Bible Study - Sabbath School Podcast

Memory Text: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” ( Philippians 4:4, NKJV ). An Adventist pastor, imprisoned on false charges, spent nearly two years behind bars. Though at first greatly perplexed, he realized the prison was his God-given mission field. When his fellow prisoners learned that he was a pastor, they asked him to preach. He did, and he gave out literature too. He e...

Think of the hardest job you’ve ever done. What made it hard? Was it the expectations or the time allotted for the work or both? Was it your attitude toward the task? Or perhaps it was the people you worked with? Or maybe it just seemed like an impossibility to ever succeed? Consider the purpose of the plan of salvation: uniting heaven and earth. Sound impossible? Humanly speaking, it certainly is...

Further Thought:   Read Ellen G. White, “The Last Words of Joshua,” pp. 522-524, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . “Among the multitudes that came up out of Egypt were many who had been worshipers of idols; and such is the power of habit that the practice was secretly continued, to some extent, even after the settlement in Canaan. Joshua was sensible of this evil among the Israelites, and he clearly p...

Finishing Well Read  the concluding words of the book of Joshua written by an inspired editor ( Josh. 24:29-33 ). How are these words not only looking back to Joshua’s life but also looking forward to the future? In the epilogue reporting on the deaths of Joshua and Eleazar, the high priest brings the book of Joshua to a sobering end. By recounting together the burial of Joshua, the burial of Elea...

The Dangers of Idolatry Read  Joshua 24:22-24 . Why would Joshua need to repeat his appeal to the Israelites to get rid of their idols? The threat of idolatry is not a theoretical one. Earlier, on the plains of Moab, in a similar context, Moses asked for the same decision ( Deut. 30:19-20 ). The gods that are in view now are not the ones of Egypt or those beyond the river, but they are found “amon...

Free to Serve As a true and faithful leader, Joshua respects the free will of his people and wishes that Israel would serve the Lord out of free choice rather than compulsion. That was exactly the point made by the deliberate use of the verb “chosen” (see  Josh. 24:22 ). In other passages  baḥar,  “to choose,” describes Yahweh’s election of Israel ( Deut. 7:6-7 ;  Deut. 10:15 ;  Deut. 14:2 ). Isra...

In Sincerity and Truth What  did Joshua appeal to the Israelites to do? ( Josh. 24:14-15 ). What does it mean to serve the Lord in sincerity and in truth? Joshua’s appeal clearly expresses the fact that Israel has to decide to whether, through loyalty to their Creator, to keep their uniqueness and live in the land, or to fade back into being one among many idolatrous peoples, with no clear identit...

You Were There! “Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God” ( Josh. 24:1 , NKJV). Shechem was the place where Abraham had built an altar upon his arrival in the land, and where God first gave him the promise of the land ( Gen. 12:6-7 ). Now, when t...

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study:   Joshua 24; Gen. 12:7; Deut. 17:19; Deut. 5:6; 1 Kings 11:2, 4, 9; 2 Tim. 4:7-8 Memory Text:  “ ‘And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve . . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD’ ” ( Joshua 24:15 , NKJV). The final chapter of Joshua is set in the context of a covenant renewal...

Further Thought:   Read Ellen G. White, “The Last Words of Joshua,” pp. 521, 522, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . “Satan deceives many with the plausible theory that God's love for His people is so great that He will excuse sin in them; he represents that while the threatenings of God’s word are to serve a certain purpose in His moral government, they are never to be literally fulfilled. But in...

Cling to God The only way Israel will be able to avoid the temptation of idolatry and the wrath of God is not by constantly remembering the “don’ts” of the covenant, but by fostering a conscious and consistent allegiance to the Lord. The same verb, “to cleave, adhere” to the Lord (see  Deut. 4:4 ), is also used to describe the marriage covenant that was intended between wife and husband ( Gen. 2:2...

The Anger of the Lord How  should we interpret the descriptions of God's wrath and retributive justice in Joshua ( Josh. 23:15-16 ) and elsewhere in Scripture? (See also  Num. 11:33 ;  2 Chron. 36:16 ;  Rev. 14:10 ,  19 ;  Rev. 15:1 .) Israel already has experienced the Lord’s anger during the wilderness wanderings ( Num. 11:33 ,  Num. 12:9 ), as well as in the Promised Land ( Josh. 7:1 ), and...

Clear Boundaries Using the same words that were addressed to him at the beginning of the book ( Josh. 1:7-8 ), Joshua states that the task that lay ahead of Israel is not primarily military in nature. It is spiritual. It has to do with obedience to God’s revealed will in the Torah. Why  do you think Joshua took such a strong position concerning Israel’s relations with the surrounding nations? ( Jo...

A Sign of Concern The glorious conclusion of the whole section ( Josh. 21:43-45 ) carries within it the fulfilled condition of obedience. Success is never to be taken for granted; it is always linked to obedience to God’s Word. Thus, the allotment of the land, besides being the token of God’s faithfulness to Israel ( Neh. 9:8 ), creates space for an open-ended future development based on Israel’s...

All Came to Pass In  Joshua 21:43-45 , what picture does the book paint of God? How do these words apply not only to the historical Promised Land but also to the reality of our salvation ( 2 Tim. 2:11-13 )? These verses constitute the climax of the book and its theological summary. They highlight one of the major themes of the whole book: the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh, who keeps His promises...

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study:   Josh. 21:43-45; 2 Tim. 2:11-13; Joshua 23; Rev. 14:10, 19; Deut. 6:5 Memory Text:  “Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” ( Joshua 21:45 , ESV). When John F. Kennedy addressed America at his inauguration, on January 20, 1961, his speech was only 1,366 words, but it left an in...

Further Thought:   Read Ellen G. White, “The Division of Canaan,” pp. 517-520, in  Patriarchs and Prophets . “While it is important on the one hand that laxness in dealing with sin be avoided, it is equally important on the other to shun harsh judgment and groundless suspicion. . . . “The wisdom displayed by the Reubenites and their companions is worthy of imitation. While honestly seeking to prom...

Conflict Resolution Read  Joshua 22:30-34 . How does this entire incident give us some insights into conflict resolution and ways of ensuring the unity of the church? (Compare with  Psalm 133 ;  John 17:20-23 ;  1 Pet. 3:8-9 .) The story of  Joshua 22  has several principles of communication that can apply to everyday human relationships in the family, church, and community. When things go wrong,...

A Gentle Answer Read  Joshua 22:21-29  in the light of  Proverbs 15:1 . What can we learn from the answer of the eastern tribes? The answer of the accused, as straightforward and powerful as the accusation, constitutes both thematically and structurally the heart of the chapter. So far, the tribes have not replied to the accusations but instead have quietly listened to the allegations against them...

Haunted by the Past Read  Joshua 22:13-15  again, but now in the light of  Numbers 25 . Why do the Israelites choose Phinehas as the head of the delegation to the two-and-a-half tribes? Before giving full credit to the rumors of what might be perceived as a declaration of independence, the nine-and-a-half tribes, labeled twice as “the sons of Israel,” send a delegation to clarify the intent and me...

Accusations... Read  the story of the returning tribes in  Joshua 22:9-20 . What accusations do the West Jordan tribes level against the East Jordan tribes? To what extent were these accusations well founded? In contrast with verse 1, where the tribes on the east side are called by their usual form (Reubenites, Gadites, etc.), here a different expression is used: “sons of Reuben,” “sons of Gad,” a...

Commitment Read  Joshua 22:1-8 . What do these verses tell us about the commitment of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh? Joshua affirms that the tribes from the other side of the Jordan have fully satisfied the obligations set out by Moses and himself, which meant a significant dedication to, and sacrifice on behalf of, Israel’s common cause. They fought alongside their b...

Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study:   Joshua 22; Eph. 6:7; John 7:24; Numbers 25; Prov. 15:1; 1 Pet. 3:8-9 Memory Text:  “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” ( Proverbs 15:1 , NIV). Living in a community can, at times, lead to disputes and tension. This is especially true in a community, such as the church, where people from different backgrounds and social...

Further Thought:   “Christ’s mission was not understood by the people of His time. . . . The traditions, maxims, and enactments of men hid from them the lessons which God intended to convey. These maxims and traditions became an obstacle to their understanding and practice of true religion. And when the Reality came, in the person of Christ, they did not recognize in Him the fulfillment of all the...

Joshua and Us Joshua, as a type, points beyond the ministry of Jesus Christ to a fulfillment in the life of the church, Christ’s body. In what sense do the wars Israel fought under Joshua foreshadow the spiritual struggles of the church? How are they different? See  1 Tim. 1:18 ,  2 Tim. 4:7 ,  Eph. 6:10-12 ,  2 Cor. 10:3-5 , and  Acts 20:32 . The writers of the New Testament recognize the ecclesi...