Sabbath School From Home

We redress, and then reconsider, the claim that Proverbs doesn't mention Sabbath. This episode begins with a somewhat spontaneous conversation about authenticity, and then we pick up a challenge issued by a listener: Can we write a Proverb about Sabbath?

We try our hand at creating a "modern proverb", but keep finding ones in the bible that are just as relevant! This one is even more tangential to the lesson than normal, but was a whole heap of fun. After looking at proverbs for the last 10 weeks we have noticed some of the structures and word patterns - so we have a few attempts at writing a proverb for today. Have a go at this yourself with frie...

Sabbath rest has a very particular focus on the poor and disadvantaged. Another lesson exploring the Sabbath presents an excellent opportunity to explore the social responsibilities contained within the 4th commandment. We launch from some verses in Proverbs 29 (v4, 7, 14), and pick out a consistent theme across numerous other parts of Proverbs (17:15, 20:23, 14:31, 17:5, 21:13). Adventists have l...

Is rhythmic rest the same as metered rest? The topic of "rhythms of rest" naturally takes us back to the Sabbath, which is something we've explored before ( s5ep9 , s4ep11 , s3ep12 , s3ep6 ). This time we explore a new question about the difference between "rhythmic" and "metered". The book of Proverbs doesn't mention Sabbath at all, but in chapter 8:22-36 there is a fascinating account of wisdom...

Rest from sickness and suffering is a powerful idea. This week we bounce around Proverbs a bit looking at verses that speak to the idea of healing. We can't escape the reality of human experience being inseparably in the mind and in the body. Some of the verses we discuss include: 14:13, 3:5-8, 18:14, 15:30, and 12:25.

Is vengeance the inverse of forgiveness? This week's lesson "Rest, Relationships, and Healing" is focussed on forgiveness, and remarkably that keyword doesn't occur in the book of Proverbs. It has more to say about vengeance and judgement - but that turns out to offer insight about why we forgive. We look in particular at Proverbs 20:22, and then discover somewhat of a theme in this chapter.

Family can be a refuge of rest, or a tremendous burden. Proverbs has quite a bit of comment on family interactions, and we explore how this relates to rest (or the lack of it).

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Proverbs 30 is an oracle of Agur, who seems to be coming from precisely the state of life and mind that Jesus was thinking of when he promised rest. 

Stern warnings about the cost of rest? Proverbs 6:6-11 has been used for centuries to admonish slackers, in-sleepers, bludgers, and lazybones of all varieties. But it specifically mentions resting, which seems to be a good thing in our helter-skelter society. We try to discuss the theme of "the Cost of Rest", but end up coming back to the Cost of Work! As well as pondering the lessons of the ant,...

The roots of restlessness can be entwined with a desire to do evil. Proverbs 4 paints a picture of "the wicked" with particular reference to a kind of restlessness that comes from a need to "do an evil deed for the day". Not all restlessness is of this kind, but there's a lot of food for thought in this idea.

It's easy to get caught out when mocking the foolishness of others. Proverbs 26 is amusing in its description of fools, but verse 12 catches us out. Mocking fools is easy, but it's harder to recognise our own foolishness. This connects to the lesson in its exploration of the Israelites wandering restlessly in the wilderness.

The wisdom of Proverbs leads to an unconventional discussion of rest. We're starting a new season, and the Sabbath School theme is "Rest in Christ". It will cover a range of associated issues that regularly intersect with wisdom and common sense, and so we're launching into the book of Proverbs for a tangential perspective on rest. This week our focus is on Proverbs 1:20-33, which is one of a numb...

What are our covenant-making obligations as part of living the new-covenant life? The remarkable story of King David and Mephibosheth is a great way to ponder the "New Covenant Life". On reflection, it seems that this way of living in God's Kingdom is not unique to the New Testament epoch. 

Many elements of the new and better covenant seem actually already present in the older covenants. The author of Galatians (and there's similar sentiment in Romans) seems keen to contrast elements of the old covenant with the new life in Jesus. The more we discuss this in the context of 11 previous episodes, the more we see that most of the key features were included in various ways in those earli...

Not only does Jesus establish a new covenant, but there seems to be something deficient about the old one which is now "obsolete". Hebrews 8 quotes a chunk from Jeremiah 31 (which we looked at in the previous episode), and so is an excellent follow-on. The author in this chapter seems to be making the argument that there was some "fault", or something deficient, with the old covenant. We ponder wh...

A new covenant is declared in the Old Testament - one that is "not like the old covenant". As we approach the obvious destination of this season it is interesting to encounter a "new covenant" in the Old Testament. Jeremiah 31 speaks of some clear differences compared to the old covenant, but also of some details that are less than clear.

What does it mean for Sabbath to be a Sign of the Covenant? The lesson topic turns us back to a contentious comment from earlier this season - the Sabbath is the third of three things identified in the bible as "signs of a covenant". What is a sign for, how does it function, and how can Sabbath be such a sign? This episode poses more questions than answers, and your comments are welcome at sabbath...

Finally we encounter "Covenant" intertwined with "Commandment", but what does it mean to perform? The lesson topic "Covenant Law" covers some themes we've already explored in recent episodes (such as the election of Israel). We anchor our conversation in Deuteronomy 4, where it is anticipated that God's "statutes and rules" will cause Israel to become the envy of the world. It is particularly fasc...

After living in Egypt for generations, God remembers his covenant with Abraham's family. The topic of this week's lesson is Covenant at Sinai, and we meander over from Genesis to Exodus chapter 19. Some remarkable elements of this story intrigue us, and it's an opportunity to reflect on how the quarter so far has expanded an understanding of "covenant".

How does the covenant inheritance work for "Abraham's seed"? "Israel" is a name given to Abraham's grandson before it becomes the name of a nation, and the transmission of blessings across generations is a fascinating theme in Genesis. It is not always a straightforward inheritance! We are left pondering what this means for us who claim to be in some spiritual sense the "descendants of Abraham". I...

Why was Abraham blessed in the first place? After looking at the Abrahamic covenants in Genesis 15 and 17 last week, we backtrack slightly in the story to explore what God had in mind when He called Abraham. The "call of Abraham" is in Genesis 12, and we end up discussing some intriguing details of Genesis 23. This episode is a slightly disjointed because Cameron's recording somehow vapourised, so...

Abraham's story features covenants especially prominently. This week's lesson is titled "An Everlasting Covenant", and although this wording is used in Genesis 17 we take a bit of convincing that it correctly describes the Abrahamic covenant. It seems that everlasting might not be the same thing as universal. The "Covenant" theme this season is really making our brains tick and we've ended up with...

The flood story has one of the most universal covenants of the Old Testament. It really should be known as "God and the Flood" rather than "Noah and the Flood" - poor old Noah doesn't even have a speaking role in the story until well after the rainbow. The story is in Genesis 6-9, and there are actually two covenants explicitly mentioned. In fact, there's a lot more to this story than most childre...

We reluctantly wrap up our exploration of "the fall", and learn a bit about covenants. The lesson this week is a "Covenant Primer" to get us ready to explore this theme through other parts of the Bible. We have some unfinished ideas about Genesis 3 and the story commonly known as "the Fall", but then Ken teaches us some key aspects of covenants. In particular, they are not the same as a contract o...

This new quarter explores God's Everlasting Covenant, and we start by pondering what happened to require His promise. Obviously "The Fall" doesn't happen until chapter 3 of Genesis, but we take too long to get there and run out of time in chapter 2. However, there's a bit more to this story than is often appreciated! SabbathSchoolFromHome has been going for a full year, and the need to do everythi...