BY ELDER DR MASIMBA MAVAZA
Sabbath School Summary
Covenant Law
Lesson 8
Memory Text: Deuteronomy 7:9
Memory Text: “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9, NIV).
One of the important phrases in Psalm 23 indicates where God desires to lead us. “He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake,” David declares in verse 3 (emphasis supplied). Because of His own moral uprightness, God will never lead us astray. He will provide safe paths for our spiritual walk through life.
SUMMARY
The Week at a Glance: What did Israel’s election mean? How does Israel’s election parallel our own? How important was the law in the covenant? Does the covenant come unconditionally? Why is obedience such an integral part of the covenant relationship?
SABBATH: The path of a follower of Christ has been clearly marked out—God’s law, for which he/she is to walk in it steadily. God’s great moral standard of righteousness is His law. Because God is only good & always right, He never leads us astray. He leads us in the good & right path—righteousness (Ps. 23; 119:35, 172). We’ll become more & more righteous if we follow the path where God leads—His law.
SUNDAY: Israel was chosen by God according to His election of grace & love. When God chose Israel, they were a small group, mixed, military weak & composed of enslaved tribes. The Jewish tradition reveals that other nations rejected God’s calling—Israel was not chosen for any specific reason but by grace. They were to be channels for other nations to be saved (Exod. 19:6, Isa. 56:7, Heb. 2:9). SDAs are like Israel.
MONDAY: God’s covenant & His law are linked (Deut. 4:13). He makes a covenant with us out of grace & we’re to respond by obeying Him; grace & obedience has kissed each other. A covenant is a relationship (e.g. marriage) with rules. A spouse that cheats violates rules of the marriage. “Covenant” has a similar meaning to “law”, “statutes”, & “word” (Ps. 78:10, 50:16, 25:10, 103:18, Deut. 33:9, Jer. 11:3, 6, 8 ).
TUESDAY: When God first made His covenant with Israel, He implanted in it His law (Deut. 10:12, 13), which will be their moral standard, spell their civic duties, guide their social living & religious practices. Humans were introduced to the will of God. The law, “Torah”, means “teaching” or “instruction”. This points to all the wise counsels given for us to live life to the fullest (Ps. 1:2). We’re to set ourselves apart for God!
WEDNESDAY: God’s law is stable & enduring as its Author. God does not change, so is His law. God is dependable & reliable because He is a God of law. “His will & His law are one” (Mal. 3:6, James 1:17). If God’s law could be changed & also save, Christ would not have come to die. The law spells out our duty to God (1-4) & humanity (5-10). Thus, the law is four our own happy-living. It keeps us in check.
THURSDAY: The Christian calling is a call to stand apart for Christ (see Gen. 18:19, 26:4, 5, Exod. 19:5, Lev. 26:3). When God called Abraham, he was to live a holy life unto God by obeying His precepts. In turn, he was to be blessed. Obedience to God attract blessings from God. A basic aspect of God’s covenant with man is obedience. Yet, we have a choice to reject God’s grace & promises. God does not force.
FRIDAY: Love is the basis of any godly act. Obedience to God stems from love. To be able to heed to the claims of the law, love must first be in our hearts (Rom. 8:3, 4). The law though ancient, is unchanged in a single jot or tittle. Christ came to magnify & fulfill the law. He showed that the law is hanged on love for God & love for man. He obeyed the law to the latter. Imitate His life!
—Ellen G. White, “Controversy,” pp. 607, 608, in The Desire of Ages; and “The Law and the Covenants,” pp. 363-373, in Patriarchs and Prophets, & The Acts of the Apostles, p. 505.
Keywords
SDAs- Seventh-day Adventists
SDAs & Israel: As God committed to Israel His holy oracles for them to enlighten other nations, so has God given to SDAs the 3 angels’ message for us to enlighten the world.
Captions
SUNDAY- The Election Of Israel (Deut. 7:7)
MONDAY- Ties That Bind
TUESDAY- Law Within The Covenant (Deut. 10:12, 13)
WEDNESDAY- The Stability Of God’s Law
THURSDAY- If…
Discussion Questions
📌 Why does the thread of love exert a stronger pull than the rope of fear to draw human beings to God?
📌 Why is the command to “ ‘ “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” ’ ” (Matt. 22:37, NIV) the first and greatest commandment?
📌 Simone Weil once wrote that “ ‘order is the first need of all.’ ” —Quoted in Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order (Washington, D.C.: Regnery Gateway, 1992), p. 3. How do you understand her words in the context of the week’s study, particularly in relation to the idea of law?
Entire Lesson Summary
Summary: God’s law was an integral part of the covenant. Yet, it was a true covenant of grace. Grace, however, never nullifies the need for law. On the contrary, law is a means by which grace is manifested and expressed in the lives of those who receive grace
BY ELDER DR MASIMBA MAVAZA
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