Friday: Further Thought ~ Comfort My People
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “Behold Your God!” in Prophets and Kings, pages 311-321.
“In Isaiah’s day the spiritual understanding of mankind was dark through misapprehension of God. Long had Satan sought to lead men to look upon their Creator as the author of sin and suffering and death.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Those whom he had thus deceived, imagined that God was hard and exacting. They regarded Him as watching to denounce and condemn, unwilling to receive the sinner so long as there was a legal excuse for not helping him. The law of love by which heaven is ruled had been misrepresented by the archdeceiver as a restriction upon men’s happiness, a burdensome yoke from which they should be glad to escape. He declared that its precepts could not be obeyed and that the penalties of transgression were bestowed arbitrarily.” — Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 311.
Discussion Questions:
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Summary:
Through Isaiah, God brought comfort to those who had been suffering. Their time of trouble had ended, and God was returning to them. Rather than being discouraged and confused, they could trust God to use His creative power on their behalf.
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Friedrich Nietzsche, the German Philosopher pronounced "God is dead". and this quote is often used to promote the idea that modern philosophy, science and reason has killed of the possibility that God ever existed. Like a lot of pithy quotes it is quoted out of context and the meaning applied by whoever uses it.
What Nietzsche said, with its context is:
God has had a pretty rough spin. He has been held responsible for sin. He is used as the rationale of war. He is quoted as an excuse to hate those who are different. He is pictured as promoting inequality. He is described as a delusion.
Either God is a delusion or he message of love has been lost in translation. And to large extent the fact that most of the world has a pretty sparse view of God is dues largely to the way those of us who profess to know him have used and misused his name in the pursuit of control.
If we want to preach the living God today, then our lives much show that he is risen in our lives. Nothing else is going to convince the doubters and unbelievers that God is alive. We should read Isaiah 40 again to reignite our vision of God and remind us of the picture of God that our lives should present. There is a fundamental reason why it is some of the finest literature in the Bible. It has a message for us.
Thank you for sharing that quote in context.
Should the last paragraph be “convince... that God is alive” (instead of “dead”)?
Or — “convince.... that God is not dead”? Adding “not”
Thanks so much for this.
Thank you for the catch Gale. Makes a big difference!
Discussion Question #2 has relevance to my week. I've been visiting with my friend Jeff who is very concerned about what happens after death. He just read a book with accounts of people who tell life after death stories. He is anxious on a daily basis for himself and also for his brother who recently died of suicide. I shared with him the Scripture texts listed in our lesson as well as others. Please join me in praying for my friend and for all those like him who live in anxiety about their future. Praying that those who fear a vengeful God will meet our loving Savior. And praying that my own life will exhibit a peace which passes all understanding as a vibrant witness (Phil 4:7).
I just heard the song "Abide with me" and it reminded me of my grandmother who use to love this song - it was a real comfort to her and still is to me. It reminds me of John 15
Ellen White’s statement: “In Isaiah’s day the spiritual understanding of mankind was dark through misapprehension of God. Long had Satan sought to lead men to look upon their Creator as the author of sin and suffering and death” points out the most important aspect of the ongoing deception – misrepresentation of God’s character. If successful, why should man consider to seek help or guidance from such a ‘god’ (authority) or even consider him to exist? But this god is not the God of Israel, it is the impotent image of the imaginations of those who are deceived in their pride and unwillingness to give up their haughty arrogance.
Job 19:25-27KJV: ”For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
How many of us can say that their ‘heart is yearning to see the Lord’, that they are looking forward to see for themselves, for their ‘eyes to behold, and not another’?
How many of us speak like Paul saying: Phil.1:20-21KJV. ”According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Do we earnestly contemplate how utterly lost we are without our Redeemer? If the record in the book of Isaiah does not lay bare the character of God and His workings on behalf of mankind, what will? If the coming of the Son of God, our Savior Christ Jesus, His Life, death and resurrection is not enough to convict, what will? If all the signs and wonders we hear and know about are not enough, what will convince us that there is a Creator who holds the power of mankind’s destiny in His hands?
Are we willing to give all Authority to Him who says He is our Creator God, our Heavenly Father? Are we willing to rest and give Him supreme authority over our lives and instruct us how to walk by Faith in the Way of Life and Light according to the teachings of His Son, or are we still expecting Him to convince us through more signs and wonders and more evidence of His benevolent power based on how He ‘serves’ us?
I think it is high time to stop identifying God’s character by the character attributes we display and identify with. We need to separate who we are, and know Him for who He is. Everything ‘good’ in us is based in/from Him; without Him we do not have life because the essence of our life resides in His Spirit.
God admonishes us to consecrate our life to Him, but we should not confuse who we show ourselves to be, want to be or what we accomplish with who God is. We need to learn to live and recognize the true image of God to be within His Son, Christ Jesus, and therefor also in us. It is the Image of God's Spirit which manifests itself in 'our' works. We are dust of the ground, but with the Spirit of the Father within us, we are His children and are able to withstand the lies and distortions of His enemies and praise the God of all the earth continuously.
Mr. Ashton,
Your comment that God has received a "Rough Spin" is right on key. When disasters of nature strike, unfortunately the comment comes along "An act of God has occurred." I would rather see the response that God has a loving tear in his eye for the suffering that has occurred under the destructive plan of Satan.
There’s nothing in this world, nothing in life that supersedes God’s loving ability to correct, reposition and comfort His people.
If only we are willing, He makes our journey to discovery of Him and His Will meaningful.
It’s very difficult to reject God when we’re in contact with Him daily. When He reveals to us His long suffering love and patience towards our ignorance and disobedience every single day.
When we come to Him with contrite hearts He lovingly embraces us telling us, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness...For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” Isaiah 41:10,13
Believe Him.
O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Ps 8:1.
Further Thought ~ Comfort My People
The closest anyone can get to know God is through the relationship we have with him and with each other. Whether it is a SDA to another SDA, or another human. In time past men ascribed good or bad things happened as a result of a god intervention. The heathen worshiped the god of stones, bricks, and trees. If there was a natural disaster, e.g, they said the god was angry and desired something tangible. People did not see God as a loving, merciful and caring father. Should death occur to someone, they said it was because of God.
How can we as a people show non SDA that God is love?
By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. John 13:35. This should be taken off the paper and live out in our own lives.