Sabbath School Summary
By Elder Dr Masimba Mavaza
Lesson 4
We start this week with tears running down our chicks. We have lost many people due to CORONA VIRUS. Our prayers go to the Gamanya family. They lost pastor LeaRoy Gamanya. Elder Nyarota from Budiriro 2 lost his wife mai Nyarota . We lost Mai Moto from Gweru. The list is endless. Thank God you are still alive. May God comfort all who lost their loved ones. Be comforted that we will meet them one day when Christ comes again. That is the day we are all waiting for. God will wipe away all tears. Friends let us take comfort in the Lord.
Memory Text: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10, NKJV).
INTRODUCTION
Many people seem desperate to find a little peace and quiet. They are willing to pay for it too. In many big cities there are internet-free rooms, which can be rented by the hour. The rules are strict—no noise, no visitors. People are willing to pay to be able to sit quietly and just think or nap. There are sleep pods that can be rented in airports, and noise-reducing earphones are popular items. There are even canvas hoods, or collapsible privacy shields that you can buy to pull over your head and torso for a quick workplace break.
True rest also has a cost. While the spin doctors of the self-help media would like to make us believe that we can determine our own destiny and that rest is just a matter of choice and planning, yet, at least when we consider this honestly, we realize our inability to bring true rest to our hearts. In the fourth-century, Augustine put it succinctly in his famous Confessions (Book 1) as he considered God’s grace: “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you.”
SABBATH: In today’s do-it-all world, many men are busier than the bee & desperately crave for rest, even if it’s just for some few moments. To quieten their thoughts, take a nap, or have a quiet time to think, people are willing to pay for noise-reducing earphones, sleep pods, privacy shields & canvas hoods. Thus, true rest is costly. The study looks at how the man after God’s own heart, grasp the true cost of God’s rest.
SUNDAY: One aim of the Bible is to preach distrust in man & trust in God. Even David had a fall in life. Instead of being at the battlefield, he retired at home pacing the roof of his palace. The restless king slept with his trusted army officer’s wife & tried to cover up his sin. As a king, David was above the law of his land, but he was not above the law of God (2 Sam. 11:1-27). David, to cover his sins committed murder.
MONDAY: God’s light shines amid darkness. In the darker nights of David’s life, God sent a prophet & David’s friend, Nathan, to give the king a wake-up call (2 Sam. 12:1-14, cf: 2 Sam. 7). Being anointed on the lips by God, Nathan told a story instead of naming & shaming David. David marked himself as the unjust man in the story (2 Sam. 12:7), & knew that he had sinned against God (vs. 13, Ps. 51:4, PP, p. 722).
TUESDAY: With trembling lips, king David uttered that he had sinned & prayed for God’s grace. The results of his sin affected the newborn (the child would die) & his family will be in disarray (conflicts & deaths; such as that of Amnon & Absalom). The king knew that God’s grace is able to cover his sins & found rest in God (2 Sam. 12:10-23, Ps. 51:1-6). Publicly, he confessed his sins & cried for renewal of ties with God.
WEDNESDAY: In his cry for mercy, David referred to an aspect of the sanctuary service; “cleansing with hyssop”, which ultimately pointed to Christ who forgives & redeems. David knee joy & gladness is what follows a forgiven soul, so he asked for it (Ps.51:7-12, Lev. 14:4). When Adam & Eve sinned, they hid from God but David presented himself before God—the presence of God was all he needed to prosper.
THURSDAY: In Japan, a traditional art, kintsugi, is molding something new with beauty & value out of a broken pottery. God’s divine act of creation (making something out of nothing) & recreation (mending our broken pieces) is what we ought to yearn for (Ps. 51:13-19; 1 John 1:9). David counsels us not to throw our broken pieces away but to bring it to the master potter (God) for Him to mold us into His image.
FRIDAY: Out of a contrite heart, David publicly confessed his sin. His repentance was sincere & deep. Inspired by prayer, he desired not to escape the consequences of his sin. Instead, he desired for God’s presence which is able to help one overcome sin & trials (Ps. 51:16, 17). David had a fall, but God lifted Him up! King Saul despised reproof, but David humbled himself. Like David, all men struggle & need Christ.
—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 725, 726.
Keyword
PP- Patriarchs and Prophets
Captions
SUNDAY- Worn and Weary
MONDAY- Wake-up Call
TUESDAY- Forgiven And Forgotten?
WEDNESDAY- Something New
THURSDAY- Reflectors Of God’s Light
Discussion Questions
? How can we find the balance between recognizing our inherent sinfulness and need for forgiveness and, at the same time, living like the forgiven sons and daughters of the King of the universe that we are?
? Why is all sin, ultimately, sin against God? What does it mean to sin against God?
? What can we say to someone, not a believer, who struggles with the suffering of innocent people, such as Uriah or the newborn son of David and Bathsheba? How do we explain the love and justice of God in such a situation? How does the perspective of the great controversy offer a helpful outlook?
? Why would God devote two full chapters of the Bible to the sordid story of David and Bathsheba? What purpose does the recounting of this story serve?
? Dwell on the idea that sin separates us from God as expressed in Psalm 51:11, 12. What has been your own experience with how this happens? How would you explain to someone what this separation feels like and why it’s so uncomfortable? Why is the promise of grace the only remedy?
Happy Sabbath