Lesson 3 April 13-19
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Cor. 10:1-13, Gen. 2:24, 1 Cor. 13:4-8, 1 Sam. 1:27, Psalm 71, 1 Cor. 15:24-26 .
Memory Text: “Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway” ( Psalm 85:13, NKJV).
Life is full of changes. Things change all the time. The only thing that does not change is the reality of change itself. Change, in fact, is a part of our very existence. Even the laws of physics seem to teach that change exists in the most basic fabric of reality. Often, changes come unexpectedly. We are going along in a routine when, suddenly, instantly, everything changes, and we are caught completely off guard.
On the other hand, sometimes we can see changes coming. We are given forewarning, signs, indicators that let us know things are going to be different. When this happens, it’s wise to start preparing, to whatever degree possible, for what we can see coming. Many of these changes are big: marriage, children, old age, even death.
And yes, we do not live in isolation. Which means, then, that the changes that come to us can impact our families, and in big ways, as well. At the same time, changes in our families can also impact each family member, too.
This week, let’s look at some of the changes that sooner or later, in one way or another, most of us face and how these changes can impact family life.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, April 20.
There is one thing about the Word of God: it does not gloss over the realities of human life. On the contrary, it exposes them in all their harshness and, at times, sheer pain and despair. In fact, with the exception of the first few pages of the Bible and the last few at the end, the Word of God paints a sorry picture of the human race. Paul was not exaggerating when he wrote: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” ( Rom. 3:23, NKJV).
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 . What warnings are there, as well as what promises?
In many ways, many of our actions in life are simply how we react to change. We constantly face changes; the challenge for us, as Christians, is to deal with them by faith, trusting in God and revealing that faith through obedience, regardless of temptations to do otherwise.
“The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall”. – Ellen G. White, Education, p. 57.
Those words were as true for ancient Israel as they were in Ellen G. White’s time, and as they are for us now.
What mistakes did the people in the following texts make in the face of change, and what can we learn from their mistakes?
Gen. 16:1, 2, 5, 6
Changes come, and they often bring temptations, challenges, and even, at times, fear. Thus, how crucial it is that we have the spiritual armor on to deal with them in the right manner. Again, regardless of whether the changes are unexpected or whether they are just the typical part of life, we need to be prepared for what’s coming, both the seen and the unseen.
One of the greatest changes a person faces is when he or she gets married.
Of course, not everyone gets married. After all, Jesus, our greatest example, never did, nor did many other Bible characters.
Nevertheless, many people do marry, and thus, the Bible is not silent about marriage, which is surely one of the greatest life changers.
The first social arrangement mentioned in the Bible is marriage. For God, marriage is so important that the same words He told Adam and Eve in Eden about marriage appear in three other places in Scripture. “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:5, Mark 10:7, Eph. 5:31 ). These texts tell us that once a person gets married, the most important relationship in their lives should be between them and their spouse, even more than between them and their parents. Among the reasons marriage between a man and a woman is so important to God is that it typifies the relationship that exists between His Son, Jesus, and the church, His bride (Eph. 5:32 ).
In constructing a house, one needs to stop and consider the cost (Luke 14:28-30 ); how much more so when establishing a home? A house is built with brick and mortar, wood and iron, wires and glass. But a home is built with things that are not necessarily material.
What are some crucial traits that are important for all aspects of life but are especially important for those preparing for marriage? 1 Cor. 13:4-8; Gal. 5:22, 23 .
Preparation for marriage must begin with us personally and individually. At the same time, we need to look carefully at our future spouse to see if he/she would be a good complement for us. Is he/she a hard worker? (Prov. 24:30-34). Does he/she have a bad temper? (Prov. 22:24 ). Do we share common beliefs? (2 Cor. 6:14, 15 ). How do my family and friends feel about my future spouse? ( Prov. 1:14 ). Am I relying on faith or on feelings alone? (Prov. 3:5, 6 ). The answers to these questions can mean a future of happiness or a lifetime of sorrow.
Think about some good marriages. What principles do you find there that could be applied to other kinds of interpersonal relationships, as well?
Few things can change our lives more than the birth of a child. Nothing in the family can or will ever be the same again.
“Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them” (Ps. 127:4-5, NKJV). At the same time, children do not arrive with an owner’s manual that tells their parents all they need to do to care for them and how to troubleshoot any problems that may arise. Even experienced parents are sometimes stumped by the actions, words, or attitudes of their children. As important as it is to prepare for marriage, it is also important that those who hope to become parents be prepared for that awesome responsibility.
However unique the following stories about births were, what principles can those preparing to be parents take away from these accounts? 1 Sam. 1:27 ; Judg.13:7; Luke 1:6, 13-17, 39-45, 46-55, 76-79 .
What an awesome responsibility and opportunity these parents had. Three would be the parents of prophets and leaders in Israel, one of their children would be the forerunner of the promised Messiah, and one of the children would be the Christ.
Yet, even if our children are not destined to be biblical prophets, parents should still be preparing for this radical change in their lives.
“Even before the birth of the child, the preparation should begin that will enable it to fight successfully the battle against evil.
“If before the birth of her child she is selfindulgent, if she is selfish, impatient, and exacting, these traits will be reflected in the disposition of the child. Thus many children have received as a birthright almost unconquerable tendencies to evil”. – Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 256.
Whether it is children under our care or if we have responsibilities toward other people, what are things we can do to discharge those responsibilities in the godliest manner possible?
“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Ps. 90:10, NKJV). These words from Moses remind us of the inexorable march of time. As the years come and go, we begin to see and feel changes in our bodies. Our hair turns gray or falls out, we begin to slow down, and aches and pains become our daily companions. If we are married and with children, our children might bear their own children, and we could then enjoy our grandchildren. The previous seasons of life have helped us get ready for the last one.
Read Psalm 71. What does this psalm teach us about not just preparing for old age, but about life in general?
Psalm 71 is the psalm of an older person who experiences the challenges that come with life, but who is happy because all along he or she have put their trust in God. The best way to grow old is to put our trust in Him while still young. In general terms, the author of this psalm shares three important lessons he learned as he moved toward this season of his life.
For those who are older, what are some of the benefits of getting older? What do you know now that you didn’t when younger that you could share with those who are younger?
Unless we are alive at the Second Coming, one change that we can all expect is the biggest change of all: from life to death. Along with marriage and birth, what change has a greater impact on family than the death of an immediate family member?
Read 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 . What do these verses teach us about death?
Many times, of course, death comes unexpectedly and tragically. How many men, women, even children, woke up one morning only, before the sunset, to close their eyes not in sleep but in death? Or woke up one morning and before the sun set had lost a family member?
Other than making sure you are connected by faith with the Lord and covered in His righteousness moment by moment (see Rom. 3:22 ), you can’t prepare for a death that you don’t see coming, either for yourself or your loved one.
On the other hand, what would you do if you knew you only had a few months to live? We may not know for certain when death will overcome us, but we certainly may know when we are nearing the end of our life. Thus, how crucial it is to prepare ourselves and our family for the inevitable.
Read 1 Kings 2:1-4 , some of the last words David spoke to his son Solomon. What lessons can we take from this about preparing for death, both for ourselves and for family members?
At first glance, one could argue, That’s rich! David, who murdered Uriah after impregnating his wife in an adulterous affair (see 2 Samuel 11), tells his son to walk in the way of the Lord. On the other hand, it was perhaps precisely because of this sin and the horrible consequences that followed that David’s words were so powerful. He was, no doubt, in his own way trying to warn his son away from the folly that caused him so much grief. David learned, the hard way, some difficult lessons about the cost of sin, and no doubt he had hoped to spare his son some of the grief that he himself had experienced.
Further Thought: If we read through the story of ancient Israel in the wilderness, we can see a litany of mistake after mistake in the face of great changes, even despite the amazing revelation of God’s love and power. In fact, before Israel was to, finally, enter the Promised Land—and thus face another great change—Moses said the following to ancient Israel: “Your eyes have seen what the LORD did at Baal Peor; for the LORD your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the LORD your God are alive today every one of you. Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’. For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren” (Deut. 4:3-9, NKJV). How crucial that we not forget what the Lord has done for us. And what better way not to forget than to teach it to others and to those who come after us. Notice, too, how central the family was in all this, in that they were to teach these things to their children. And the sin at Peor was something that could be only destructive to family life. “The crime that brought the judgments of God upon Israel was that of licentiousness. The forwardness of women to entrap souls did not end at Baal-peor”. – Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 326.Inside Story~ Zambia
My son was born a year after I got married.
Then nothing. No more children.
People started to notice. “Why aren’t you conceiving?” one person asked. “Maybe you should go to the medical doctor for help”, another said.
Some people suggested that I visit the witchdoctor.
My husband and I wanted more children. He taught at Rusangu Secondary School, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding academy in Monze, Zambia. I was studying to become an elementary school teacher.
What could I say to those inquiring about the size of my family?
“That’s the way it is”, I repeated over and over again. “God will provide”.
I wasn’t sad or annoyed by people’s pity. But as time wore on, I realized that some of my more superstitious friends thought I was being punished for some unknown reason.
Then my husband’s sister died, and we adopted her 3-year-old daughter. Now we had two children in our home. My superstitious friends rejoiced, saying the girl’s presence would wake up my hormones and allow me to have another baby.
Still nothing happened.
But the biblical story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1 gave me hope. Hannah was a prayerful woman who never gave up. She persisted until God granted her prayer and she gave birth to Samuel.
My husband and I kept praying. We prayed for 13 long years. Then one day I noticed something was different. I was pregnant! My husband and I immediately knelt to pray with thanksgiving.
We named our second child Cheelela, which means “worthwhile” in the Tonga language. He was well worth the wait. In no time, I gave birth to a third son, Chakondela, which means “let it be so”.
My two younger sons are now 17 and 14 – and they love Jesus.
God has blessed my family abundantly. We just had to be patient. When you ask God to give you something good in faith, He will give you more than you could possibly desire.
Marjorie Chisonga, 52, teaches home economics at Rusangu Secondary School, located on land where U.S. missionary William Harrison Anderson established the first Adventist outpost in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in 1905. Mission offerings supported Anderson’s work and continue to fund the spread of the gospel through missionaries today. Thank you for your mission offering.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org
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