Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Read for This Week’s StudyPsalm 136, Psalm 51, Psalm 130, Psalm 113, Psalm 123.Memory Text:“I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing to You among the nations. For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens, and Your truth unto the clouds” (Psalm 57:9, 10, NKJV).The psalmists realize that they are spiritually poor and have nothing good to offer to God; that is, they have nothing in and of...

Read Ellen G. White, “The Beatitudes,” pp. 6-13, 29-35, in Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing. The Psalms are protests against human indifference to injustice; they are a refusal to accept evil. They are motivated not by a desire for revenge but by a zeal to glorify God’s name. Hence, it is fitting for the righteous to rejoice when they shall see God’s vengeance on evil because in this way God’s...

Read Psalm 96:6-10; Psalm 99:1-4; and Psalm 132:7-9, 13-18. Where does God’s judgment take place, and what are the implications of the answer for us? How does the sanctuary help us understand how God will deal with evil? The Lord’s judgment is closely related to the sanctuary. The sanctuary was the environment where the psalmist’s understanding of the problem of evil was transformed (Ps. 73:17-20)...

Read Psalm 58:6-8; Psalm 69:22-28; Psalm 83:9-17; Psalm 94:1, 2; and Psalm 137:7-9. What sentiments do these psalms convey? Who is the agent of judgment in these psalms? Some psalms beseech God to take vengeance on individuals and nations who intend to harm, or who have already harmed, the psalmists or their people. These psalms can sound perplexing because of their harsh language and apparent dis...

The Lord has endowed Israel’s leaders with authority to maintain justice in Israel (Ps. 72:1-7, 12-14). Israel’s kings were to exercise their authority in accordance with God’s will. The leaders’ central concern should be ensuring peace and justice in the land and caring for the socially disadvantaged. Only then shall the land and the entire people prosper. The king’s throne is strengthened by fai...

Read Psalm 9:18, Psalm 12:5, Psalm 40:17, Psalm 113:7, Psalm 146:6-10, and Psalm 41:1-3. What is the message here to us, even today? God exhibits special care and concern for justice regarding the various vulnerable groups of people, including the poor, needy, oppressed, fatherless, widows, widowers, and strangers. The Psalms, like the Law and the prophets, are clear on that point (Exod. 22:21-27,...

Read Psalm 18:3-18; Psalm 76:3-9, 12; and Psalm 144:5-7. How is the Lord portrayed in these texts? What do these images convey about God’s readiness to deliver His people? These hymns praise the Lord for His awesome power over the evil forces that threaten His people. They portray God in His majesty as Warrior and Judge. The image of God as Warrior is frequent in the Psalms and highlights the seve...

Read for This Week’s StudyPs. 18:3-18, Ps. 41:1-3, Deut. 15:7-11, Psalm 82, Ps. 96:6-10, Ps. 99:1-4, Rom. 8:34.Memory Text:“ ‘For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,’ says the Lord; ‘I will set him in the safety for which he yearns’ ” (Psalm 12:5, NKJV).Our age is not the only age in which evil, injustice, and oppression rage. The psalmists lived in such a t...

Read Psalm 56; Ellen G. White, “Rejoicing in the Lord,” pp. 115-126, in Steps to Christ. Like the psalmists, God’s people of all times wonder every so often how to sing the Lord’s songs in “a strange land.” Our faith in the sovereign rule of the Lord is challenged, at times severely, and we may ponder whether God is in control or truly as powerful and good as the Scriptures say. Biblical faith oft...

Read Psalm 37:1, 8; Psalm 49:5-7; Psalm 94:3-7; and Psalm 125:3. What struggle does the psalmist face? These psalms lament the current prosperity of the wicked and the challenge that this fact poses to the righteous. The wicked not only prosper but at times also openly despise God and oppress others. The perplexing issue is that while “the scepter of wickedness” (Ps. 125:3, NKJV) dominates the wor...

Read Psalm 77. What experience is the author going through? Psalm 77 begins with a plea to God for help that is filled with lament and painful remembering of the past (Ps. 77:1-6). The psalmist’s whole being is mournfully turned to God. He refuses to be comforted by any relief except the one coming from God. However, remembering God appears to intensify his anguish. “When I remember God, I moan” (...

Read Psalm 42:1-3, Psalm 63:1, Psalm 69:1-3, and Psalm 102:1-7. What causes great pain to the psalmist? Not only does personal and communal sufferings trouble the psalmist but also, if not more, God’s seeming lack of attention to His servants’ hardships. God’s absence is felt like intense thirst in a dry land (Ps. 42:1-3, Ps. 63:1) and mortal anguish (Ps. 102:2-4). The psalmist feels removed from...

Read Psalm 41:1-4; Psalm 88:3-12; and Psalm 102:3-5, 11, 23, 24. What experiences do these texts describe? In what can you relate to what is said here? These prayers for salvation from illness and death demonstrate that God’s children are not exempt from the sufferings of this world. The Psalms reveal the psalmist’s terrible afflictions. He is without strength, withering like grass, unable to eat,...

Read Psalm 74:18-22 and Psalm 79:5-13. What is at stake here? The psalmist seeks to grasp the great controversy between God and the powers of evil, and he points to God’s unfathomable forbearance, as well as to His infinite wisdom and power. The problem of evil in the Psalms is primarily theological; it inevitably concerns questions about God. Thus, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple is s...

Read for This Week’s StudyPs. 79:5-13, Ps. 88:3-12, Ps. 69:1-3, Ps. 22:1, Psalm 77, Ps. 73:1-20, 1 Pet. 1:17.Memory Text:“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” (Psalm 137:4).We do not need to get deep into the book of Psalms in order to discover that the Psalms are uttered in an imperfect world, one of sin, evil, suffering, and death. The stable creation run by the Sovereign Lord a...

Read Ellen G. White, “The Night of Wrestling,” pp. 195-203, in Patriarchs and Prophets. What can we learn from Jacob’s experience about the power of importunate prayer and unreserved trust in God? The Psalms strengthen our faith in God, who is the never-failing Refuge for those who entrust their lives into His mighty hands. “God will do great things for those who trust in Him. The reason why His p...

Read Psalm 3:4; Psalm 14:7; Psalm 20:1-3; Psalm 27:5; Psalm 36:8; Psalm 61:4; and Psalm 68:5, 35. Where does help come from in these texts? The motif of spiritual and physical refuge and help notably appears in the context of the sanctuary. The sanctuary is a place of help, of safety, and of salvation. The sanctuary provides a shelter to the troubled. God defends the orphans and widows and gives s...

Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-4. How does Paul describe the Exodus story? What spiritual lesson does he seek to teach with it? Read Psalm 114. How is the divine deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt poetically described here? What a poetic depiction of God’s marvelous deliverance of His children from the bondage of Egypt is given in Psalm 114. All through the Old Testament, and even in the New,...

Read Psalm 17:7-9, Psalm 31:1-3, and Psalm 91:2-7. What does the psalmist do in times of trouble? The psalmist encounters various sorts of troubles and, in them, turns to the Lord, who is a refuge in every adversity. Trust is a deliberate choice to acknowledge God’s lordship over one’s life in all circumstances. If trust does not work in adversity, then it will not work anywhere. The psalmist’s te...

Read Psalm 40:1-3, Psalm 50:15, Psalm 55:22, and Psalm 121. How is God involved in our daily affairs? The Lord reveals Himself in Scripture as the living God who acts on behalf of those who call upon Him. For the psalmist, “the Lord [is] always before me” (Ps. 16:8). Therefore, he trusts God and calls upon Him (Ps. 7:1, Ps. 9:10). The Lord will hear him even when he cries out of the “depths” (Ps....

Read Psalm 139:1-18. How does this text poetically depict God’s power (Ps. 139:1-6), presence (Ps. 139:7-12), and goodness (Ps. 139:13-18)? What does God’s greatness say about God’s promises? Did you ever want to help someone but had no means? Likewise, some people tried to help you but did not understand your needs. Unlike even the most loving and best-intentioned people, God has both the perfect...

Read for This Week’s StudyPs. 139:1-18; Psalm 121; Ps. 17:8; Matt. 23:37; 1 Cor. 10:1-4; Heb. 4:15, 16.Memory Text:“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles” (Psalm 34:17, NKJV).Again and again, the Psalms highlight the truth that the Sovereign Lord, who created and sustains the universe, also reveals Himself as a personal God who initiates and sustain...

Read Psalm 86:5, 15; Ellen G. White, “God’s Love for Man,” pp. 9–15, in Steps to Christ. How does the truth that God is love help us better understand the various descriptions of God and His deeds in the Psalms? This week’s study focuses on some key descriptions of God and His activities, which establish the world and render it firm and secure. The psalmists appeal to God, who is the Creator, King...

Read Psalm 19:7; Psalm 93:5; Psalm 119:165; Psalm 1:2, 6; Psalm 18:30; and Psalm 25:10. What common thread runs through them all? The Lord’s supremacy in the world as the Sovereign Creator, King, and Judge has theological implications for the reliability of His testimonies. The testimonies (Hebrew ‘edut, “decree,” “law”) refer to the body of laws and ordinances with which the Lord governs the reli...

The theme of God’s judgment prompts a significant question: How can God’s people have peace with God and assurance of salvation at the time of judgment? Read Ps. 94:14, Ps. 105:7−10, Dan. 7:22.God’s people are secure because the Lord placed His dwelling place in Zion (Ps. 76:1, 2) and established His everlasting covenant with them as His treasured possession (Ps. 94:14, Ps. 105:8–10). God does not...