Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

The Call to WriteThe earliest method that God used to convey messages to humanity was through direct oral communication, such as audible voices, or dreams, or angels. It was not until the time of Moses that Scripture records the first divine instruction regarding these experiences, which was to write in a "book" what God had spoken.What is the first mention of writing in the Bible? Read Exodus 17:14.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________In the Old Testament we find multiple examples of God's giving directions to His messengers to preserve His words for His people. Like Moses, Jeremiah was told, " 'Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day' " (Jer. 36:2, NKJV).He was also given the reason he was to write out the prophecies: " 'It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin' " (Jer. 36:3, NKJV). The predictions were given to lead the people to salvation, rather than for the sake of curiosity about the future.God's messengers wrote under a great variety of circumstances. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible while in the desert. David composed several of his psalms while being hunted by Saul (see Psalms 52, 54, 57, 59). Daniel wrote his visions while serving in the courts of Babylon and Medo-Persia. In contrast, Paul wrote his letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while he was in prison, and John wrote Revelation while exiled on Patmos. It is evident that when God's messengers were impressed to write, they were empowered by the Holy Spirit regardless of their circumstances.Interestingly, all the preserved teachings of Jesus come to us in written form through persons God chose to entrust with those treasured truths. This shows us the confidence God has that divine messages would be faithfully recorded and preserved by His messengers.How would you answer someone who says that we cannot trust the Bible because we do not have the original manuscripts? Why is that, really, a weak argument?

Sabbath AfternoonRead for This Week’s Study: Exod. 17:14; Isa. 13:1; Jer. 36:17-18; Rom. 16:22; Luke 1:1-4; Jude 14, 15; 2 Cor. 4:7Memory Text: "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Romans 15:4, NKJV).How would you like to be taught a song that God Himself composed? In Deuteronomy 32, the lyrics were written down by Moses at God's direction (Deut. 31:19-22). We don't usually think of songs when we think of prophetic writings, though many of the psalms are, indeed, inspired songs, even if the lyrics themselves were not dictated directly by the Lord Himself.The Bible describes three major ways that prophets communicated God's messages: (1) orally; (2) through writing; and (3) through symbolic actions or dramatizations. This week we will focus on the writings in the Scriptures. The Bible records the Word of God, as expressed through the words of His messengers, including sermons and speeches of the prophets.Think of the variety of writing styles and genres in the prophetic writings: narrative, history, poetry, lament, and letters, just to name a few. Chosen men and women put into human language what they were led by the Holy Spirit to communicate. This week we will look at their writing, the use of literary assistants (secretaries), and at things to keep in mind when studying challenging passages.*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 7.

Ellen G. White on Revelation and InspirationSeventh-day Adventists believe that Ellen G. White was divinely inspired. Her writings, life, and ministry meet the criteria of a true prophet. She possessed the same quality of inspiration as Bible prophets, though she never considered her writings to be the same as Scripture. On the contrary, Ellen G. White always uplifted the Bible. But how did she herself understand God's prophetic revelations to her and the process of her inspiration?First, Ellen G. White always considered the Bible as the authoritative and infallible revelation of God. The Bible reveals God's truth and His plan of salvation for the fallen human race. In that process, as we are learning, He uses prophets to communicate His messages.Second, Ellen G. White recognized that the process of inspiration involved divine-human interaction. God communicated His messages, but then the prophet would convey the divine instruction using his or her own words. As Ellen G. White put it: "It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man's words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts. . . . The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will; thus the utterances of the man are the word of God."—Selected Messages, book 1, p. 21.In relation to visions and prophetic dreams, Ellen G. White understood "thought inspiration" as a union of divine revelation and human experience. She wrote, " 'The Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, presents a union of the divine and the human.' "—Selected Messages, book 1, p. 25. God used many ways to produce an understanding of His message in the mind of His messenger. These included picture representations, words, and thoughts that engaged all the prophet's senses. Ellen G. White's experience was similar to that of Bible writers.Third, Ellen G. White noted that not all her human experiences and communications were inspired. "There are times when common things must be stated," she advised, "common thoughts must occupy the mind, common letters must be written and information given that has passed from one to another of the workers. Such words, such information, are not given under the special inspiration of the Spirit of God."—Selected Messages, book 1, p. 39. It is important to realize this distinction as we read and relate to her writings and experiences, particularly her correspondence and diaries.Knowing Ellen G. White's understanding of revelation and inspiration helps us avoid extremes and read her counsels prudently with understanding.To discover more, visit https://whiteestate.org/absg/5.

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.