Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Drama, Symbols, ParablesThe Bible has a rich variety of word pictures and metaphors. For example, the whole Old Testament sacrificial system of patriarchal altars, the Mosaic tabernacle, and the temple in Jerusalem was a pictographic representation of Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross and His heavenly priesthood (Heb. 8:1-6).In the prophecies of Daniel, the kingdoms and powers in the world were represented by the different parts of a great image (Dan. 2:31-45), various animals and horns (Daniel 7 and 8), and two kings (Daniel 11). Similar representations appear also in the book of Revelation, as in the case of the two beasts of chapter 13.In His teachings, Jesus spoke of Himself, for instance, as the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41-58), the Light of the world (John 8:12, John 9:5), and the True Vine (John 15:1-8). And through the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23) and several other ones (Matt. 13:24-52, etc.), Jesus illustrated the nature and growth of His kingdom.Read Ezekiel 4:1-8. Why do you think God not only spoke verbally but also dramatized some of His messages?A vivid dramatization appears in Ezekiel 4:1-8, where God asked the prophet to make a miniature model of Jerusalem and to lay himself down, first on his left side for 390 days, representing the house of Israel, and then on his right side for 40 days, representing the house of Judah. Another visual experience was Hosea's divinely ordained marriage to Gomer, a prostitute, representing Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness to God (Hos. 1:2-9).The dramatic experiences of Ezekiel and Hosea seem quite shocking today. But that was the point: they were supposed to be shocking, not just to us but also to the people back then. At a time when the warnings of the prophets were openly rejected (see 2 Chron. 36:15-21), the last act of divine mercy was to dramatically alert the people to their true condition in order to lead them to genuine repentance. Such a dramatic presentation certainly should have shown them how seriously they should have taken God's warning to them.What kind of dramatization might someone do today to warn us about, say, being Laodicean? (See Rev. 3:14-18.)

Written MessagesSome famous speeches have deeply impacted people's lives and even changed the course of history. If these speeches were not recorded, the words would have faded or become distorted with the passage of time. Thus, writing gives permanence to the spoken word, and that permanence allows the message to be transmitted through time.Shortly after the Israelites left Egypt and defeated the Amalekites, God instructed Moses to "write this for a memorial in the book" (Exod. 17:14, NKJV). Beginning with Moses, who authored the first five books of the Bible, Psalm 90, and Job, the Holy Spirit guided the canonical prophets to produce the writings that now comprise the 66 books of the Bible.Read Exodus 17:14; John 20:30-31; 1 Corinthians 10:11; and Revelation 1:19. What are some of the reasons God asked His prophets to write down the messages that He gave them?The various books of the Bible reflect the literary style and skills of their respective writers. As we will discuss in next week's study, the personal nuances and various styles of each author don't take away from their messages, because there are no "degrees" of inspiration. Some parts of the Bible are obviously more relevant and applicable to our lives and faith today than are other parts. But this truth doesn't make one part of the Bible more inspired than another part.Sometimes Bible writers recorded the inspired messages that they first delivered orally, by themselves, or by a trusted associate. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses recorded the last speeches that he made to the Israelites before his death. The four Gospels register many of the sermons and teachings of Jesus during His earthly ministry.But there are instances in which prophets quoted non-inspired sources (Acts 17:28, 1 Cor. 15:33, Titus 1:12) and even the words of Satan (Gen. 3:1-5, Matt. 4:1-11).We should remember that as the prophets recorded the feelings and desires of other people, they also expressed their own human reactions (see Dan. 8:27; Rev. 22:8-9). Furthermore, the Bible describes many good examples to be imitated but also many bad ones to be avoided (1 Cor. 10:1-11).While reading the Bible, we should keep in mind that, while not written in perfect language, it carries an infallible message that will stand the test of time.

Oral MessagesRead 2 Peter 1:18-21. What assurance do we have that the oral messages delivered by God's prophets were as inspired and reliable as the written ones?God spoke to Adam and Eve before the Fall (Gen. 2:16-17) and after (Gen. 3:9-19). In both cases, they perfectly understood His words. His voice was heard in clear terms also at Sinai (Exod. 20:1-20), as well as at the baptism and the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 3:17, Matt. 17:5). We might misinterpret when other people talk to us. But, surely, when God talks to anyone, there will be no miscommunication or deception.The Bible affirms that "God spoke to Moses and said to him: 'I am the Lord' " (Exod. 6:2, NKJV). Many Bible writers acknowledged hearing the voice of God as He spoke to them. This was the case, for example, with Isaiah (Isa. 8:1, 11), Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4, 9, 11), and Ezekiel (Ezek. 3:16, Ezek. 6:1). Any attempt to deny these and other similar claims ends up questioning the honesty of the prophets and the reliability of the Bible itself.As God spoke to the prophets in an intelligible human language, so did the prophets to their respective audiences. For instance, Noah was a true prophet of God and a faithful "preacher of righteousness" (2 Pet. 2:5). He did not write any portion of the Bible, but he delivered God's message orally to his contemporaries, and his message was no less inspired than the writings of the canonical prophets.Several other prophets, including Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist, never wrote any portion of the Bible; instead, they delivered their message orally.And what about Jesus Christ Himself? The Gospel record mentions that during His earthly ministry He "wrote on the ground with His finger" (John 8:6, NKJV). That's it. We have no record of Jesus' writing anything else. But He taught and preached orally "as one having authority" (Matt. 7:29, NKJV). Some of His listeners even confessed, "No man ever spoke like this Man" (John 7:40, 46, NKJV). Jesus was primarily an oral communicator of God's messages. His messages were no less authoritative or binding simply because He Himself did not write any books of the Bible.How fascinating that God has prophets who had no writings in the Bible. Why do these noncanonical prophets also carry authority?

The Process of InspirationMany books and writings, not just the Bible, have come down to us through the ages. And yet we deem the Bible as the Word of God. What separates it from other writings?Read 2 Timothy 3:15-17 and James 1:17. What important message should we take from these verses?There is some discussion about the best translation of 2 Timothy 3:16, but most Bible translations render this passage in a similar way, emphasizing that the whole Bible is of divine origin (2 Pet. 1:20-21).One Bible commentator explains that "it seems more likely that Paul is contemplating scripture as a whole here and that he would say that the whole of scripture is 'profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness,' than that every scripture passage is profitable in these ways."—G. W. Knight III, The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992), p. 445.But how should we understand the inspiration process that originated the Bible? We should recognize that prophetic inspiration is the Holy Spirit assisting true prophets for the reliable communication of divine messages. That assistance is provided not only in the process of receiving the messages but also in communicating the messages clearly to their recipients.God's messages came through visions and dreams (Num. 12:6; Isa. 6:1, 8). God also used eyewitnesses (1 John 1:1-3), Spirit-inspired historical research (Luke 1:1-3), and divine impressions on the mind (2 Pet. 1:21). Regardless of the means used by the Holy Spirit, the prophets and biblical authors were given objective, rather than subjective, messages of truth to be shared. That is, God's messages were not to be tampered with or in any way distorted by His messengers, even if they used their own words to express those messages.The task of communicating prophetic messages to their original audiences could be done orally (2 Pet. 1:19-21), or in written form (John 20:30-31), or even through dramatization (Ezek. 4:1-8).Though many questions remain about how the Bible was inspired, or how inspiration works in general, why is it so important to trust the Bible as God's inspired Word, regardless of what we may not fully understand about how it was written?

General and Special RevelationRead Hebrews 1:1-2. Why is God so interested in speaking to us? What is He telling us through Jesus and the prophets?What would the Creator of the cosmos have to say to us? Why does He communicate with us? It is because we are fallen human beings in a sinful world and face death, suffering, and trials; God, therefore, speaks to us because He wants us to know why we are here, why things are so bad, and why, despite it all, we can hope in His love for us.God's general revelation, as seen in the natural world, speaks eloquently of His infinite power and caring love. King David exclaimed, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Ps. 19:1, NKJV). The apostle Paul added, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20, NASB).It is also amazing to reflect on God's restoring power manifested in the mysterious healing processes in our world. Indeed, "God's healing power runs all through nature. If a tree is cut, if a human being is wounded or breaks a bone, nature begins at once to repair the injury. Even before the need exists, the healing agencies are in readiness; and as soon as a part is wounded, every energy is bent to the work of restoration."—Ellen G. White, Education, p. 113.As beautiful and instructive as the natural world can be, it reveals not only God's power and love but also the presence of evil (see Gen. 3:14-19, Matt. 13:24-30). This ambiguous message can be properly understood only in light of God's special revelation—in both Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, and in the Bible, the Written Word of God that testifies of Him (John 5:39).The Scriptures are the inspired record of God's messages to all human beings throughout the ages. They tell us about the Creation of the world and its tragic fall, and about God's amazing plan of redemption and the final restoration of planet Earth. As brief and selective as some biblical narratives can be, they are always reliable, because it's God speaking to us (see 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:19-21).Though nature surely points to the reality of the Creator's power and love, why do we still so desperately need the Written Word, as well? What does the Word tell us that nature, in and of itself, doesn't?