Sabbath: The Nations: Part 2
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 26th of April 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 2:9-17; Daniel 2:31-35; Isaiah 17:12-13; Daniel 7:1-3; Romans 3:10-19; Revelation 12:15-16; Revelation 10:1-11.
Memory Text:
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalms 46:10, NKJV).
Through the centuries, some people have argued that God wanted the Fall, that it was His intention for humans to descend into sin and death and thus lead Him—in the person of Jesus—to the cross. After all, how else could He have so powerfully and graphically displayed the depth of His love for humanity than by dying on the cross for them? In short, the thinking goes, God needed humanity to fall.
That is a horrible and wretched position to take. It was never God’s intention for either Satan or humanity to fall. The rebellion of Satan, and then of humanity, was a tragedy of immense consequence, and our joy in Him would have remained complete had our first parents not fallen.
This week, we will continue looking at the problems caused by the Fall and the desire for human government as opposed to God’s governance. These truths are powerfully revealed in the book of Daniel, which shows that God was right when He warned His people about what would happen when they turned away from Him and chose earthly monarchs instead. This is exactly what they got: earthly monarchs and sinners lording it over sinners—never a good combination.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 3.
(17)
At the beginning of my final year of undergraduate studies in the late 1960s a small group of us science students were going through the process of reregistering for our courses. Registration was a slow process in those days so there was plenty of time to talk. We were nearing the end of our undergraduate science studies and needed to think about what we were going to do with our knowledge. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned I would register to do the teaching certificate as it would give me another career option at no extra cost. We all thought it was a bit radical. We were scientists (in todays terms, nerds) and we thought that our career path involved lab coats, expensive scientific equipment, and heaps of money.
Many years later at a reunion one of my friends referred to that conversation and reminded us that that was the moment that most of us started down the road to teaching. What had started out in a moment of levity had led to most of us becoming involved in education for the rest of our lives. It is a choice that none of us have ever regretted.
It was enormously satisfying to have the level of understanding of science and mathematics that enabled us to sit examinations and get great results but ultimately that knowledge must be used outside the confines of academic understanding and be applied to the real world.
Seventh-day Adventists are often known for their knowledge of prophecy and symbolic representation. We typically have Bible studies that go through the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation in detail. We often know more about the Temple services and their symbolism that many modern Jews. We can become spiritual nerds if we are not careful. Perhaps we need to embark on the “teaching course” to ensure that our spiritual knowledge does not become our idol.
I am reminded that Paul puts it this way:
All our knowledge of symbols and prophecy is of little value if we lose sight of love and compassion. That is where the rubber hits the road in our spiritual interaction with others.
God is not passive in global affairs and events. The Bible profoundly states that behind all nations, empires, and kingdoms, God is orchestrating events towards His ultimate goal of saving mankind into His eternal kingdom. “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever” (Daniel 2:44, NLT). God is the ultimate power behind the rise and fall of the nations, kingdoms, and empires. Nothing takes God by surprise. He has got a divine plan. “He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars” (Daniel 2:21, NLT). As a matter of fact, nations are simply instruments in the hands of God through which the plan of redemption is to be fulfilled. “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son...” (Galatians 4:4). It is very interesting to note that the rise and fall of empires and kingdoms prepared the world politically, culturally, and linguistically for the coming of Jesus Christ. Also, through the nations, kingdoms, and empires of the world, God had to reveal His sovereign power over the affairs of men (Daniel 4:25).
Believers should never be troubled that there is a Mr. Donald Triumph who has caused the global markets to crash, the global economies to catch a serious cold, and even threatens mass deportation, including his own citizens. There is a God in heaven who is sovereign over all the nations, kingdoms, and empires formed by man. God is actively shaping human history towards the setting up of His kingdom, which will never be defeated (Daniel 2:44). The history of nations is a vivid reminder that at the appointed time, God will rule the earth with love, justice, and righteousness.
“He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal, it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed” – Daniel 7:14, NLT
We are talking about human government and God’s sovereignty over it. Satan in heaven claimed to offer a superior form of government to that of God and his laws. To what degree has Satan’s alternative form of government been on display in the history of the world? I am also wondering in relation to what Paul says in Roman’s 13.
Freeze, Fight, Flight. The vet was telling us about those 3 typical responses as I watched our Persian cat's skin showing through his white fur turn bright pink. He was flattened out, eyes big, clinging to the table for his dear life. Clearly his instinct was Freeze.
What does our memory verse mean by "be still"? How are we responding when we hear "the news"? How about when we find ourselves in hurtful or unjust situations? Are we standing still as in stuck and paralyzed by fear, like the cat? Are we standing still, flexing our muscles, itching for a fight, like Goliath? Are we standing still looking anxiously around trying to find a way to bolt? Or is there another way to be still?
The Israelites found themselves literally between a rock and a hard place when the angry Egyptian army was bearing down on them with weapons raised ready to destroy them, and the deep uncrossable Red Sea was the only way forward in front of them. Probably most were mentally in Flight or Fight mode....they didn't want to be Frozen in place at that moment!
But Moses encouraged them with, “Do not be afraid. Stand still and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14). Don't stand passively doing nothing. Oh no. God is telling me that being still means waiting expectantly for our King to act! Watching for His every move. Wait for Him to ask us to join Him in what He is doing for us. See His plan of salvation (saving us) come to life. Get ready to praise Him! Pray, plant roots down into His Word. Turn the other cheek, be slow to anger, see Jesus in each situation, move ahead only when He does and motions us to follow.
Another "F" response I just thought of is Fixer mode. Often our go-to reflex is to try to fix something. We see the immediacy of the situation, but only God sees the big picture. In spiritual battles, reliance on God's strength and trust in His plan is more important than human effort. We need to get out of God's way - not get in God's way - so He can take care of us and the situation.
As I look again at the Red Sea scene, I see that the battle that was supposedly between the fleeing Israelites and the hostile Egyptians wasn’t actually between them at all. The Israelites were God’s people and this was His fight. Clearly. The "no way forward" scenario changed completely with God in the lead....the sea waters stood as walls to let them through. We have to remember that we are God’s children and the battles we face are His battles. We are to trust that victory belongs to the Lord. (Proverbs 21:31 ESV)
Amen, Esther - Thank you for explaining so succinctly what 'being still' in the context of our salvation means.
Amen, Brigitte. Was thinking of some more F’s that positively describe “being still”…. Focus on Jesus, Fast from all distractions…. this will help us to Fear God (be in awe), build Faith, give us a Firm Foundation, and burst forth holy Fruit . 🙏🏻😊
Although we are used to human governments, that was never God's intention for His people. For Jesus, the actual rebellion was not against human powers but against the unseen powers of evil, against evil mixed with good intentions in our own hearts.
It dawns on me, as I meditate on this weeks memory verse, that Sabbath is a weekly practice of 'letting go and letting God'. It is a building up tolerance, strength, patience, etc. . . So that when we are hit with unpleasant times we will automatically "be still and know that [He] is God". If we do this, "[He] will be exalted..." because we will be very happy with His omniscient, omnipotent, perfectly-timed response to our situation.
When we become distracted by "doing our own thing" (Isa 58:13,14) we lose sight of God and our reserves of faith become depleted and we become "striving" in our own efforts, doubt and guilt.
I haven’t heard or known anyone to say that God intended Adam and Eve to fail or fall in order to demonstrate His divine attributes. I am convinced that God could have prevented them from sinning against Himself but allowed the rebellion for His glory and His praise, as witnessed in Jesus’ earthly ministry. We naturally are greatly upset with Adam because of the terrible sufferings that we’ve experienced from the fall. God, as far as I have read, did not complain against the pair.
Jesus got news that His friend Lazarus was very sick. He told the messengers that the sickness was “not unto death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it” (Jn 11:4). Instead of immediately leaving to attend to Lazarus He stayed two days longer and got to Bethany four days after Lazarus’ burial. The whole of Bethany was in mourning, anguish, and sorrow. They couldn’t understand why Jesus hadn’t come in time to heal His friend. But Jesus, on the other hand, was GLAD that He was not there, for His disciples sake so that they might believe in Him (Jn 11:15). Jesus would get more glory out of Lazarus’ death than just his sickness. Lazarus’ family and friends, however, must endure awful sufferings.
Again Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep how the owner leaves the 99 in pasture and goes after that one lost sheep until he finds it and returns and celebrates with friends rejoicing having found his sheep. Jesus commented: “I tell you that in the same way, there will be (more) joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need NO repentance.” (Lk 15:7)
Again when Jesus encountered the man blind from birth and was asked whether it was the man’s own sin or his parents’ that caused his blindness, He replied: “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (Jn 9:3).
“Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Rom 11:33-36)
Fellow brothers and sisters, please help me out here.
According to what we have studied in Daniel 2 Rome was the last empire and after that will come the kingdom of God.
How can we explain that after Rome there was a Byzantine empire, there is the United States empire, Russian,China, European Kingdom ?
(This all based on what we find on the internet)