Worship and Song and Praise

Memory Text: "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God"(Psalm 84:1-2, NIV).

“Scripture taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION”. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Publishers. Used by Permission.

Sabbath Afternoon

Sunday

Worship the Lord, Our Maker

Psalm 90:1–2

1 Lord, You have been our 1dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

Psalm 95:1–6

1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods. 4 1In His hand are the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills are His also. 5 The sea is His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land. 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Psalm 100:1–5

1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, 1all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Read Psalm 19

John 1:1–3

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

Colossians 1:16–17

16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or 5principalities or 6powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Hebrews 1:1–3

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Revelation 14:7

7 saying with a loud voice, p“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

Revelation 14:6

6 Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people

Monday

Judgment From His Sanctuary

Read Psalm 73

Daniel 7:9–10

9 “I watched till thrones were 4put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, pIts wheels a burning fire; 10 A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.

Daniel 7:13–14

13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:25–26

25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute 1the saints of the Most High, And shall contend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. 26 ‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever.

Psalm 7:9

9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

Read Psalm 10

Psalm 9:7–12

7 But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. 9 The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. 11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people. 12 When He avenges blood, He remembers them;

He does not forget the cry of the humble.

Psalm 75:2

2 “When I choose the 2proper time, I will judge uprightly.

Psalm 94:1–3

1 O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs—O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth; 1Render punishment to the proud. 3 Lord, chow long will the wicked, How long will the wicked triumph?

Psalm 94:20–22

20 Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, Have fellowship with You? 21 They gather together against the life of the righteous, And condemn innocent blood. 22 But the Lord has been my defense, And my God the rock of my refuge.

Psalm 98:9

9 For He is coming to judge the earth. With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity.

Psalm 68:24

24 They have seen Your 9procession, O God, The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

Revelation 14:7

7 saying with a loud voice, p“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.”

Genesis 4:10

10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

1 Corinthians 4:5

5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the 2counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

Tuesday

“Like the Beasts That Perish”

Read Psalm 49

Psalm 49:7–9

7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him—8 For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever—9 That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit.

Wednesday

Worship and the Sanctuary

Psalm 141:2

2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Psalm 20:3

3 May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah

Psalm 43:4

4 Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.

Psalm 51:19

19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Psalm 54:6

6 I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.

Psalm 118:27

27 God is the Lord, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.

Psalm 134:2

2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord.

Psalm 40:6–8

6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”

Hebrews 10:1–13

10 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once 1purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: d“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’ ”

8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, 2O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10 By that will we have been 3sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

11 And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.

Psalm 40:8

8 I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”

Thursday

Lest We Forget!

Read Psalms 78, 105, 106

Psalm 78:1–8

1 O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old—3 what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done. 5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. 7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands. 8 They would not be like their forefathers—a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.

Deuteronomy 6:6–9

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

1 Corinthians 10:11

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

Psalm 105:2

2 Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

Read Psalm 119

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 3instruction in righteousness,

2 Timothy 4:2

2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

Friday

Read Ellen G. White, “The Creation,” pp. 44–51, in Patriarchs and Prophets

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." "For He spake, and it was;" "He commanded, and it stood fast." Psalm 33:6, 9. He "laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever." Psalm 104:5. {PP 44.1}

As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes; but the hills and mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps and frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp, ragged edges of earth's rocky framework were buried beneath the fruitful soil, which everywhere produced a luxuriant growth of verdure. There were no loathsome swamps or barren deserts. Graceful shrubs and delicate flowers greeted the eye at every turn. The heights were crowned with trees more majestic than any that now exist. The air, untainted by foul miasma, was clear and healthful. The entire landscape outvied in beauty the decorated grounds of the proudest palace. The angelic host viewed the scene with delight, and rejoiced at the wonderful works of God. {PP 44.2}

After the earth with its teeming animal and vegetable life had been called into existence, man, the crowning work of the Creator, and the one for whom the beautiful earth had been fitted up, was brought upon the stage of action. To him was given dominion over all that his eye could behold; for "God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over . . . all the earth. . . . So God created man in His own image; . . . male and female created He them." Here is clearly set forth the origin of the human race; and the divine record is so plainly stated that there is no occasion for erroneous conclusions. God created man in His own image. Here is no mystery. There is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved by slow degrees of development from the lower forms of animal or vegetable life. Such teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man's narrow, earthly conceptions. Men are so intent upon excluding God from the sovereignty of the universe that they degrade man and defraud him of the dignity of his origin. He who set the starry worlds on high and tinted with delicate skill the flowers of the field, who filled the earth and the heavens with the wonders of His power, when He came to crown His glorious work, to place one in the midst to stand as ruler of the fair earth, did not fail to create a being worthy of the hand that gave him life. The genealogy of our race, as given by inspiration, traces back its origin, not to a line of developing germs, mollusks, and quadrupeds, but to the great Creator. Though formed from the dust, Adam was "the son of God." {PP 44.3}

He was placed, as God's representative, over the lower orders of being. They cannot understand or acknowledge the sovereignty of God, yet they were made capable of loving and serving man. The psalmist says, "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: . . . the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, . . . and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas." Psalm 8:6-8. {PP 45.1}

Man was to bear God's image, both in outward resemblance and in character. Christ alone is "the express image" (Hebrews 1:3) of the Father; but man was formed in the likeness of God. His nature was in harmony with the will of God. His mind was capable of comprehending divine things. His affections were pure; his appetites and passions were under the control of reason. He was holy and happy in bearing the image of God and in perfect obedience to His will. {PP 45.2}

As man came forth from the hand of his Creator, he was of lofty stature and perfect symmetry. His countenance bore the ruddy tint of health and glowed with the light of life and joy. Adam's height was much greater than that of men who now inhabit the earth. Eve was somewhat less in stature; yet her form was noble, and full of beauty. The sinless pair wore no artificial garments; they were clothed with a covering of light and glory, such as the angels wear. So long as they lived in obedience to God, this robe of light continued to enshroud them. {PP 45.3}

After the creation of Adam every living creature was brought before him to receive its name; he saw that to each had been given a companion, but among them "there was not found an help meet for him." Among all the creatures that God had made on the earth, there was not one equal to man. And God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Man was not made to dwell in solitude; he was to be a social being. Without companionship the beautiful scenes and delightful employments of Eden would have failed to yield perfect happiness. Even communion with angels could not have satisfied his desire for sympathy and companionship. There was none of the same nature to love and to be loved. {PP 46.1}

God Himself gave Adam a companion. He provided "an help meet for him"--a helper corresponding to him--one who was fitted to be his companion, and who could be one with him in love and sympathy. Eve was created from a rib taken from the side of Adam, signifying that she was not to control him as the head, nor to be trampled under his feet as an inferior, but to stand by his side as an equal, to be loved and protected by him. A part of man, bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, she was his second self, showing the close union and the affectionate attachment that should exist in this relation. "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it." Ephesians 5:29. "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one." {PP 46.2}

God celebrated the first marriage. Thus the institution has for its originator the Creator of the universe. "Marriage is honorable" (Hebrews 13:4); it was one of the first gifts of God to man, and it is one of the two institutions that, after the Fall, Adam brought with him beyond the gates of Paradise. When the divine principles are recognized and obeyed in this relation, marriage is a blessing; it guards the purity and happiness of the race, it provides for man's social needs, it elevates the physical, the intellectual, and the moral nature. {PP 46.3}

"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed." Everything that God had made was the perfection of beauty, and nothing seemed wanting that could contribute to the happiness of the holy pair; yet the Creator gave them still another token of His love, by preparing a garden especially for their home. In this garden were trees of every variety, many of them laden with fragrant and delicious fruit. There were lovely vines, growing upright, yet presenting a most graceful appearance, with their branches drooping under their load of tempting fruit of the richest and most varied hues. It was the work of Adam and Eve to train the branches of the vine to form bowers, thus making for themselves a dwelling from living trees covered with foliage and fruit. There were fragrant flowers of every hue in rich profusion. In the midst of the garden stood the tree of life, surpassing in glory all other trees. Its fruit appeared like apples of gold and silver, and had the power to perpetuate life. {PP 46.4}

The creation was now complete. "The heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them." "And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." Eden bloomed on earth. Adam and Eve had free access to the tree of life. No taint of sin or shadow of death marred the fair creation. "The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Job 38:7. {PP 47.1}

The great Jehovah had laid the foundations of the earth; He had dressed the whole world in the garb of beauty and had filled it with things useful to man; He had created all the wonders of the land and of the sea. In six days the great work of creation had been accomplished. And God "rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." God looked with satisfaction upon the work of His hands. All was perfect, worthy of its divine Author, and He rested, not as one weary, but as well pleased with the fruits of His wisdom and goodness and the manifestations of His glory. {PP 47.2}

After resting upon the seventh day, God sanctified it, or set it apart, as a day of rest for man. Following the example of the Creator, man was to rest upon this sacred day, that as he should look upon the heavens and the earth, he might reflect upon God's great work of creation; and that as he should behold the evidences of God's wisdom and goodness, his heart might be filled with love and reverence for his Maker. {PP 47.3}

In Eden, God set up the memorial of His work of creation, in placing His blessing upon the seventh day. The Sabbath was committed to Adam, the father and representative of the whole human family. Its observance was to be an act of grateful acknowledgment, on the part of all who should dwell upon the earth, that God was their Creator and their rightful Sovereign; that they were the work of His hands and the subjects of His authority. Thus the institution was wholly commemorative, and given to all mankind. There was nothing in it shadowy or of restricted application to any people. {PP 48.1}

God saw that a Sabbath was essential for man, even in Paradise. He needed to lay aside his own interests and pursuits for one day of the seven, that he might more fully contemplate the works of God and meditate upon His power and goodness. He needed a Sabbath to remind him more vividly of God and to awaken gratitude because all that he enjoyed and possessed came from the beneficent hand of the Creator. {PP 48.2}

God designs that the Sabbath shall direct the minds of men to the contemplation of His created works. Nature speaks to their senses, declaring that there is a living God, the Creator, the Supreme Ruler of all. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge." Psalm 19:1, 2. The beauty that clothes the earth is token of God's love. We may behold it in the everlasting hills, in the lofty trees, in the opening buds and the delicate flowers. All speak to us of God. The Sabbath, ever pointing to Him who made them all, bids men open the great book of nature and trace therein the wisdom, the power, and the love of the Creator. {PP 48.3}

Our first parents, though created innocent and holy, were not placed beyond the possibility of wrongdoing. God made them free moral agents, capable of appreciating the wisdom and benevolence of His character and the justice of His requirements, and with full liberty to yield or to withhold obedience. They were to enjoy communion with God and with holy angels; but before they could be rendered eternally secure, their loyalty must be tested. At the very beginning of man's existence a check was placed upon the desire for self-indulgence, the fatal passion that lay at the foundation of Satan's fall. The tree of knowledge, which stood near the tree of life in the midst of the garden, was to be a test of the obedience, faith, and love of our parents. While permitted to eat freely of every other tree, they were forbidden to taste of this, on pain of death. They were also to be exposed to the temptations of Satan; but if they endured the trial, they would finally be placed beyond his power, to enjoy perpetual favor with God. {PP 48.4}

God placed man under law, as an indispensable condition of his very existence. He was a subject of the divine government, and there can be no government without law. God might have created man without the power to transgress His law; He might have withheld the hand of Adam from touching the forbidden fruit; but in that case man would have been, not a free moral agent, but a mere automaton. Without freedom of choice, his obedience would not have been voluntary, but forced. There could have been no development of character. Such a course would have been contrary to God's plan in dealing with the inhabitants of other worlds. It would have been unworthy of man as an intelligent being, and would have sustained Satan's charge of God's arbitrary rule. {PP 49.1}

God made man upright; He gave him noble traits of character, with no bias toward evil. He endowed him with high intellectual powers, and presented before him the strongest possible inducements to be true to his allegiance. Obedience, perfect and perpetual, was the condition of eternal happiness. On this condition he was to have access to the tree of life. {PP 49.2}

The home of our first parents was to be a pattern for other homes as their children should go forth to occupy the earth. That home, beautified by the hand of God Himself, was not a gorgeous palace. Men, in their pride, delight in magnificent and costly edifices and glory in the works of their own hands; but God placed Adam in a garden. This was his dwelling. The blue heavens were its dome; the earth, with its delicate flowers and carpet of living green, was its floor; and the leafy branches of the goodly trees were its canopy. Its walls were hung with the most magnificent adornings--the handiwork of the great Master Artist. In the surroundings of the holy pair was a lesson for all time--that true happiness is found, not in the indulgence of pride and luxury, but in communion with God through His created works. If men would give less attention to the artificial, and would cultivate greater simplicity, they would come far nearer to answering the purpose of God in their creation. Pride and ambition are never satisfied, but those who are truly wise will find substantial and elevating pleasure in the sources of enjoyment that God has placed within the reach of all. {PP 49.3}

To the dwellers in Eden was committed the care of the garden, "to dress it and to keep it." Their occupation was not wearisome, but pleasant and invigorating. God appointed labor as a blessing to man, to occupy his mind, to strengthen his body, and to develop his faculties. In mental and physical activity Adam found one of the highest pleasures of his holy existence. And when, as a result of his disobedience, he was driven from his beautiful home, and forced to struggle with a stubborn soil to gain his daily bread, that very labor, although widely different from his pleasant occupation in the garden, was a safeguard against temptation and a source of happiness. Those who regard work as a curse, attended though it be with weariness and pain, are cherishing an error. The rich often look down with contempt upon the working classes, but this is wholly at variance with God's purpose in creating man. What are the possessions of even the most wealthy in comparison with the heritage given to the lordly Adam? Yet Adam was not to be idle. Our Creator, who understands what is for man's happiness, appointed Adam his work. The true joy of life is found only by the working men and women. The angels are diligent workers; they are the ministers of God to the children of men. The Creator has prepared no place for the stagnating practice of indolence. {PP 50.1}

While they remained true to God, Adam and his companion were to bear rule over the earth. Unlimited control was given them over every living thing. The lion and the lamb sported peacefully around them or lay down together at their feet. The happy birds flitted about them without fear; and as their glad songs ascended to the praise of their Creator, Adam and Eve united with them in thanksgiving to the Father and the Son. {PP 50.2}

The holy pair were not only children under the fatherly care of God but students receiving instruction from the all-wise Creator. They were visited by angels, and were granted communion with their Maker, with no obscuring veil between. They were full of the vigor imparted by the tree of life, and their intellectual power was but little less than that of the angels. The mysteries of the visible universe--"the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge" (Job 37:16)--afforded them an exhaustless source of instruction and delight. The laws and operations of nature, which have engaged men's study for six thousand years, were opened to their minds by the infinite Framer and Upholder of all. They held converse with leaf and flower and tree, gathering from each the secrets of its life. With every living creature, from the mighty leviathan that playeth among the waters to the insect mote that floats in the sunbeam, Adam was familiar. He had given to each its name, and he was acquainted with the nature and habits of all. God's glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, "the balancings of the clouds," the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night--all were open to the study of our first parents. On every leaf of the forest or stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and air and sky, God's name was written. The order and harmony of creation spoke to them of infinite wisdom and power. They were ever discovering some attraction that filled their hearts with deeper love and called forth fresh expressions of gratitude. {PP 50.3}

So long as they remained loyal to the divine law, their capacity to know, to enjoy, and to love would continually increase. They would be constantly gaining new treasures of knowledge, discovering fresh springs of happiness, and obtaining clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the immeasurable, unfailing love of God. {PP 51.1}

“Poetry and Song,” pp. 159–168, in Education

The earliest as well as the most sublime of poetic utterances known to man are found in the Scriptures. Before the oldest of the world's poets had sung, the shepherd of Midian recorded those words of God to Job --in their majesty unequaled, unapproached, by the loftiest productions of human genius:

"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the

earth? . . .

Or who shut up the sea with doors,

When it brake forth; . . .

When I made the cloud the garment thereof,

And thick darkness a swaddling band for it,

And prescribed for it My decree,

And set bars and doors,

And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;

And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

"Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began,

And caused the dayspring to know its place? . . .

"Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?

Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?

Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee?

Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?

Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth?

Declare, if thou knowest it all.

"Where is the way to the dwelling of light,

And as for darkness, where is the place thereof? . . .

"Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow,

Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail? . . .

By what way is the light parted,

Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?

Who hath cleft a channel for the water flood,

Or a way for the lightning of the thunder;

To cause it to rain on a land where no man is;

On the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

To satisfy the waste and desolate ground;

And to cause the tender grass to spring forth?"

"Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades,

Or loose the bands of Orion?

Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?

Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?"

Job 38:4-27, R.V.; 38:31, 32. {Ed 159.1}

For beauty of expression read also the description of springtime, from the Song of Songs:

"Lo, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of the singing of birds is come,

And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

The fig tree ripeneth her green figs,

And the vines are in blossom,

They give forth their fragrance.

Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."

Canticles 2:11-13, R.V. {Ed 160.1}

And not inferior in beauty is Balaam's unwilling prophecy of blessing to Israel:

"From Aram hath Balak brought me,

The king of Moab from the mountains of the East:

Come, curse me Jacob,

And come, defy Israel.

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?

And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?

For from the top of the rocks I see him?

And from the hills I behold him:

Lo, it is a people that dwell alone,

And shall not be reckoned among the nations. . . .

"Behold, I have received commandment to bless:

And He hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,

Neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel:

The Lord his God is with him,

And the shout of a King is among them. . . .

Surely there is no enchantment against (margin) Jacob,

Neither is there any divination against (margin) Israel:

Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel,

What hath God wrought!"

"He saith, which heareth the words of God,

Which seeth the vision of the Almighty: . . .

How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,

Thy tabernacles, O Israel!

As valleys are they spread forth,

As gardens by the riverside,

As lignaloes which the Lord hath planted,

As cedar trees beside the waters."

"He hath said, which heard the words of God,

And knew the knowledge of the Most High: . . .

I shall see Him, but not now:

I shall behold Him, but not nigh:

There shall come a Star out of Jacob,

And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel. . . .

Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion."

Numbers 23:7-23, R.V.; 24:4-6, R.V.; 24:16-19. {Ed 160.2}

The melody of praise is the atmosphere of heaven; and when heaven comes in touch with the earth, there is music and song--"thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." Isaiah 51:3. {Ed 161.1}

Above the new-created earth, as it lay, fair and unblemished, under the smile of God, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Job 38:7. So human hearts, in sympathy with heaven, have responded to God's goodness in notes of praise. Many of the events of human history have been linked with song. {Ed 161.2}

The earliest song recorded in the Bible from the lips of men was that glorious outburst of thanksgiving by the hosts of Israel at the Red Sea:

"I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously:

The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.

The Lord is my strength and song,

And He is become my salvation:

This is my God, and I will praise Him;

My father's God, and I will exalt Him."

"Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power,

Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy. . . .

Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?

Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness,

Fearful in praises, doing wonders?"

"The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. . . .

Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously."

Exodus 15:1, 2, 6-11, 18-21, R.V. {Ed 162.1}

Great have been the blessings received by men in response to songs of praise. The few words recounting an experience of the wilderness journey of Israel have a lesson worthy of our thought: {Ed 162.2}

"They went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water." Numbers 21:16. "Then sang Israel this song:

"Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:

The well, which the princes digged,

Which the nobles of the people delved,

With the scepter, and with their staves."

Numbers 21:17, 18, R.V. {Ed 162.3}

How often in spiritual experience is this history repeated! how often by words of holy song are unsealed in the soul the springs of penitence and faith, of hope and love and joy! {Ed 162.4}

It was with songs of praise that the armies of Israel went forth to the great deliverance under Jehoshaphat. To Jehoshaphat had come the tidings of threatened war. "There cometh a great multitude against thee," was the message, "the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside." "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord." And Jehoshaphat, standing in the temple court before his people, poured out his soul in prayer, pleading God's promise, with confession of Israel's helplessness. "We have no might against this great company that cometh against us," he said: "neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee." 2 Chronicles 20:2, 1, 3, 4, 12. {Ed 163.1}

Then upon Jahaziel a Levite "came the Spirit of the Lord; . . . and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. . . . Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord. . . . Fear not, nor be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you." 2 Chronicles 20:14-17. {Ed 163.2}

"And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa." 2 Chronicles 20:20. Before the army went singers, lifting their voices in praise to God --praising Him for the victory promised. {Ed 163.3}

On the fourth day thereafter, the army returned to Jerusalem, laden with the spoil of their enemies, singing praise for the victory won.

{Ed 163.4}

Through song, David, amidst the vicissitudes of his changeful life, held communion with heaven. How sweetly are his experiences as a shepherd lad reflected in the words:

"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters. . . .

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." Psalm 23:1-4. {Ed 164.1}

In his manhood a hunted fugitive, finding refuge in the rocks and caves of the wilderness, he wrote:

"O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee:

My soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee,

In a dry and weary land, where no water is. . . .

Thou hast been my help,

And in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice."

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

And why art thou disquieted within me?

Hope thou in God:

For I shall yet praise Him,

Who is the health of my countenance,

And my God."

"The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalms 63:1-7, R.V.; 42:11; 27:1. {Ed 164.2}

The same trust is breathed in the words written when, a dethroned and crownless king, David fled from Jerusalem at the rebellion of Absalom. Spent with grief and the weariness of his flight, he with his company had tarried beside the Jordan for a few hours' rest. He was awakened by the summons to immediate flight. In the darkness, the passage of the deep and swift-flowing stream must be made by that whole company of men, women, and little children; for hard after them were the forces of the traitor son.

In that hour of darkest trial, David sang:

"I cried unto the Lord with my voice,

And He heard me out of His holy hill.

"I laid me down and slept;

I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people,

That have set themselves against me around about."

Psalm 3:4-6. {Ed 164.3}

After his great sin, in the anguish of remorse and self-abhorrence he still turned to God as his best friend:

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving-

kindness:

According unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies

blot out my transgressions. . . .

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

Psalm 51:1-7. {Ed 165.1}

In his long Life, David found on earth no resting place. "We are strangers before Thee, and sojourners," he said, "as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding." I Chronicles 29:15, R.V.

"God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the midst of

the sea."

"There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the City of God,

The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved

God shall help her, at the dawn of morning. . . .

The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge."

"This God is our God for ever and ever:

He will be our guide even unto death."

Psalms 46:1,2; 46:4-7, R.V., margin; 48:14. {Ed 165.2}

With a song, Jesus in His earthly life met temptation. Often when sharp, stinging words were spoken, often when the atmosphere about Him was heavy with gloom, with dissatisfaction, distrust, or oppressive fear, was heard His song of faith and holy cheer. {Ed 166.1}

On that last sad night of the Passover supper, as He was about to go forth to betrayal and to death, His voice was lifted in the psalm:

"Blessed be the name of the Lord

From this time forth and for evermore.

From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same

The Lord's name is to be praised."

"I love the Lord because He hath heard my voice and my

supplications.

Because He hath inclined His ear unto me,

Therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.

"The sorrows of death compassed me,

And the pains of hell gat hold upon me:

I found trouble and sorrow.

Then called I upon the name of the Lord;

O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul.

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

Yea, our God is merciful.

"The Lord preserveth the simple:

I was brought low, and He helped me.

Return unto thy rest, O my soul;

For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes

from tears, and my feet from falling."

Psalms 113:2, 3; 116:1-8. {Ed 166.2}

Amidst the deepening shadows of earth's last great crisis, God's light will shine brightest, and the song of hope and trust will be heard in clearest and loftiest strains.

"In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah;

We have a strong city;

Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.

Open ye the gates,

That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may

enter in.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

Trust ye in the Lord forever:

For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength."

Isaiah 26:1-4. {Ed 166.3}

"The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Isaiah 35:10, R.V. {Ed 167.1}

"They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together unto the goodness of the Lord: . . . and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all." Jeremiah 31:12. {Ed 167.2}

The Power of Song

The history of the songs of the Bible is full of suggestion as to the uses and benefits of music and song. Music is often perverted to serve purposes of evil, and it thus becomes one of the most alluring agencies of temptation. But, rightly employed, it is a precious gift of God, designed to uplift the thoughts to high and noble themes, to inspire and elevate the soul. {Ed 167.3}

As the children of Israel, journeying through the wilderness, cheered their way by the music of sacred song, so God bids His children today gladden their pilgrim life. There are few means more effective for fixing His words in the memory than repeating them in song. And such song has wonderful power. It has power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures; power to quicken thought and to awaken sympathy, to promote harmony of action, and to banish the gloom and foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort. {Ed 167.4}

It is one of the most effective means of impressing the heart with spiritual truth. How often to the soul hard-pressed and ready to despair, memory recalls some word of God's--the long-forgotten burden of a childhood song, --and temptations lose their power, life takes on new meaning and new purpose, and courage and gladness are imparted to other souls! {Ed 168.1}

The value of song as a means of education should never be lost sight of. Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure and more of cheerfulness and hope and joy. Let there be singing in the school, and the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their teachers, and to one another. {Ed 168.2}

As a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer. Indeed, many a song is prayer. If the child is taught to realize this, he will think more of the meaning of the words he sings and will be more susceptible to their power. {Ed 168.3}

As our Redeemer leads us to the threshold of the Infinite, flushed with the glory of God, we may catch the themes of praise and thanksgiving from the heavenly choir round about the throne; and as the echo of the angels' song is awakened in our earthly homes, hearts will be drawn closer to the heavenly singers. Heaven's communion begins on earth. We learn here the keynote of its praise. {Ed 168.4}

“Forgetfulness,” pp. 107–115, in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8.

All who profess to be children of God I would invite to consider the history of the Israelites, as recorded in the one hundred and fifth, the one hundred and sixth, and the one hundred and seventh psalms. By carefully studying these scriptures, we may be able to appreciate more fully the goodness, mercy, and love of our God.

A Hymn Of The Promised Land

"Oh give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon His name;

Make known among the peoples His doings.

Sing unto Him, sing praises unto Him;

Talk ye of all His marvelous works.

Glory ye in His holy name:

Let the heart of them rejoice that seek Jehovah.

Seek ye Jehovah and His strength;

Seek His face evermore.

"Remember His marvelous works that He hath done,

His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,

O ye seed of Abraham His servant,

Ye children of Jacob, His chosen ones.

He is Jehovah our God:

His judgments are in all the earth.

He hath remembered His covenant forever,

The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,

The covenant which He made with Abraham,

And His oath unto Isaac,

And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a statute,

To Israel for an everlasting covenant,

Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan,

The lot of your inheritance;

When they were but a few men in number,

Yea, very few, and sojourners in it.

And they went about from nation to nation,

From one kingdom to another people.

He suffered no man to do them wrong;

Yea, He reproved kings for their sakes,

Saying, Touch not Mine anointed ones,

And do My prophets no harm.

108

"And He called for a famine upon the land;

He brake the whole staff of bread.

He sent a man before them;

Joseph was sold for a servant:

His feet they hurt with fetters:

He was laid in chains of iron,

Until the time that His word came to pass,

The word of Jehovah tried him.

The king sent and loosed him;

Even the ruler of peoples, and let him go free.

He made him lord of his house,

And ruler of all his substance;

To bind his princes at his pleasure.

And teach his elders wisdom

Israel also came into Egypt;

And Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham.

And He increased His people greatly,

And made them stronger than their adversaries.

"He turned their heart to hate His people,

To deal subtly with His servants.

He sent Moses His servant,

And Aaron whom He had chosen.

They set among them His signs,

And wonders in the land of Ham.

He sent darkness, and made it dark;

And they rebelled not against His words.

He turned their waters into blood,

And slew their fish.

Their land swarmed with frogs

In the chambers of their kings.

He spake, and there came swarms of flies,

And lice in all their borders.

He gave them hail for rain,

And flaming fire in their land.

He smote their vines also and their fig trees,

And brake the trees of their borders.

He spake, and the locust came,

And the grasshopper, and that without number,

And did eat up every herb in their land,

And did eat up the fruit of their ground.

He smote also all the first-born in their land,

The chief of all their strength.

"And He brought them forth with silver and gold;

And there was not one feeble person among His tribes.

Egypt was glad when they departed;

For the fear of them had fallen upon them.

109

"He spread a cloud for a covering,

And fire to give light in the night.

They asked, and He brought quails,

And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

He opened the rock, and waters gushed out;

They ran in the dry places like a river.

"For He remembered His holy word,

And Abraham His servant.

And He brought forth His people with joy,

And His chosen with singing.

And He gave them the lands of the nations;

And they took the labor of the peoples in possession:

That they might keep His statutes,

And observe His laws.

"Praise ye Jehovah." Psalm 105, A. R. V.

A Hymn Of The Captivity

"Praise ye Jehovah.

"Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for He is good;

For His loving-kindness endureth forever.

Who can utter the mighty acts of Jehovah,

Or show forth all His praise?

Blessed are they that keep justice,

And he that doeth righteousness at all times.

Remember me, O Jehovah, with the favor that Thou bearest

unto Thy people;

Oh visit me with Thy salvation,

That I may see the prosperity of Thy chosen,

That I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation,

That I may glory with Thine inheritance.

I

"We have sinned with our fathers,

We have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.

Our fathers understood not Thy wonders in Egypt;

They remembered not the multitude of Thy

loving-kindnesses.

But were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

110

"Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake,

That He might make His mighty power to be known.

He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up:

So He led them through the depths, as through a wilderness.

And He saved them from the hand of him that hated them,

And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

And the waters covered their adversaries;

There was not one of them left.

Then believed they His words;

They sang His praise.

II

"They soon forgat His works;

They waited not for His counsel,

But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness,

And tempted God in the desert.

And He gave them their request,

But sent leanness into their soul.

They envied Moses also in the camp,

And Aaron the saint of Jehovah.

The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,

And covered the company of Abiram.

And a fire was kindled in their company

The flame burned up the wicked.

They made a calf in Horeb,

And worshiped a molten image.

Thus they changed their glory

For the likeness of an ox that eateth grass.

"They forgot God their Saviour,

Who had done great things in Egypt,

Wondrous works in the land of Ham,

And terrible things by the Red Sea.

Therefore He said that He would destroy them,

Had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in the breach,

To turn away His wrath, lest He should destroy them.

III

"Yea, they despised the pleasant land,

They believed not His word,

But murmured in their tents,

And hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah.

Therefore He sware unto them,

111

That He would overthrow them in the wilderness,

And that He would overthrow their seed among the

nations,

And scatter them in the lands.

They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor,

And ate the sacrifices of the dead.

Thus they provoked Him to anger with their doings;

And the plague brake in upon them.

"Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment;

And so the plague was stayed.

And that was reckoned unto him for righteousness,

Unto all generations for evermore.

IV

"They angered Him also at the waters of Meribah,

So that it went ill with Moses for their sakes;

Because they were rebellious against his spirit,

And he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

They did not destroy the peoples,

As Jehovah commanded them,

But mingled themselves with the nations,

And learned their works,

And served their idols,

Which became a snare unto them.

Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters

unto demons,

And shed innocent blood,

Even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,

Whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan;

And the land was polluted with blood.

Thus were they defiled with their works,

And played the harlot in their doings.

"Therefore was the wrath of Jehovah kindled against His

people,

And He abhorred His inheritance.

And He gave them into the hand of the nations;

And they that hated them ruled over them.

Their enemies also oppressed them,

And they were brought into subjection under their hand.

Many times did He deliver them;

But they were rebellious in their counsel,

And were brought low in their iniquity.

112

"Nevertheless He regarded their distress,

When He heard their cry:

And He remembered for them His covenant,

And repented according to the multitude of His

loving-kindnesses.

He made them also to be pitied

Of all those that carried them captive.

"Save us, O Jehovah our God,

And gather us from among the nations,

To give thanks unto Thy holy name,

And to triumph in Thy praise.

"Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel,

From everlasting even to everlasting.

And let all the people say, Amen.

"Praise ye Jehovah." Psalm 106, A. R. V.

Song Of The Redeemed

"Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for He is good;

For His loving-kindness endureth forever.

Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so,

Whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary,

And gathered out of the lands,

From the east and from the west,

From the north and from the south.

I

"They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way;

They found no city of habitation.

Hungry and thirsty,

Their soul fainted in them.

Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble,

And He delivered them out of their distresses,

He led them also by a straight way,

That they might go to a city of habitation.

Oh that men would praise Jehovah for His loving-kindness

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

For He satisfieth the longing soul,

And the hungry soul He filleth with good.

"Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,

Being bound in affliction and iron,

113

Because they rebelled against the words of God,

And contemned the counsel of the Most High:

Therefore He brought down their heart with labor;

They fell down, and there was none to help.

Then they cried unto Jehovah in their trouble,

And He saved them out of their distresses.

He brought them out of darkness and the shadow

of death,

And brake their bonds in sunder.

Oh that men would praise Jehovah for His loving-kindness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!

For He hath broken the gates of brass,

And cut the bars of iron in sunder. . . .

II

"He turneth rivers into a wilderness,

And water springs into a thirsty ground;

A fruitful land into a salt desert,

For the wickedness of them that dwell therein.

He turneth a wilderness into a pool of water,

And a dry land into water springs.

And there He maketh the hungry to dwell,

That they may prepare a city of habitation,

And sow fields, and plant vineyards,

And get them fruits of increase.

He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly;

And He suffereth not their cattle to decrease.

"Again, they are diminished and bowed down

Through oppression, trouble, and sorrow.

He poureth contempt upon princes,

And causeth them to wander in the waste, where there

is no way.

Yet setteth He the needy on high from affliction,

And maketh him families like a flock.

The upright shall see it, and be glad;

And all iniquity shall stop her mouth.

"Whoso is wise will give heed to these things;

And they will consider the loving-kindnesses of Jehovah."

Psalm 107, A. R. V. {8T 107.1}

"Call to Remembrance the Former Days"

Why did ancient Israel so easily forget God's dealings? The people did not retain in their memory His works of greatness

114

and power or His words of warning. Had they remembered His wondrous dealings with them they would not have received the reproof:

"Who art thou, that thou art afraid of man that shall die,

And of the son of man that shall be made as grass;

And hast forgotten Jehovah thy Maker,

That stretched forth the heavens,

And laid the foundations of the earth;

And fearest continually all the day

Because of the fury of the oppressor,

When he maketh ready to destroy?

And where is the fury of the oppressor?"

Isaiah 51:12, 13, A. R. V. {8T 113.1}

But the children of Israel forgot God, whose they were by creation and by redemption. After seeing all His wondrous works, they tempted Him. {8T 114.1}

To the Israelites were committed the sacred oracles. But God's revealed word was misinterpreted and misapplied. The people despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

"The vineyard of Jehovah of hosts is the house of Israel,

And the men of Judah His pleasant plant:

And He looked for justice, but, behold, oppression;

For righteousness, but, behold, a cry."

"Woe unto them

That . . . regard not the work of Jehovah,

Neither have they considered the operation of His

hands.

Therefore My people are gone into captivity

For lack of knowledge."

"Woe unto them

That call evil good,

And good evil;

That put darkness for light,

And light for darkness;

That put bitter for sweet,

And sweet for bitter!

"Woe unto them

That are wise in their own eyes,

And prudent in their own sight!"

115

"Therefore as the tongue of fire devoureth the stubble,

And as the dry grass sinketh down in the flame,

So their root shall be as rottenness,

And their blossom shall go up as dust;

Because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts,

And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel."

Isaiah 5:7, 11-13, 20, 21, 24, A. R. V. {8T 114.2}