first departure from the right. This is a critical point to understand when you want to have unity. Some people ask, “Why can’t we all just get together?”

Before we can get together in unity, we are going to have to go back to where the departure was and make it right.

Let me just give an illustration that has to do with this. Have you ever had somebody ask you, “Why can’t you just associate and fellowship with the Seventh-day Baptists? What is the difference?” Oh, there is a big difference between Seventh-day Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists. The difference is that in the 1840s, the Seventh-day Baptists did not accept the first angel’s message. When you do not accept the first angel’s message, you are not in a position to accept the second angel’s message. If you do not accept the second angel’s message, you are not in a position to accept the third angel’s message, which is present truth for today.

I worked with an evangelist once who told me that when you are explaining something sensitive, always put it on the other foot. Do not ever make the person you are talking with appear in a bad light. If you are talking with Methodists, do not talk about the Methodists; talk about the Baptists or some other group, or the person to whom you are speaking is very apt to take it personally and you will have a barrier of prejudice to overcome before you can reach them. I just followed that principle. I have not talked to you about Seventh-day Adventists, but if you follow this principle through, it applies in Adventism.

“Men have in their minds justified the course that was then taken. They have viewed things, from beginning to end, in an altogether false light; and from the present showing, the same course will be followed in the future.” Spalding-Magan Collection, 178.

These words were part of an appeal to our leading ministers to confess and repent of what we had done wrong. Some people urge charity and express a concern that it is hurtful to those involved to discuss these things, but notice what we are told about true charity: “True charity never covers up unrepented and unconfessed sins.” The Signs of the Times, May 11, 1876.

“While we should manifest Christian courtesy, we are authorized to call sin and sinners by their right names—that this is consistent with true charity. While we are to love the souls for whom Christ died, and labor for their salvation, we should not make a compromise with sin. We are not to unite with the rebellious, and call this charity. God requires His people in this age of the world to stand, as did John in his time, unflinchingly for the right, in opposition to soul destroying errors.” The Sanctified Life, 65.

Some people believe that it is wrong to name names, but that is not what we are told by inspiration. It is necessary that they be named so that other people will not be led astray. We are to call sin and sinners by their right name and appeal to them to repent. We are to denounce what they are doing so that the Holy Spirit can convict their minds to repent and confess their sins, because we are very close to the time when there will no longer be an opportunity to confess our sin, to repent.

Friend, in Adventism today, there is a lot to repent of and much to confess, but there can never be unity unless these steps are first followed.

“When Brother C once takes a position on the wrong side, it is not easy for him to confess that he has error; but if he can let his wrong course pass out of his mind and pass from the memory of others, and he can make some changes for the better without an open acknowledgement of his wrong, he will do so. But all these errors and unconfessed sins stand registered in heaven and will not be blotted out until he complies with the directions given in the word of God: ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.’ ” [James 5:16.] Testimonies, vol. 4, 241.

Do you see what it is that is blocking us from having unity? Can we deny that there has been scheming and prevarication in Adventism in the last few years? These things make unity impossible.

“He would teach His people that disobedience and sin are exceedingly offensive to Him and are not to be lightly regarded. He shows us that when His people are found in sin they should at once take decided measures to put that sin from them, that His frown may not rest upon them all. But if the sins of the people are passed over by those in responsible positions, His frown will be upon them, and the people of God, as a body, will be held responsible for those sins.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 265.

“The plain, straight testimony must live in the church, or the curse of God will rest upon His people as surely as it did upon ancient Israel because of their sins. God holds his people, as a body, responsible for the sins existing in individuals among them. If the leaders of the church neglect to diligently search out the sins which bring the displeasure of God upon the body, they become responsible for these sins.” Ibid. 269.

Now, friends, if you understand very much at all about church history, that statement should put a great load on you. Do you have any idea of some of the things that have happened in Adventism that, as far as I can find out, have never been repented of or confessed? What was happening in the 50s, 60s, and 70s? Remember when the book Questions on Doctrine came out in the 1950s, introducing heresy? Remember what took place in the Mary Kay Silver case in the 1970s? Was it right? We have been defending it ever since. I have a whole booklet in my library defending what we did. I read the booklet and then read the accounts of what had happened, and when I finished, I said, “It was not right.”

Somebody may say, “Well, she did this, that and the other.” It does not matter what the other person has done. You do not have to answer for what she did, but if we were a member of the organization at that time, we are going to have to answer for what we have done, or allowed others to do in our church, without protest. We have more repenting and confessing to do than many of us have ever imagined. If we want to be ready for the Lord to come, we need to be attentive to what is going on and act accordingly.

In the 1980s there was John Marik who was put in prison for religious reasons. This action was initiated by the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and I have paperwork confirming this. That was a sin, friends, and what we did is registered in the books of heaven.

The first thing that is essential to unity is repentance.

Someone may ask, “Pastor John, are you speaking only about the organization?” No, I am not denying that there may be things for which I need to repent. If there are blind spots in my character that I do not see, for which I need to repent, then someone among God’s people who loves me needs to point them out to me, so that I can repent. Unity will never be obtained without repentance, and true repentance will always be followed by confession.

“All sin unrepented of and unconfessed will remain upon the books of record. It will not be blotted out, it will not go beforehand to judgement, to be canceled by the atoning blood of Jesus. The accumulated sins of every individual will be written with absolute accuracy.” The Review and Herald, March 27, 1888.

We are living in the Day of Atonement. Are you reviewing your life? Are you asking, “Lord, did I have a thought, speak a word or do anything today that was not pleasing in Your sight?”

If you will begin the process of repenting and confessing your faults and mistakes, you will find that it becomes progressively easier. It is certainly humbling, but as with many difficult things, it is always hardest at first.

Some of you may feel overwhelmed as you consider the formidable task before you and be tempted to say, “If I follow your advice on repenting and confessing of sin, I would not even get all my sins repented of and confessed before the Lord comes; there are too many!” But, God is the One who said this, and if you do not know how to get it all done, you had better talk to Him about it. All I can do is share with you what the Lord said. Ask the Lord to help you to get it done. The sooner you get started, the sooner you will finish.

About this time, one of the questions that makes people very nervous is, “What if I cannot remember? Am I then shut out of the kingdom of heaven?”

The Bible says: “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” 11 Corinthians 8:12. If you have willingness and will make a commitment with the Lord, the Holy Spirit will point out to you what you need to do to be right with God. The problem is not with our memories because God can supply our deficiencies. The real problem is whether we have a mind that is willing to make things right.

“There are those who are supposed to be excellent men, but they have some flaw in their character which, under special temptation, becomes as a dead fly in the ointment. The whole character will be perverted by one unconfessed sin.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 13, 190.

If we allow one sin in our life that is not confessed and repented of, that one sin will flaw the entire character. In Testimonies, vol. 5, 53, we are told that one sin will neutralize all the power of the gospel.

Ellen White once wrote to an elderly person who was living in sin, but who had not long to live. She said, “The sands of your life are nearly run out, and now if you will come to God just as you are, without one plea but that He has died to save the chiefest of sinners you will find pardon even in this the eleventh hour.” Testimonies on Sexual Behavior, Adultery, and Divorce, 133.

Oh, friend, whatever your situation, whatever the sin in your life, even if it is the eleventh hour of your life, you can come to Jesus and repent and confess and find forgiveness for your sin. The gospel is a wonderful thing. Not only can you find forgiveness for your sins, but you can find power to live a new life, to no longer live in sin.

“Christ did not die to have power to cover transgression unrepented of and unconfessed. Not all sins are to be confessed publicly, but some are to be confessed alone to God and the parties that have been injured.” Ibid.

We need to pray: “Lord whatever You have to do with me to prepare me for heaven, whatever experience I have to go through, whatever trial, whatever happens, please, Lord, do not let me die in sin.” If you die with your sins concealed and unconfessed, you are lost.

“The mansions that Jesus has gone to prepare for all who love him, will be peopled by those who are free from sin. But sins that are not confessed will never be forgiven; the name of him who thus rejects the grace of God will be blotted out of the book of life.” The Review and Herald, December 16, 1890.

Friend, I am willing for you to correct me on anything that you can find from inspired writings, but if I am correct, we have a lot more repenting and confessing to do than most of us have ever had any idea of, and we had better pray and ask the Lord to help us to get it done. We are either going to confess it now, or after the millennium. By the grace of God, let us begin now. [All Emphasis supplied.]

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

The Judgment

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In the Bible we find that God has, at different times, given life and death warnings. Moses came to Egypt and had a message from God—“Let My people go.” They rejected the message, and Pharaoh replied, “Who is God that He should tell us that?” As a result, they first lost their cattle, then their crops, and eventually their first-born. Finally, they lost their army and Pharaoh himself.

Jeremiah came to Israel with a life and death message, calling them to repent and to return to the true worship of God. They wanted to hear love spoken and thought that his message was too straight; they cast him into a miry pit. Because they rejected Him, God could not protect them; and although they claimed to be worshiping Him, going through the motions of religion, their city was completely destroyed.

Then there was John the Baptist who came with a message of repentance to Israel. They rejected the message, and what happened? Again, Jerusalem was destroyed and lay in ruins for many years. The Jewish people were scattered all over the world.

So at various times, God has had life and death messages that have been given to various groups, individuals, and nations. But twice in this world’s history, He has had a life and death message for the whole world. The first one came through Noah. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things, and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5–7. Conditions then must have been something like today. The Bible says that every imagination of man’s heart was evil continually.

God said that it had become unbearable to allow this to go on in the universe, and he decided that He was going to put a check on sin. But God is merciful; He did not do it overnight. “And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Verse 3. In I Peter 3, we find that this power that pled with men was the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and that was manifested at Pentecost. It was not just human power; it was the power of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that when God sends a warning message the second time, it will again be as in Noah’s time. There will be many scoffers. “Knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of Creation. For this they willfully forget that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same Word, reserved for fire until the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” II Peter 3:3–7. Notice it says that they willfully forget. In other words, they choose to ignore the evidence by which they might have a knowledge of the flood. The world today is being kept in store by this same power; but this time it is not to be destroyed by water but by fire.

Now there were scoffers in Noah’s day, and there are scoffers today. But scoffers did not change the facts then, nor will they today. God has given evidence by which, if people are interested, they can find that the Bible is true. Even if the whole world disbelieves God’s Word, His Word is still going to come true!

Now, if the judgment has come, and if it is going to be preached, someone must know that it has begun. Somewhere in the Bible there must be a time pointed out as to when the judgment is going to begin. Paul tells us in Acts 17:31, “He has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness.” God has had to put the date for the judgment some place in the Bible, and we want to find it.

Daniel 7 gives us an approximate date for the beginning of the judgment, though it does not give us an exact time.

“I watched until thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:9, 10.

Now if you will continue on to verses 11–13, you will see that this is not yet the end of the world. “I watched then [after the court had been seated] because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking.” We find in Revelation that while the horn reigned for 1,260 years, at which time it received a deadly wound, yet it would be healed and all of the world would wonder after the beast. So Daniel hears the horn speaking after the judgment has set.

There is a principle that every prophecy builds on the one before it. The prophecy of Daniel 8 covers much of the same history as Daniel 7. It begins with the rule of Medo-Persia and relates the fall of that kingdom before Alexander the Great. After giving more details about the rule of Greece, it goes over the reign of the little horn power. When it comes to the end of the little horn power, it also goes into the judgment; but this prophecy gives us something a little more specific. “And he said unto me, For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14. The Jews knew what that terminology meant. The cleansing of the sanctuary was a term that had reference to the Day of Atonement, which was a period of judgment for the Jews. Because we are dealing with prophetic time, we know this to be a time period of two thousand three hundred literal years. This places the judgment a great distance into the future.

“Now it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, Gabriel, make this man understand the vision. So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” Verses 15–17.

We know that the time period stretches to the time of the end; but without a starting point, this still is not very specific.

Gabriel was told to explain the vision to Daniel, but he was not able to finish because Daniel fainted. Upon his recovery, however, Daniel kept praying and the angel came back.

“Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.” Daniel 9:20–23.

To what vision is Gabriel referring? The vision in chapter 8! This is the vision which Gabriel started to explain, but Daniel became sick before he finished explaining about the 2,300 days. “Go finish your explanation,” God said. “You did not finish.”

The only part of that vision which had not been explained was the part dealing with time. Naturally, Gabriel does not go back and talk about the powers of Greece and Medo-Persia; he starts right in where he left off, explaining the 2,300 days. “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; … Then He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” Verses 24, 25, 27.

Now there is an unfortunate mistranslation here. The word determined is from the word “chathak”. In Hebrew it literally means “cut off.” The reason the translators did not translate it that way is because, failing to go back to the previous vision, they could not determine from what it was cut off. Seventy weeks must be cut off from some larger period of time. There is only one time period in the vision of the beginning and that is the 2,300 days, or years. Now he said 70 weeks are cut off from this 2,300-day period. Seventy weeks is 490 literal years. If you cut 490 from 2,300, there are 1,810 years left. In other words, of the 2,300 years, 490 were given especially to the Jewish people.

The 490-day period began with the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. This took place in 457 B.C. It then extended until A.D. 34. At that time, Stephen was stoned and persecution broke out in Jerusalem, scattering the followers of Jesus everywhere. It was then that the gospel began to go to the Gentiles. By the way, as 1844 follows 1798, it also fits the prophecy of Daniel 7.

Other than the prophecy in Daniel 8 and 9, there is no prophecy in all of the Bible that reveals a date for the judgment to begin. Daniel 7 gives the approximate date for the judgment to begin, but Daniel 8 is the only one that gives the time.

“As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be also in the days of the Son of Man.” Luke 17:26. In Noah’s day, those who heeded God’s warning, though very few in number, were saved, while those who scoffed at the message were lost. The Bible says that there is coming a judgment. It also tells us that the judgment message will be preached with a loud voice. I believe, according to Bible prophecy, that the judgment has already begun. When it is ended, the destiny of all mankind will have been decided. When the judgment is over, the pronouncement will be made, ‘He who is unjust let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.’ And behold, I am coming quickly.” Revelation 22:11, 12.

This has not yet taken place, but the time is rapidly approaching when all decisions relative to salvation will have been irrevocably made. Remember, the flood did not come immediately after Noah entered the ark and the door was closed. There were still seven days, but probation was closed. Everyone had made his final decision.

“As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away.” Matthew 24:37, 39.

When probation closes, no one is going to know, but their destiny will be fixed. People did not know that their destiny had been fixed when Noah entered the ark, but it had been fixed. In Noah’s day, God gave them 120 years. The final judgment message has already been proclaimed for a longer period than that, but God is still waiting. Do you know why He is waiting? He is waiting for us, because He loves us so much. Not everyone has made a decision yet, and God wants to give us a little more time. “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9.

Today, God’s message is going to all the world. Where you and I will be a million years from now depends on what we do with God’s message today. In Noah’s day, every person who was saved had to make a choice to be in the ark. They did not have to make a choice to be outside, as that is where they already were. There is not a man or woman who has to make a decision to be lost; we are already lost. If you would be saved, however, you have to make a decision to follow God. It is not something that just comes naturally. You have to say, “Lord, I am going to follow You all the way.”

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.

Bible Study Guides – Lessons from the Life of David – A Soul Brought to Peace

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March 24, 2019 – March 30, 2019

Key Text

“Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to everyone that is to come” (Psalm 71:18).

Study Help:  Patriarchs and Prophets, 743–755; Conflict and Courage, 186.

Introduction

“Glorious are the promises made to David and his house, promises that look forward to the eternal ages, and find their complete fulfillment in Christ.’’ Patriarchs and Prophets, 754.

Sunday

REBELLION SQUELCHED

  • As David prepared for battle, what was his main concern? 2 Samuel 18:1–5. How did Absalom meet his death? 2 Samuel 18:9, 10, 14, 15.

Note: “As the king looked upon the opposing forces, the thought uppermost in his mind was not of the crown and the kingdom, nor of his own life, that depended upon the wage of battle. The father’s heart was filled with love and pity for his rebellious son.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 743.

  • Relate how Joab had to arrest the reactions which followed this event. 2 Samuel 18:32, 33; 19:1–8.

Note: “Joab was filled with indignation. God had given them reason for triumph and gladness; the greatest rebellion that had ever been known in Israel had been crushed; and yet this great victory was turned to mourning for him [Absalom] whose crime had cost the blood of thousands of brave men. … [2 Samuel 19:5–7 quoted.]

“Harsh and even cruel as was the reproof to the heart-stricken king, David did not resent it. Seeing that his general was right, he went down to the gate, and with words of courage and commendation greeted his brave soldiers as they marched past him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 745.

Monday

BLESSING AND PRESUMPTION

  • Although the full restoration of David’s kingdom was neither immediate nor easy, what was he able to declare? 2 Samuel 22:1–3, 7, 18–22, 51.

Note: “After the death of Absalom, God turned the hearts of Israel, as the heart of one man, to David.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 91.

  • What was the next error which David committed? 1 Chronicles 21:1–4.

Note: “It was pride and ambition that prompted this action of the king. The numbering of the people would show the contrast between the weakness of the kingdom when David ascended the throne and its strength and prosperity under his rule. This would tend still further to foster the already too great self-confidence of both king and people. [1 Chronicles 21:1 quoted.] The prosperity of Israel under David had been due to the blessing of God rather than to the ability of her king or the strength of her armies. But the increasing of the military resources of the kingdom would give the impression to surrounding nations that Israel’s trust was in her armies, and not in the power of Jehovah.

“Though the people of Israel were proud of their national greatness, they did not look with favor upon David’s plan for so greatly extending the military service. The proposed enrollment caused much dissatisfaction; consequently it was thought necessary to employ the military officers in place of the priests and magistrates, who had formerly taken the census. The object of the undertaking was directly contrary to the principles of a theocracy.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 747.

Tuesday

REPENTANCE AND CONSEQUENCES

  • What did David humbly realize even before the census had been completed? 2 Samuel 24:10. What choices did God offer and what did David choose? 2 Samuel 24:11–14.
  •  Why did so many people have to suffer, and what was the effect of David’s intercession? 2 Samuel 24:15–17, 21, 25.

Note: “The taking of the census had caused disaffection among the people; yet they had themselves cherished the same sins that prompted David’s action. As the Lord through Absalom’s sin visited judgment upon David, so through David’s error He punished the sins of Israel.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 748.

“Swift destruction followed. Seventy thousand were destroyed by pestilence. David and the elders of Israel were in the deepest humiliation, mourning before the Lord. As the angel of the Lord was on his way to destroy Jerusalem, God bids him to stay his work of death. A pitiful God loves His people still, notwithstanding their rebellion. The angel clad in warlike garments, with a drawn sword in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, is revealed to David, and to those who were with him. David is terribly afraid, yet he cries out in his distress, and his compassion for Israel. He begs of God to save the sheep. In anguish he confesses, ‘I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. Let thine hand be against me, and against my father’s house, and not upon the people’ (2 Samuel 24:17). God speaks to David by his prophet, and bids him make atonement for his sin. David’s heart was in the work, and his repentance was accepted.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 92, 93.

Wednesday

ABDICATION

  • How had David prayed to have special grace in his old age? Psalm 71:9, 18–20. Describe the final trial of David’s life, and the action which followed. 1 Kings 1:5, 6, 15–20, 32–35, 39.

Note: “Both by natural endowments and religious character Solomon was better qualified than his elder brother to become ruler of Israel; yet although the choice of God had been clearly indicated, Adonijah did not fail to find sympathizers. …

“David at once abdicated in favor of Solomon, who was immediately anointed and proclaimed king. The conspiracy was crushed. Its chief actors had incurred the penalty of death. … Joab and Adonijah were spared for the time, but after the death of David they suffered the penalty of their crime. The execution of the sentence upon the son of David completed the fourfold judgment [2 Samuel 12:5, 6] that testified to God’s abhorrence of the father’s sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 749, 750.

  • Describe David’s deepest concerns at the end of his life, and what he realized more fully. 2 Samuel 23:1–4; 1 Kings 2:1–3; 1 Chronicles 28:9.

Note: “Great had been David’s fall, but deep was his repentance, ardent was his love, and strong his faith. He had been forgiven much, and therefore he loved much.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 754.

“The closing years of David’s life were marked with faithful devotion to God. … He manifested an earnestness and devotion in making extensive preparations for the building [temple], and spared neither labor nor expense, but made large donations from his own treasury, thereby setting a noble example before his people, which they did not hesitate with a willing heart to follow.

“David feels the greatest solicitude for Solomon. … He has learned by experience that the Lord will in no case sanction wrong doing, whether it be found in the loftiest prince, or the humblest subject, but would visit the leader of his people with as much severer punishment as his position is more responsible than the humble subject’s. The sins committed by the leaders of Israel would have an influence to lessen the heinousness of crime on the minds and consciences of the people, and would be brought to the notice of other nations, who fear not God, but who trample upon his authority, and they would be led to blaspheme the God of Israel.

“David solemnly charges his son to adhere strictly to the law of God, and to keep all his statutes.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 94, 95.

“David, in arranging his business, sets a good example to all who are advanced in years, to settle their matters while they are capable of doing so, that when they shall be drawing near to death, and their mental faculties are dimmed, they shall have nothing of a worldly nature to divert their minds from God.” Ibid., 96.

Thursday

A LEGACY FOR THE LAST DAYS

  • How are we to understand the promises recorded in 2 Samuel 7:16 and Psalm 110:1–5? Explain the significance of these promises. Luke 1:30–33; Matthew 22:41–45; Acts 2:29–36.
  •  What message penned by David is of particular importance to believers in these last days of earth’s history? Psalm 119:17, 18, 33–40, 126, 127.

Note: “It is possible for men to go so far in wickedness, under continual remonstrance, that God sees that He must arise and vindicate His honor. Thus it is at the present period of this earth’s history. Crime of every degree is becoming more and more strikingly manifest. The earth is filled with violence of men against their fellow-men.

“What position will the church take? Will those who in the past have had respect for the law of God, be drawn into the current of evil? Will the almost universal transgression and contempt of the law of God, darken the spiritual atmosphere of the souls of all alike? Will the disrespect of the law of God sweep away the protecting barriers? Because wickedness and lawlessness prevail, is the law of God to be less highly esteemed? Because it is made void by the great majority of those living on the earth, shall the few loyal ones become like all the disloyal, and act as the wicked act? Shall they not rather offer up the prayer of David, ‘It is time for Thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void Thy law’ (Psalm 119:126)?” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1153.

“[Psalm 119:17, 18, 33–40 quoted.] Such prayers as this the Lord’s servants should be continually offering to Him. This prayer reveals a consecration to God of heart and mind; it is the consecration that God is asking us to make.” lbid., 1152.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     What can we learn from the conversation between David and Joab following the death of Absalom?

2    Why was David’s census displeasing to God?

3    Enumerate the fourfold judgment on David’s sons.

4    What rules did the Holy Spirit, through David, set up for church leaders?

5    What did the Holy Spirit, through David, prophesy about the Messiah that was to come, and appeal to us in the last days?

 

© 1996, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – Lessons from the Life of David – Heartbreaking Consequences

by

March 17, 2019 – March 23, 2019

Key Text

“Rejoice not against me, 0 mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8).

 Study Help:  Patriarchs and Prophets, 737, 738; Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 89–91.

Introduction

“David’s history enables us to see also the great ends which God has in view in His dealings with sin; it enables us to trace, even through darkest judgments, the working out of His purposes of mercy and beneficence.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 738.

Sunday

BITTER EFFECTS OF SIN

  • How had David’s sin reduced his credibility before his children? Proverbs 6:32, 33.

Note: “There was a great change in David himself. He was broken in spirit by the consciousness of his sin and its far-reaching results. He felt humbled in the eyes of his subjects. His influence was weakened. Hitherto his prosperity had been attributed to his conscientious obedience to the commandments of the Lord. But now his subjects, having a knowledge of his sin, would be led to sin more freely. His authority in his own household, his claim to respect and obedience from his sons, was weakened. A sense of his guilt kept him silent when he should have condemned sin; it made his arm feeble to execute justice in his house. His evil example exerted its influence upon his sons, and God would not interpose to prevent the result. He would permit things to take their natural course, and thus David was severely chastised.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 723.

  • What is written about Amnon, David’s first-born son? 2 Samuel 13:1, 2, 10–16. Why did David neglect to carry out his convictions regarding Amnon’s violent act? 2 Samuel 13:21; Romans 2:1.

Note: “The shameful crime of Amnon, the first-born, was permitted by David to pass unpunished and unrebuked. The law pronounced death upon the adulterer, and the unnatural crime of Amnon made him doubly guilty. But David, self-condemned for his own sin, failed to bring the offender to justice.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 727.

Monday

BLIND PARENTAL AFFECTION

  • How was Amnon brought to justice? 2 Samuel 13:28, 29, 32. What warning should parents and church leaders heed from observing the character and outcome of Amnon?

Note: “Like other sons of David, Amnon had been left to selfish indulgence. He had sought to gratify every thought of his heart, regardless of the requirements of God. Notwithstanding his great sin, God had borne long with him. For two years he had been granted opportunity for repentance; but he continued in sin, and with his guilt upon him, he was cut down by death, to await the awful tribunal of the judgment. …

“When parents or rulers neglect the duty of punishing iniquity, God Himself will take the case in hand. His restraining power will be in a measure removed from the agencies of evil, so that a train of circumstances will arise which will punish sin with sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 727, 728.

  • How can we avoid the same mistakes David committed in mishandling the case of Absalom? 2 Samuel 13:38, 39; 14:21–24, 28.

Note: “The evil results of David’s unjust indulgence toward Amnon were not ended, for it was here that Absalom’s alienation from his father began. After he fled to Geshur, David, feeling that the crime of his son demanded some punishment, refused him permission to return. And this had a tendency to increase rather than to lessen the inextricable evils in which the king had come to be involved.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 728.

‘’[After being permitted to return to Jerusalem] Absalom lived two years in his own house, but banished from the court. His sister dwelt with him, and her presence kept alive the memory of the irreparable wrong she had suffered. … It was not wise for the king to leave a man of Absalom’s character—ambitious, impulsive, and passionate—to brood for two years over supposed grievances. And David’s action in permitting him to return to Jerusalem, and yet refusing to admit him to his presence, enlisted in his behalf the sympathies of the people.” lbid., 729.

Tuesday

CHARISMA, CHARM, AND TREACHERY

  • What factors made Absalom attractive to the people, and how did he craftily use these to his advantage when the unsuspecting king had accepted him back into his court? 2 Samuel 14:25, 26; 15:1–6.

Note: “With the memory ever before him of his own transgression of the law of God, David seemed morally paralyzed. … The influence of David’s listlessness and irresolution extended to his subordinates; negligence and delay characterized the administration of justice. Absalom artfully turned every cause of dissatisfaction to his own advantage.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 729.

“Fomented by the artful insinuations of the prince, discontent with the government was fast spreading. The praise of Absalom was on the lips of all. … The king, blinded by affection for his son, suspected nothing. The princely state which Absalom had assumed, was regarded by David as intended to do honor to his court—as an expression of joy at the reconciliation.” Ibid., 730.

  • Relate the hypocritical plot of Absalom. 2 Samuel 15:7–12.

Note: “Absalom’s crowning act of hypocrisy was designed not only to blind the king but to establish the confidence of the people, and thus to lead them on to rebellion against the king whom God had chosen.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 730.

Wednesday

REMEMBERING PRIORITIES

  • Relate the startling news brought to David, and the strategic steps he took. 2 Samuel 15:13–17. What was his aim in taking this action?

Note: “In his great peril David shook off the depression that had so long rested upon him, and with the spirit of his earlier years he prepared to meet this terrible emergency. Absalom was mustering his forces at Hebron, only twenty miles away. The rebels would soon be at the gates of Jerusalem.

“From his palace David looked out upon his capital—’beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth … the city of the great King’ (Psalm 48:2). He shuddered at the thought of exposing it to carnage and devastation. Should he call to his help the subjects still loyal to his throne, and make a stand to hold his capital? Should he permit Jerusalem to be deluged with blood? His decision was taken. The horrors of war should not fall upon the chosen city. He would leave Jerusalem, and then test the fidelity of his people, giving them an opportunity to rally to his support. In this great crisis it was his duty to God and to his people to maintain the authority with which Heaven had invested him. The issue of the conflict he would trust with God.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 731.

  • In this tragic hour, how was David comforted by the faith of men such as lttai the Gittite? 2 Samuel 15:18–23.

Note: “David, with characteristic unselfishness, could not consent that these strangers who had sought his protection should be involved in his calamity. He expressed surprise that they should be ready to make this sacrifice for him. [2 Samuel 15:19–21 quoted.)

“These men had been converted from paganism to the worship of Jehovah, and nobly they now proved their fidelity to their God and their king. David, with grateful heart, accepted their devotion to his apparently sinking cause.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 731, 732.

Thursday

NOBILITY IN SUFFERING

  • Though David eagerly yearned to keep God’s sacred ark with him, what noble decision did he make? 2 Samuel 15:24–29.

Note: “As the appointed ruler of God’s heritage he was under solemn responsibility. Not personal interests, but the glory of God and the good of his people, were to be uppermost in the mind of Israel’s king. … Without divine authority neither priest nor king had a right to remove therefrom the symbol of His presence. And David knew that his heart and life must be in harmony with the divine precepts, else the ark would be the means of disaster rather than of success. His great sin was ever before him. He recognized in this conspiracy the just judgment of God. The sword that was not to depart from his house had been unsheathed. He knew not what the result of the struggle might be. It was not for him to remove from the capital of the nation the sacred statutes which embodied the will of their divine Sovereign, which were the constitution of the realm and the foundation of its prosperity.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 732.

  • Describe the hope expressed by David in this dark hour. 2 Samuel 15:30; 16:5–12; Psalm 3:1–3. What should we realize from this history? Psalm 89:18–20, 30–33.

Note: “David utters no complaint. The most eloquent psalm he ever sang [Psalm 3] was when he was climbing Mount Olivet.” Conflict and Courage, 181.

“The Lord did not forsake David. This chapter in his experience, when, under cruelest wrong and insult, he shows himself to be humble, unselfish, generous, and submissive, is one of the noblest in his whole experience. Never was the ruler of Israel more truly great in the sight of heaven than at this hour of his deepest outward humiliation. …

“In the experience through which He caused David to pass, the Lord shows that He cannot tolerate or excuse sin. … He caused David to pass under the rod, but He did not destroy him; the furnace is to purify, but not to consume.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 738.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     Why did David seem to be in a paralytic stupor?

2    How can we avoid repeating the mistakes found in David’s family life?

3    What factors can trigger an Absalom in the church?

4    Relate some evidences of David’s nobility during this period.

5    Why could David trust in God even at this time?

Bible Study Guides – Lessons from the Life of David – The Exalted Humbled

by

March 10, 2019 – March 16, 2019

Key Text

“Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile” (Psalm 32:2).

Study Help: Patriarchs and Prophets, 717–726; Steps to Christ, 23, 25, 35, 36.

Introduction

‘’Those who, by pointing to the example of David, try to lessen the guilt of their own sins, should learn from the Bible that the way of transgression is hard.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 724.

Sunday

AT EASE IN THE BROAD WAY

  • Trace the course which led David to go astray. 2 Samuel 11:1–4. How are we warned against this sin? Hebrews 13:4.

Note: “It was the spirit of self-confidence and self-exaltation that prepared the way for David’s fall. Flattery and the subtle allurements of power and luxury were not without effect upon him. Intercourse with surrounding nations also exerted an influence for evil. According to the customs prevailing among Eastern rulers, crimes not to be tolerated in subjects were uncondemned in the king; the monarch was not under obligation to exercise the same self-restraint as the subject. All this tended to lessen David’s sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. And instead of relying in humility upon the power of Jehovah, he began to trust to his own wisdom and might. …

“David was surrounded by the fruits of victory and the honors of his wise and able rule. It was now, while he was at ease and unguarded, that the tempter seized the opportunity to occupy his mind. The fact that God had taken David into so close connection with Himself and had manifested so great favor toward him, should have been to him the strongest of incentives to preserve his character unblemished. But when in ease and self-security he let go his hold upon God, David yielded to Satan and brought upon his soul the stain of guilt. He, the Heaven-appointed leader of the nation, chosen by God to execute His law, himself trampled upon its precepts.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 717, 718.

  • How did Jesus explain what makes a person vulnerable to sin? John 15:5, last part. What admonitions are given to help us in this regard? 1 John 2:15, 16.

Note: “Whatever diverts the mind from God, whatever leads to self-exaltation or to self-dependence, is surely preparing the way for our overthrow. …

“As soon as Satan can separate the soul from God, the only Source of strength, he will seek to arouse the unholy desires of man’s carnal nature. The work of the enemy is not abrupt; it is not, at the outset, sudden and startling; it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. It begins in apparently small things—the neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him wholly, the disposition to follow the customs and practices of the world.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 717, 718.

Monday

A DOWNWARD COURSE

  • What further complicated David’s situation? 2 Samuel 11:5. Explain why God could not prosper David’s attempt to cover his sin. 2 Samuel 11:10–13.

 Note: “Every effort which David made to conceal his guilt proved unavailing. He had betrayed himself into the power of Satan; danger surrounded him, dishonor more bitter than death was before him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 718, 719.

  • How did David feel when he was induced to add sin to sin? 2 Samuel 11:14–17, 26, 27; Psalm 32:3, 4. What should we remember when tempted by the enemy? Proverbs 14:12; James 2:10–12.

Note: “He [David] had excused his own sinful course to himself, until his ways seemed passable in his own eyes. One wrong step had prepared the way for another.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 86.

“There appeared but one way of escape, and in his desperation he was hurried on to add murder to adultery. He who had compassed the destruction of Saul was seeking to lead David also to ruin. Though the temptations were different, they were alike in leading to transgression of God’s law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 719.

Tuesday

A SEVERE REBUKE

  • What message of rebuke did God send to David through Nathan the prophet? 2 Samuel 12:1–9.

 Note: “It was when David was pure, and walking in the counsel of God, that God called him a man after his own heart. When David departed from God, and stained his virtuous character by his crimes, he was no longer a man after God’s own heart.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 87.

“God in His mercy did not leave David to be lured to utter ruin by the deceitful rewards of sin.

“For the sake of Israel also there was a necessity for God to interpose. As time passed on, David’s sin toward Bathsheba became known, and suspicion was excited that he had planned the death of Uriah. The Lord was dishonored. He had favored and exalted David, and David’s sin misrepresented the character of God and cast reproach upon His name. It tended to lower the standard of godliness in Israel, to lessen in many minds the abhorrence of sin; while those who did not love and fear God were by it emboldened in transgression.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 720.

  • Relate the response of David and the immediate mercy of God. 2 Samuel 12:13. Nevertheless, what were to be some of the inevitable consequences of David’s sin? 2 Samuel 12:10–12, 14.

Note: “David awakens as from a dream. He feels the sense of his sin. He does not seek to excuse his course, or palliate his sin, as did Saul; but with remorse and sincere grief, he bows his head before the prophet of God, and acknowledges his guilt.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 86.

“The sentence of death was transferred from David to the child of his sin.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 722.

“David’s transgression had changed his relation to God. The Lord could not in any wise sanction iniquity. He could not exercise His power to protect David from the results of his sin as he had protected him from the enmity of Saul.” Ibid., 723.

“God shows his displeasure at David’s having a plurality of wives by visiting him with judgments, and permitting evils to rise up against him from his own house.” Spiritual Gifts, vol. 4a, 87.

Wednesday

GENUINE REPENTANCE

  • Describe the depth of David’s heartfelt repentance. Psalm 51:1–4, 7, 10–14. Through sacred song, what public appeal does he make even to the last generation?

Note: “This experience was most painful to David, but it was most beneficial. … The conviction of his guilt was the saving of his soul. He saw himself in another light, as the Lord saw him.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 2, 1023.

“He [David) did not flatter himself that sin was a matter with which he had nothing to do, and that should not concern him. As he saw the depths of deceit in his heart, he was deeply disgusted with himself, and prayed that God would keep him back by His power from presumptuous sins, and cleanse him from secret faults.” Ibid., vol. 3, 1147.

“Instead of endeavoring to conceal his guilt he desired that others might be instructed by the sad history of his fall.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 725.

  • What evidence did David have that his repentance was not in vain? Psalms 51:16, 17; 32:1, 2, 5–7.

Note: “David did not in despair give over the struggle. In the promises of God to repentant sinners he saw the evidence of his pardon and acceptance.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 725.

Thursday

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

  • What should all realize about sin? Ezekiel 33:12, 13, 18; 1 John 3:4.

Note: “Sin is sin, whether committed by one sitting on a throne, or by one in the humbler walks of life. The day is coming when all who have committed sin will make confession, even though it is too late for them to receive pardon. God waits long for the sinner to repent. He manifests a wonderful forbearance. But He must at last call the transgressor of His law to account. …

“It is not safe for us to close our eyes and harden our consciences, that we shall not see or realize our sins. We need to cherish the instruction we have had in regard to the hateful character of sin in order that we may repent of and confess our sins.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1147.

  •  How can David’s repentance encourage us? Isaiah 55:7; 1 John 1:9.

Note: “Many have murmured at what they called God’s injustice in sparing David, whose guilt was so great, after having rejected Saul for what appear to them to be far less flagrant sins. But David humbled himself and confessed his sin, while Saul despised reproof and hardened his heart in impenitence.

“This passage in David’s history is full of significance to the repenting sinner. It is one of the most forcible illustrations given us of the struggles and temptations of humanity, and of genuine repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Through all the ages it has proved a source of encouragement to souls that, having fallen into sin, were struggling under the burden of their guilt. Thousands of the children of God, who have been betrayed into sin, when ready to give up to despair have remembered how David’s sincere repentance and confession were accepted by God, notwithstanding he suffered for his transgression; and they also have taken courage to repent and try again to walk in the way of God’s commandments.

“Whoever under the reproof of God will humble the soul with confession and repentance, as did David, may be sure that there is hope for him. Whoever will in faith accept God’s promises, will find pardon. The Lord will never cast away one truly repentant soul. He has given this promise: ‘Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me’ (Isaiah 27:5). ‘Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon’ (Isaiah 55:7).” Patriarchs and Prophets, 726.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1     What made David and could make us wide open to temptation?

2    How does God seek to help us avoid adding sin to sin?

3    Why are the sins of leaders especially grievous?

4    Name some point of particular significance from Psalm 32 or 51.

5    How can we – like David – be believers after God’s own heart?