Sabbath School Reading - November 20, 2019
PROMISES
Read Nehemiah 10:30–39. What are the four things the Israelites committed to do as part of the renewed covenant?
The people promised the following:
1. No intermarriage (no marriage to a person who might lead them to idolatry);
2. True Sabbath observance (no distractions with commercial transactions);
3. Cancellation of debt and observance of the Sabbath year to care for the poor and give them freedom;
4. Financial support for the Temple, its services, and staff by bringing the firstfruits, the firstborn, and the tithe, thus ensuring the continuity of true worship.
The first three promises are associated with interpersonal relationships (marriage and debt cancellation) and with God (Sabbath), while the last (Neh. 10:32–39) deals with Temple regulations. The community's goal was to demonstrate their commitment to the Covenant and, therefore, implement practical ways to establish their relationship with God and one another. Although they did not always observe the Covenant perfectly, they understood that correct habits and practices would influence the future. If the Israelite nation was to embark on the right path, they needed to establish practices and habits that would lead them where they wanted to go. If they wanted to walk closely with God, then placing importance on the Sabbath and caring for the Temple were important steps in that direction.
Unfortunately, they did not keep their promises very well, as the final chapters of Nehemiah demonstrate. However, even if not all of them kept them, some did. With God's help, if we focus our attention on Him, we can acquire correct habits and follow the right path. “Through the right exercise of the will, a complete change can be wrought in your life. By surrendering your will to Christ, you join the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from on high to stand firm, and by thus constantly yielding yourself to God, you will be enabled to live a new life; more precisely, the life of faith” (SC 48). What is preventing you from experiencing what is written here?
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SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON
FOURTH QUARTER 2019
Narrated by: Adalberto Ibica
From: Colombia
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