Having the truth, however wonderful, is not enough. In Isaiah 58:1-14, God’s people were passionate about their religious forms and practices and yet weak in applying their faith in a practical manner. God is calling His church today to be a force for good, echoing the call of the Old Testament prophets to demonstrate the … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 58:1-14 provides a special prophetic message of rebuke and hope for God’s people in Isaiah’s time and for us today. After an announcement that He is upset with His people (see Isa. 58:1), what is God’s description of those He is addressing? Read Isaiah 58:2. Though we don’t know the exact “tone of voice” … Continue reading –>
“ ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy’ ” (Prov. 31:8-9, NIV). How do we take the principles here and apply them for today? So far this week we have noted that … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 2:1-3. What does this tell us about the universality of the Sabbath? If we truly observe the Sabbath, we will not remain satisfied with only our own rest (Exod. 23:12), redemption (Deut. 5:12-15), and ultimate restoration in the new earth (Isa. 66:22-23). Indeed, the seventh-day Sabbath tells us that God is the Creator … Continue reading –>
Even in early Israel, social justice was very much a part of God’s laws and His ideal for His people. Social justice is God’s original intention for human society: a world in which basic needs are met, people flourish, and peace reigns. Read the following verses and summarize what they say about mercy and justice, … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Exod. 22:21-23, Exod. 23:2-9, Amos 8:4-7, Isa. 1:13-17, Isa. 58:1-14, Acts 20:35. Memory Text: “He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD … Continue reading –>
Read Ellen G. White, “Temperance and Dietetics,” pp. 202-206; “Discipline,” pp. 287-290, in Education; “Need for Self-Mastery,” Patriarchs and Prophets 73-74, in Counsels on Diet and Foods; “The Principles of Stewardship,” ibid. 111-113; “Sharing in the Joys of the Redeemed,” ibid. 348-350, in Counsels on Stewardship. It’s so hard from our perspective today, immersed as … Continue reading –>
Through the Fall we as humans have lost so much, including the kind of dominion that our first parents were privileged to have in Eden. Christ came in order to restore to us what we lost. And because of what Christ has done for us, we, too, have been called by God to reach out … Continue reading –>
“Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15, NKJV). What principles, if any, can we take from this text that should influence how we relate to our planet in terms of taking care of it? Before sin, Adam and Eve had … Continue reading –>
Does humanity’s dominion over “all the earth” (Gen. 1:26) indicate that there are no boundaries to our dominion? Biblical history indicates that dominion (which can also be understood as “stewardship”) must have boundaries. For example, God told Adam that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was off-limits (see Gen. 2:15-17). The first sin … Continue reading –>
