Lesson 5 - Study Helps

Lesson 5 October 28 - November 3

Your Choices Determine Your Destiny

Memory Text: (Prov 15:21 NRSV) Folly is a joy to one who has no sense, but a person of understanding walks straight ahead.

Sabbath Afternoon

(Prov 3:1-8 NKJV) My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; {2} For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. {3} Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, {4} And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. {5} Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; {6} In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. {7} Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. {8} It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

(Rom 7:12 NKJV) Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

(Rom 7:14 NKJV) For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.

(Prov 15:21 NKJV) Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, But a man of understanding walks uprightly.

(Prov 22:8 NKJV) He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, And the rod of his anger will fail.

(Prov 11:3 NKJV) The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

(Prov 15:25 NKJV) The LORD will destroy the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow.

Sunday

The Divine Standard, Part 1

(Prov 4:1-4 NKJV) Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; {2} For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law. {3} When I was my father's son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, {4} He also taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.

(Prov 6:20-23 NKJV) My son, keep your father's command, And do not forsake the law of your mother. {21} Bind them continually upon your heart; Tie them around your neck. {22} When you roam, they will lead you; When you sleep, they will keep you; And when you awake, they will speak with you. {23} For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

(Prov 7:1-5 NKJV) My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. {2} Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. {3} Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart. {4} Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your nearest kin, {5} That they may keep you from the immoral woman, From the seductress who flatters with her words.

(Prov 13:13-15 NKJV) He who despises the word will be destroyed, But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded. {14} The law of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death. {15} Good understanding gains favor, But the way of the unfaithful is hard.

(Prov 3:5 NKJV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

(Prov 3:6-7 NKJV) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. {7} Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.

(Rom 3:31 NKJV) Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

(Prov 3:1-2 NKJV) My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; {2} For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.

(Prov 3:8 NKJV) It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

Monday

The Divine Standard, Part 2

(Rom 7:12 NKJV) Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

(Rom 7:14 NKJV) For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.

(Psa 19:1-3 NKJV) The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. {2} Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. {3} There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard.

(Psa 19:7 NKJV) The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1143

The struggle that David went through, every other follower of Christ must go through. Satan has come down with great power, knowing that his time is short. The controversy is being waged in full view of the heavenly universe, and angels stand ready to lift up for God's hard pressed soldiers a standard against the enemy, and to put into their lips songs of victory and rejoicing (MS 38, 1905). {3BC 1143.1}

5. All Paths Are Beset With Peril.--You need not be surprised if everything in the journey heavenward is not pleasant. There is no use in looking to our own defects. Looking unto Jesus, the darkness passes away, and the true light shineth. Go forth daily, expressing the prayer of David, "Hold up my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not." All the paths of life are beset with peril, but we are safe if we follow where the Master leads the way, trusting the One whose voice we hear saying, "Follow Me." "He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." Let your heart repose in His love. We need sanctification, soul, body, and spirit. This we must seek for (NL No. 11, p. 2). {3BC 1143.2}

Psalm 18 3. Determination Increases Will Power.--As you confess before men and women your confidence in the Lord, additional strength is imparted to you. Determine to praise Him. With firm determination comes increased will power; and soon you will find that you cannot help praising Him [Ps. 18:3 quoted] (MS 116, 1902). {3BC 1143.3}

25. An Illustration of Mercy and Uprightness.--The psalmist continues: "With the merciful Thou wilt shew Thyself merciful." Let us begin to put into practise the instruction given us in the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah, showing mercy to those who are afflicted. "With an upright man Thou wilt shew Thyself upright." God will reward men according to their uprightness (MS 116, 1902). {3BC 1143.4}

26. God Meets Us Where We Are.--"With the pure Thou wilt shew Thyself pure; and with the froward Thou wilt shew Thyself froward"--that is, as God meets us where we are, so we are to meet men where they are. Let us not, by refusing to meet our fellow-men where they are, place ourselves outside the compass of God's love and mercy (MS 116, 1902). {3BC 1143.5}

Psalm 19 (Ps. 119:130.) Teach Lessons From the Heavens.--God calls upon teachers to behold the heavens and study the works of God in nature. [Ps. 19:1-3 quoted.] Shall we not commit to memory the lessons nature teaches? Shall we not open the eyes of our senses; and take in the beautiful things of God? We would do well to read often the nineteenth psalm that we may understand how the Lord binds up His law with His created works. . . {3BC 1143.6}

We are to contemplate the wonderful works of God, and repeat the lessons learned from them to our children, that we may lead them to see His skill, His power, His grandeur in His created works. {3BC 1143.7}

What a God is our God! He rules over His kingdom with diligence and care, and He has built a hedge--the ten commandments--about His subjects, to preserve them from transgression. In requiring obedience to the laws of His kingdom, God gives His people health and happiness, peace and joy. He teaches them that the perfection of character He requires can only be attained by becoming familiar with His Word. The psalmist declares, "The entrance of thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple" (MS 96, 1899). {3BC 1143.8}

1-14. A Revelation of Higher Education.--When the Son of man came among men, He brought the intelligence of heaven with Him; for He created the worlds and all (p. 1144) things that are therein. Man's study of the sciences and nature, unaided by the divine instruction, falls short of the precious things Christ would have him learn in the things of the natural world. He fails to be instructed by the little things in nature, which teach large and important truths essential for the salvation of the soul. {3BC 1143.9}

(Ezek 18:4 NKJV) "Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die.

(Isa 5:1-2 NKJV) Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. {2} He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.

(Mat 21:33 NKJV) "Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.

Christ's Object Lesson, pp. 287 - 288

Christ was the leader of the children of Israel in their wilderness wanderings. Enshrouded in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, He led and guided them. He preserved them from the perils of the wilderness, He brought them into the land of promise, and in the sight of all the nations that acknowledged not God He established Israel as His own chosen possession, the Lord's vineyard. {COL 287.1}

To this people were committed the oracles of God. They were hedged about by the precepts of His law, the everlasting principles of truth, justice, and purity. Obedience to these principles was to be their protection, for it

(p. 288) would save them from destroying themselves by sinful practices. And as the tower in the vineyard, God placed in the midst of the land His holy temple. {COL 287.2}

Christ was their instructor. As He had been with them in the wilderness, so He was still to be their teacher and guide. In the tabernacle and the temple His glory dwelt in the holy shekinah above the mercy seat. In their behalf He constantly manifested the riches of His love and patience. {COL 288.1}

God desired to make of His people Israel a praise and a glory. Every spiritual advantage was given them. God withheld from them nothing favorable to the formation of character that would make them representatives of Himself. {COL 288.2}

Their obedience to the law of God would make them marvels of prosperity before the nations of the world. He who could give them wisdom and skill in all cunning work would continue to be their teacher, and would ennoble and elevate them through obedience to His laws. If obedient, they would be preserved from the diseases that afflicted other nations, and would be blessed with vigor of intellect. The glory of God, His majesty and power, were to be revealed in all their prosperity. They were to be a kingdom of priests and princes. God furnished them with every facility for becoming the greatest nation on the earth. {COL 288.3}

In the most definite manner Christ through Moses had set before them God's purpose, and had made plain the terms of their prosperity. "Thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God," He said; "the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. . . . Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations. . . . Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, (p. 289) and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which He sware unto thy fathers; and He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: He will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which He sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people. . . . And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee." Deut. 7:6, 9, 11-15. {COL 288.4}

Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1105

(John 14:15). Ten Commandments--Ten Promises.--The ten commandments, Thou shalt, and Thou shalt not, are ten promises, assured to us if we render obedience to the law governing the universe. "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1105 (continued)

Here is the sum and substance of the law of God. The terms of salvation for every son and daughter of Adam are here outlined (MS 41, 1896). {1BC 1105.1}

The ten holy precepts spoken by Christ upon Sinai's mount were the revelation of the character of God, and made known to the world the fact that He had jurisdiction over the whole human heritage. That law of ten precepts of the greatest love that can be presented to man is the voice of God from heaven speaking to the soul in promise, "This do, and you will not come under the dominion and control of Satan." There is not a negative in that law, although it may appear thus. It is DO, and Live (Letter 89, 1898). {1BC 1105.2}

(Rom. 12:1; 2 Peter 1:4). A Wall of Protection.--In the ten commandments God has laid down the laws of His kingdom. Any violation of the laws of nature is a violation of the law of God. {1BC 1105.3}

The Lord has given His holy commandments to be a wall of protection around His created beings, and those who will keep themselves from the defilement of appetite and passion may become partakers of the divine nature. Their perceptions will be clear. They will know how to preserve every faculty in health, so that it may be presented to God in service. The Lord can use them: for they understand the words of the great apostle, "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (MS 153, 1899). {1BC 1105.4}

3-17 (Prov. 4:20-22). Health in Obedience to God's Law.--The love of Jesus in the soul will banish all hatred, selfishness, and envy; for the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. There is health in obedience to God's law. The affections of the obedient are drawn out after God. Looking unto the Lord Jesus, we may encourage and serve one another. The love of Christ is shed abroad in our souls, and there is no dissension and strife among us (MS 152, 1901). {1BC 1105.5}

No Others Professed to Keep Commandments.--The ancient Jewish church were the highly favored people of God, brought out of Egypt and acknowledged as His own peculiar treasure. The many and exceeding great and precious promises to them as a people, were the hope and confidence of the Jewish church. Herein they trusted, and believed their salvation sure. No other people professed to be governed by the commandments of God (Redemption: or the First Advent of Christ, p. 35). {1BC 1105.6}

3. Self-dependence Is Idolatry.--Idolaters are condemned by the Word of God. Their folly consists in trusting in self for salvation, in bowing down to the works of their own hands. God classes as idolaters those who trust in their own wisdom, their own devising, depending for success on their riches and power, striving to strengthen themselves by alliance with men whom the world calls great, but who fail to discern the binding claims of His law (RH March 15, 1906). {1BC 1105.7}

False Conceptions of God Are Idolatry.--Are we worshipers of Jehovah, or of Baal? of the living God, or of idols? No outward shrines may be visible; there may be no image for the eye to rest upon; yet we may be practising idolatry. It is as easy to make an idol of cherished ideas or objects as to fashion gods of wood or stone. Thousands have a false conception of God and His attributes. They are as verily serving a false god as were the servants of Baal (Ibid., Dec. 3, 1908). {1BC 1105.8}

Satan Plants Throne Between Heaven and Earth.--Satan accomplished the fall of man, and since that time it has been his work to efface in man the image of God, and to stamp upon human hearts his own image. Possessing supremacy in guilt, he claims supremacy for himself, and exercises over his subjects the power of royalty. He cannot expel God from His throne, but through the system of idolatry, he plants his own throne between the heaven and (p. 1106) the earth, between God and the human worshiper (Ibid., Oct. 22, 1895). {1BC 1105.9}

(Heb 8:10 NKJV) "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

(Ezek 36:26 NKJV) "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Tuesday

The Folly Of Lawlessness

(Prov 17:16 NKJV) Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, Since he has no heart for it?

(Prov 17:24 NKJV) Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

(Prov 23:9 NKJV) Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

(Prov 24:7 NKJV) Wisdom is too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in the gate.

(Prov 24:7 NRSV) Wisdom is too high for fools; in the gate they do not open their mouths.

(Prov 17:27-28 NKJV) He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. {28} Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

(Prov 26:7 NKJV) Like the legs of the lame that hang limp Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

(Prov 26:9 NKJV) Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

(Prov 19:10 NKJV) Luxury is not fitting for a fool, Much less for a servant to rule over princes.

(Prov 26:1 NKJV) As snow in summer and rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool.

(Prov 26:7-9 NKJV) Like the legs of the lame that hang limp Is a proverb in the mouth of fools. {8} Like one who binds a stone in a sling Is he who gives honor to a fool. {9} Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.

(Prov 17:12 NKJV) Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly.

(Prov 17:21 NKJV) He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.

(Prov 26:6 NKJV) He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence.

(Prov 26:11-12 NKJV) As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly. {12} Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

(Prov 27:3 NKJV) A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, But a fool's wrath is heavier than both of them.

(Rev 21:12 NRSV) It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names of the twelve tribes of the Israelites;

(Rev 21:12 NKJV) Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

(Rev 21:7 NKJV) "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

Wednesday

The Reaping Time, Part 1

(Prov 10:24-25 NKJV) The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted. {25} When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

(Prov 10:27-30 NKJV) The fear of the LORD prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened. {28} The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish. {29} The way of the LORD is strength for the upright, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity. {30} The righteous will never be removed, But the wicked will not inhabit the earth.

(Prov 11:6 NKJV) The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.

(Prov 12:14 NKJV) A man will be satisifed with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him.

(Prov 24:12 NKJV) If you say, "Surely we did not know this," Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

(James 2:12-13 NKJV) So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. {13} For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

(Rev 22:12 NKJV) "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

(Rom 3:20 NKJV) Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

(Gal 2:16 NKJV) "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

(Eph 2:8-10 NKJV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, {9} not of works, lest anyone should boast. {10} For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

(Rom 8:1-4 NKJV) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. {2} For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. {3} For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, {4} that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

(John 14:15 NKJV) "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

(1 John 3:24 NIV) Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

(1 John 3:24 NKJV) Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Thursday

The Reaping Time, Part 2

(Prov 11:3 NKJV) The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

(Prov 15:25 NKJV) The LORD will destroy the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow.

(John 7:17 NKJV) "If anyone wants to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.

(Isa 30:21 NKJV) Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.

(Ezek 33:11 NKJV) "Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

(Hosea 4:17 NKJV) "Ephraim is joined to idols, Let him alone.

(Hosea 11:8 NKJV) "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred.

Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1164

See EGW on Ps. 92:12. {4BC 1164.1}Chapter 33 Personal Responsibility.--The thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel shows that God's government is a government of personal responsibility. Each one must stand for himself. No one can obey for his neighbor. No one is excused for neglecting his duty because of a similar neglect on the part of his neighbor (Letter 162, 1900). {4BC 1164.2}

A Voice of Warning Needed.--The thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel is an outline of the work that God approves. Those in positions of sacred trust, those honored of God by being appointed to stand as watchmen on the walls of Zion, are in every respect to be all that is embraced in the meaning of the word "watchmen." They are to be ever on guard against the dangers threatening the spiritual life and health and prosperity of God's heritage. {4BC 1164.3}

Upon us as ministers God has placed a burden of solemn responsibility. . . . {4BC 1164.4}

God has declared to us, "Ye are the salt of the earth." The preserving influence that we may exert in the world, is bestowed upon us by the Lord. The bounties that we constantly receive from Him are to flow through hand and heart to those around us who have not yet become connected with the Fountainhead. {4BC 1164.5}

When we see God dishonored, we ought not to remain quiet, but should do and say all that we can to lead others to see that the God of heaven is not to be thought of as a common man, but as the Infinite One,

Ellen G. White Comments, SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1164 (continued)

the One worthy of man's highest reverence. Let us present God's Word in its purity, and lift up the voice in warning against everything that would dishonor our heavenly Father (MS 165, 1902). {4BC 1164.6}

Chapter 34 2. A Charge to Ministers.--Upon the ministers of God rests a solemn, serious charge. They will be called to a strict account for the manner in which they have discharged their responsibility. If they do not tell the people of the binding claims of God's law, if they do not preach the Word with clearness, but confuse the minds of the people by their own interpretations, they are shepherds who feed themselves, but neglect to feed the flock. They make of none effect the law of Jehovah, and souls perish because of their unfaithfulness. The blood of these souls will be upon their heads. God will call them to account for their unfaithfulness. But this will in no wise excuse those who listened to the sophistry of men, discarding the Word of God. God's law is a transcript of His character. And His word is not Yea and Nay, but Yea and Amen (Letter 162, 1900). {4BC 1164.7}

Chapter 36 25, 26 (John 3:3-7). The Sign of a New Heart.--[Eze. 36:26 quoted.] . . . The youth especially stumble over this phrase, "a new heart." They do not know what it means. They look for a special change to take place in their feelings. This they term conversion. Over this error thousands have stumbled to ruin, not understanding the expression, "Ye must be born again." {4BC 1164.8}

Satan leads people to think that because they have felt a rapture of feeling, they are converted. But their experience does not change. Their actions are the same as before. Their lives show no good fruit. They pray often and long, and are constantly referring to the feelings they had at such and such a time. But they do not live the new life. They are deceived. Their experience goes no deeper than feeling. They build upon the sand, and when adverse winds come, their house is swept away. . . . {4BC 1164.9}

When Jesus speaks of the new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new (p. 1165) heart is to have a new mind, new purposes, new motives. What is the sign of a new heart?--a changed life. There is a daily, hourly dying to selfishness and pride (YI Sept. 26, 1901). {4BC 1164.10}

Friday

(Gen 13:1-12 NKJV) Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. {2} Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. {3} And he went on his journey from the South as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, {4} to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD. {5} Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and herds and tents. {6} Now the land was not able to support them, that they might dwell together, for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together. {7} And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. {8} So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. {9} "Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left." {10} And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. {11} Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. {12} Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.

No Genesis 13:29

(Luke 10:38-42 NKJV) Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. {39} And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. {40} But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me." {41} And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. {42} "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 44 - 51(not included with lesson help)

Education, p. 170

We have no reason to doubt God's word because we cannot understand the mysteries of His providence. In the natural world we are constantly surrounded with wonders beyond our comprehension. Should we then be surprised to find in the spiritual world also mysteries that we cannot fathom? The difficulty lies solely in the weakness and narrowness of the human mind. {Ed 170.1}

The mysteries of the Bible, so far from being an argument against it, are among the strongest evidences of its divine inspiration. If it contained no account of God but that which we could comprehend; if His greatness and majesty could be grasped by finite minds, then the Bible would not, as now, bear the unmistakable evidences of divinity. The greatness of its themes should inspire faith in it as the word of God. {Ed 170.2}

The Bible unfolds truth with a simplicity and an adaptation to the needs and longings of the human heart that has astonished and charmed the most highly cultivated minds, while to the humble and uncultured also it makes plain the way of life. "The wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein," Isaiah 35:8. No child need mistake the path. Not one trembling seeker need fail of walking in pure and holy light. Yet the most simply stated truths lay hold upon themes elevated, far-reaching, infinitely beyond the power of human comprehension,--mysteries that are the hiding of His glory, mysteries that overpower the mind in its research,--while they inspire the sincere seeker for truth with reverence and faith. The more we search the Bible, the deeper is our conviction that it is the word of the living God, and human reason bows before the majesty of divine revelation. {Ed 170.3}

God intends that to the earnest seeker the truths of (p. 171) His word shall be ever unfolding. While "the secret things belong unto the Lord our God," "those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children." Deuteronomy 29:29. The idea that certain portions of the Bible cannot be understood has led to neglect of some of its most important truths. The fact needs to be emphasized, and often repeated, that the mysteries of the Bible are not such because God has sought to conceal truth, but because our own weakness or ignorance makes us incapable of comprehending or appropriating truth. The limitation is not in His purpose, but in our capacity. Of those very portions of Scripture often passed by as impossible to be understood, God desires us to understand as much as our minds are capable of receiving. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," that we may be "throughly furnished unto all good works," 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. {Ed 170.4}