Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Wayward Israel The story of Hosea has some powerful lessons to teach us. Hosea’s situation is remarkable. His wife, Gomer, runs away and has children with other men. Though she is sexually unfaithful, God calls Hosea to take his wife back and fully show his love to her again. This story is meant as a parable about God and Israel. The Israelites had left God and were prostituting themselves spiritu...

Abraham in the Crucible Read Genesis 22. Out of nowhere and without explanation, God sud- denly calls Abraham to offer his own child as a burnt offering. Can you imagine how Abraham must have felt? It was a totally revolting idea that a holy God should request that he sacrifice his own son. Even if Abraham thought that this was acceptable, what about God’s promises of an inheritance? Without his s...

Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 22, Hos. 2:1–12, Job 1:6–2:10, 2 Cor. 11:23–29, Isa. 43:1–7. Memory Text: “Yet it pleased the L ord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the L ord shall prosper in His hand” (Isaiah 53:10, NKJV). As the wife of the famous Christian writer C. S. Le...

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “God Promises Us a New Heart of Flesh,” p. 100, in Sons and Daughters of God; “ ‘To Meet the Bridegroom,’ ” pp. 405–421, in Christ’s Object Lessons; “The Time of Trouble,” pp. 613–634, in The Great Controversy. “Character building is the most important work ever entrusted to human beings; and never before was its diligent study so important as now. Never was a...

Character and Community A song goes like this: “I am a rock, I am an island.” Have you ever felt like that—wanting to stand alone? You may even have heard people say, “Well, my walk with God is a private affair. It’s not something I want to talk about.” Read Ephesians 4:11–16. What’s the point Paul is making here? What role does he give here for community? When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he des...

“The Wise” Yesterday we looked at the importance of character for those waiting for the Second Coming. Today we will look more specifically at the importance of character for those who are alive at the second coming of Jesus. Read Daniel 12:1–10. What is the context? What time in earth’s his- tory is being referred to? Most important, what can we tell from these verses about the character of God’s...

Jesus’ Last Words Jesus was in Jerusalem, about to die. According to Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ last teaching hour before Passover is spent telling His disciples parables, including the ones about the ten virgins and the sheep and the goats. These stories are related to the way we should live as we wait for Jesus to come. Thus, their relevancy to today—with the signs of Jesus’ soon return all around...

Faith Amid the Refining Fire It’s one thing to be in a battle; it’s another not even to see the forces arrayed in that battle. In a sense, this is what we as Christians deal with. We know that the forces are out there, we can feel them in our lives, and yet, we have to press ahead in faith, trusting Him “who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27, NKJV). Read Job 23:1–10. What is the essence of Job’s struggle?...

Wayward Israel The story of Hosea has some powerful lessons to teach us. Hosea’s situation is remarkable. His wife, Gomer, runs away and has children with other men. Though she is sexually unfaithful, God calls Hosea to take his wife back and fully show his love to her again. This story is meant as a parable about God and Israel. The Israelites had left God and were prostituting themselves spiritu...

“In His Image” “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29, NKJV). In the beginning, God made us in His image (Gen. 1:27), but that image has been corrupted by sin. In what ways do we see this defacing of God’s image in humanity? It’s obvious: we all have been corrupted by sin (Rom. 3:10–19). Yet...

Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 5:16, 1 Cor. 4:9, Eph. 3:10, Job 23:1–10, Matt. 25:1–12, Dan. 12:1–10, Eph. 4:11–16. Memory Text: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mir- ror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV). Amy Carmichael took a group of children to a traditional go...

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Exodus,” pp. 281–290; “From the Red Sea to Sinai,” pp. 291–302, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “The Temptation,” pp. 114–123, in The Desire of Ages. “But of old the Lord led his people to Rephidim, and he may choose to lead us there also, to test our loyalty. He does not always bring us to pleasant places. If he did, in our self-sufficiency we should forget...

Trial by Fire There was a young man whom we’ll call Alex. He had come out of a very troubled youth: drugs, violence, even some time in jail. But then, through the kindness of a local church member (whom Alex had stolen from), Alex learned about God and gave his heart to Jesus. Though he still had his problems and struggles, and though elements of his past still lingered, Alex was a new person in J...

An Enduring Legacy Read 1 Peter 1:6, 7. What is Peter saying? Peter was writing to people who were battling through difficulties and often felt very alone. He was writing “to God’s elect, exiles scat- tered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia” (1 Pet. 1:1, NIV). This is the area we know today as western Turkey. A few verses later, Peter says that he knows tha...

The Great Controversy in the Desert “Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil” (Luke 4:1, 2, NKJV). Read Luke 4:1–13. What lessons can you learn from this account about how to overcome temptation and not give in to sin? Temptations can be so difficult because they appeal to thing...

Bitter Waters “The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the L ord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink” (Exod. 17:1, NIV). Perhaps we might not get from God everything we want, but couldn’t we expect to get all that we need? Not what we think we need but what we truly need? There was one thing the I...

To the Promised Land via a Dead End “And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the L ord ” (Exod. 14:10, NKJV). Have you ever been set up, led into a trap or to a dead end? Sometimes it can be nice, like walking unexpectedly into a room of waiting friends who...

Read for This Week’s Study: Exodus 14, Exod. 15:22–27, Exod. 17:1–7, Luke 4:1–13, 1 Pet. 1:6–9, Proverbs 3. Memory Text: “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials” (1 Peter 1:6, NKJV). In the full light of day, and in hearing of the music of other voices, the caged bird will not sing the song that his master seeks to teach him....

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Effectual Prayer,” in Signs of the Times, November 18, 1903; Ellen G. White Comments, p. 1182, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4; “God Permits Trial and Affliction to Purify Me,” p. 92, in My Life Today. “He who reads the hearts of men knows their characters better than they themselves know them. He sees that some have powers and sus- ceptibilities which, r...

Crucibles of Maturity “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure” (2 Cor. 12:7, NKJV). There is a big difference between cutting down and pruning. We cut down plants that we don’t want anymore; we prune plants that we want to develop into greater fruitfulne...

Crucibles of Purification “Therefore thus says the L ord of hosts: ‘Behold, I will refine them and try them; for how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?’ ” (Jer. 9:7, NKJV). “If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts you, you can be sure that there is something in you that He wants to hurt to the point of its death.”—Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest...

Crucibles of Sin “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungod- liness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18, NKJV). Everything we do has a consequence. If you stand in the hot sun with ice cream, it will certainly melt. Cause and effect always go together. And no matter how desperately we may want things to be different, it is the same...

Crucibles of Satan “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8, NKJV). Read the above text. What’s the message there for us? Ask yourself, “How seriously do I take these words?” What things do you do in your life that show whether you take them seriously? Have you ever watched a hungry lion? It’s awesome because...

Surprises “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1 Pet. 4:12, NKJV). Surprises, painful surprises, can come in many ways. A car veering across the road into your path. A sudden notification that you’re losing your job. A medical test that gives you unexpected bad news. Betrayal by someone you loved and who yo...

Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Pet. 4:12–19, 1 Pet. 5:8–11, Rom. 1:21–32, Jer. 9:7–16, 2 Cor. 12:7–10. Memory Text: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12, 1...