Sabbath School lessons are part of the worldwide study undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and we are currently in the first quarter of 2024. We’ll be delving into the book of Psalms, and the Sabbath School lesson for this week is titled ‘Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land’ for the period January 27 to February 02. Join Pastor Mark Finley as he provides a brief preview of this week’s lesson.

<p>Sabbath School lessons are part of the worldwide study undertaken by members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and we are currently in the first quarter of 2024. We’ll be delving into the book of Psalms, and the Sabbath School lesson for this week is titled ‘Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land’ for the period January 27 to February 02. Join Pastor Mark Finley as he provides a brief preview of this week’s lesson.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

HopeLives365

Mark Finley

Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2024: Psalms

01 How to Read the Psalms

02 Teach us to Pray

03 The Lord Reigns

04 The Lord Hears and Delivers

05 Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land

06 I Will Arise

07 Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

08 Wisdom for Righteous Living

09 Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

10 Lessons of the Past

11 Longing for God in Zion

12 Worship That Never Ends

13 Wait on the Lord


Welcome back. We're studying the Psalms in our Sabbath school lessons. And as we have studied, I mentioned it in an earlier lesson, I have been reading 5 Psalms a day. They've been such a blessing. Each morning when I get up, I Read the Psalms.

Today I was reading Psalm 59 to 64, 65. Read the Psalm, meditate on it, ask God to speak to me through that particular Psalm. That's something I'd recommend to you. You may not take 5 Psalms, but however many you take, Start with Psalm 1 if you haven't done it already and take a psalm a day or 2 or 3 psalms a day, read them, meditate on them, as the Holy Spirit impresses you, pray over them. Now, our lesson today has an interesting title, Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land.

Where does that come from? It actually comes from Psalm 137. David is reflecting on Israel's captivity in Babylon. Remember King Nebuchadnezzar? 605 BC, attacked Jerusalem, brought Daniel and his friends back.

He came back down in 586, 587 and devastated the city, but many of the Jews were taken captive. So David writes, reflecting on that experience, by the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, Yea, we wept. When we remembered Zion, we hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there, those who carried us away, captive, required us of a song. Those who plundered us required of us mirth, saying, sing us 1 of the songs of Zion.

Now you get the picture. There's evil all around. There is idolatry. False gods dominate the landscape. And here, in the midst of that evil, in the midst of Israel's suffering, the Babylonians say, sing to us, sing us a song and sing 1 of the songs of Zion.

And then the question is raised, How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? In other words, in the midst of evil, in the midst of suffering and heartache, away from our home, how can we sing the songs of heaven? Every single 1 of us can relate to that. We are in a foreign land. The evils of Babylon are all around us.

Sickness, suffering, and death seems to reign. And so we say, how? How can we sing the songs of heaven? How can we do that in this foreign land? And in the Sabbath afternoon lesson, last paragraph, 3 sentences down, for this reason the psalmist are at times perplexed, and incidentally, who isn't, by the apparent absence of God and the flourishing of evil in the face of good, the good and sovereign Lord.

But then, as our lesson points out, the psalmist look beyond the evil of the world and they look to the sanctuary where they find God still reigning. Sunday's lesson, the days of evil. That's Not a very encouraging title, is it? But in Psalm 74, David pleads with God, "'Arise, O Lord, plead your cause.'" Now that's a very interesting expression there. "'Arise, O God, and plead your cause.'" What actually is David saying there?

What he's saying is, in the midst of evil, suffering, and heartache, sorrow, that the honor of God is at stake. So there's something beyond my personal salvation. When David is writing, there's something beyond Israel's prosperity. There is the honor of God. So as long as evil reigns, as long as wickedness is dominant in the world, as long as there's suffering and heartache and grief and war, the question becomes, where is God?

If God is all-powerful, why doesn't he stop it? If God is love, why does he allow it? And the psalmist points out that in the midst of all that, God has a divine timetable. And justice will reign. Righteousness will triumph over wickedness.

The concept, second paragraph, Sunday's lesson, the concept of God's inheritance also contains an end time dimension. 1 day soon, all nations will become God's inheritance and will serve him. The notions that the nations invaded God's inheritance threatens these divine promises. In other words, the nations of the world have invaded God's inheritance. What's God's inheritance?

It's his people. It's this world. So you see the world in evil, you see it in wickedness. But 1 day, the inheritance of God, as it says in the book of Micah, the first dominion will be restored. Eden will be restored, As it says in Peter, 2 Peter 3, 13 and onward, there'll be a new heavens and a new earth.

So in spite of this evil, we can trust God, our hearts can trust. The honor of God is at stake. Psalm 79, verse. You look at Psalm 79, and you look at that. It says, verse 8, verse 5 in Psalm 79, How long, Lord, we be angry forever?

Will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the nations that don't know you, And on the kingdoms that don't call on your name. In other words, God, where are you? God, why is it that wickedness seems to reign? And then he says, for your name's sake, for your name's sake, last part of verse 9, help us, oh God, for our salvation and the glory of your name and deliver us and provide atonement for our sins for your name's sake.

In other words, the honor of God is at stake when the wicked oppress the righteous, when evil dominates over the righteous, When error dominates over truth, God's name is defiled and God's honor is tarnished. So what David is saying is, Lord, arise. Lord, vindicate your holy name. Last paragraph, Sunday's lesson, and today the same principle still exists. Our sins are backsliding.

Our evils can bring disrepute, not only in ourselves, but worse on the God whose name we confess. Our wrong actions can have detrimental spiritual effects on our witness and mission as well. How many people have been turned off to our faith by the actions of those professing the name of Christ. In other words, when as Christians, we compromise our integrity, when as Christians we betray our calling, when as Christians we turn our back on what we know to be right and rebel against God, that brings dishonor to God. It brings disrepute to his name.

So David is saying, in the midst of evil, stand firm for God. In the midst of evil, stand true for righteousness. In the midst of evil, live a life that brings honor to God. Monday's lesson, At Death's Door. How do you relate to death?

How do you relate to that? Let's look at Psalm 88, verse 3 to 12. Psalm 88, verse 3 to 12. Monday's lesson. Here, my soul is full of troubles, verse 3, Psalm 88.

My life draws near to the grave. I'm counted with those who go down into the pit. I'm like a man who had no strength, adrift among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave." So, where is God then? I mean, David is saying, I'm on the brink of death. My strength is gone.

But notice what he says here. Shall your lovingkindness, verse 11, be declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Shall your wonders be known in the dark, and your righteousness the light of forgetfulness? But I love it. Notice.

Shall your lovingkindness be declared in the grave, but. Shall your faithfulness in the place of destruction, but shall your wonders be known in the dark, but, but what? To you I've cried out, O Lord, and in the morning my prayer comes up before you." So here David is saying, look, when my strength is gone, when illness affects my body, when disease racks my frame, When all of that takes place, what is David saying? He's saying, Lord, I've cried out to you, and in spite of all that I trust you. On the verge of death, I will never give up my faith in you, God, because you are present with me." Look at same theme.

We're looking here at Psalm 102, verse 23 and 24. Psalm 102, verse 23 and 24. Notice what he says again. He weakened my strength in the way, And I said, He shortened my days. And I said, Oh, my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days.

Your years are throughout all generations. So David is saying, God, even when my strength is fainting, even when I'm breathing my last. God, I still trust you. In the face of illness, sickness or death, in the face of shortened days, in the days, in the face of my days like a shadow. God, I still trust you.

Look, Psalm 88 now, verses 10 to 12. This, I think, summarizes it so well. Psalm 88, verses 10 to 12, summarizes it very, very well. Will you work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise you?

Shall your loving kindness be declared in the grave or your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Shall your wonders be known in the dark? It's very interesting, isn't it? In the face of death, David talks about God's loving kindness. He talks about God's faithfulness.

He talks about God's wonders. And I like what is put in the second to last paragraph. At the grave's threshold, the psalmist remembers God's wonders, his loving kindness, his faithfulness, and his righteousness. Despite his sense of being stricken by God, the psalmist clings to God. Although he suffers, he does not deny God's love and knows that God is his only salvation.

The appeals show that the psalmist knows not only suffering, but also has an intimate knowledge of God's grace that the 2 do not exclude 1 another. In this life, You and I are going to go through suffering and heartache and sorrow. We will see death all around us. Friends will be stricken with cancer. In fact, while taping this program, I just got a phone call from a dear friend who wanted me to call 1 of her friends who's been diagnosed with cancer that has Ravaged her body and later after the program.

I'll be calling that person to pray with them But look we're gonna see suffering and heartache in death all around us But we can trust Trust the God of wonders. Trust the God of loving kindness. Trust the God that'll never leave us or forsake us. Trust the God that is by our side always. Tuesday's lesson, where is God?

In other words, trusting God when he seems to be silent. Psalm 42, verse 1 to 3. Psalm 42, verse 1 to 3. We can trust God even in times when God appears to be silent. Psalm 42, as the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, oh God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come up and appear before God? My tears have been my fruit day and night while they continually say to me, where is your God? So David is saying, look, as the deer Pants, breathes heavily, longs on a heart summer day for the babbling brook in the crystal stream to get a drink of water. So Lord, my heart pants for you.

They're saying, where is your God? The wicked are saying, if God is so powerful, why doesn't he rise and do something? But David is saying, God, I trust you. My soul longs for the presence of the living God. And then you add to that verse 4, when I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me.

For I used to go to the multitude, I went with them to the house of God with a voice of joy and praise. In other words, Lord, I'm praising you. I'm praising you, Lord. In spite of everything around me, I go to the house of God. What's the house of God?

The tabernacle of God, the dwelling place of God, the sanctuary. So David is saying, I look up. I don't look at everything going on around me that's filled with evil, suffering, heartache, where there's war, where bombs drop, where the innocent suffer, where there are tornadoes and hurricanes and fires and floods, where there is famine and hunger, sickness, suffering and debt. David says, that's not my focus. I recognize these things, but my focus is on God.

My focus is on the 1 who is there in the tabernacle, because although he's silent, I can still see him. Has his promise failed forevermore? Wednesday's lesson, faith in life's trials is the theme. And that's Psalm 77. And you remember the entire Psalm 77 talks about trial, talks about challenges and difficulties, but it talks about the God who's present in those trials.

He asked the question when he sees the trials, the difficulties in Psalm 77, verse 7, will the Lord cast off forever? Will he be favorable no more? Has his mercy ceased forever? Has his promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious?

What questions, right? Wow, will God cast me off forever? Will he not be favorable to me? Has his mercy ceased as the promise fails? But then he comes down to verse 13.

See, these Psalms may start with this lament. They may start with the raw emotions of David, but you look. He says, Psalm 77, verse 13, your way, O God, is in the sanctuary. Who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders.

You've declared your strength among your peoples. You have with your arm redeemed your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. You led, verse 20, you led your people like a flock. David says, in spite of the evil, the wickedness, the suffering all around us, God has led his people. He has been their strength.

He's been their defense. He's been their refuge. He's been their rock. He has been their fortress. David says, I see him in the sanctuary.

I experience his presence. When all around you, the journey is long, The road is rough, the valley is dark, the mountain is high. When all around you there is sickness and suffering and heartache and death. Remember, remember, God is there. He's still in his throne, still in his sanctuary.

His presence will be with you. He will get you through this because he is the almighty, all powerful God. We look at the last paragraph there in Wednesday's lesson. The assurance that the psalmist receives from God does not consist of explanations about his personal situation, but rather confirmation of God's faithfulness and trustworthiness. The psalmist is encouraged to wait on the Lord in faith, knowing that he's the same God who performed miracles in Israel's past.

So God doesn't explain to the psalmist everything that's happening and why. He doesn't give him a detailed answer to the questions that he's asking. But he does do this. He gives the confirmation to the psalmist that he's faithful. God is faithful.

God is faithful. And he will not allow his servant to live without a knowledge of his abiding presence. Lest the Righteous Be Tempted is Thursday's lesson, and it raises some very serious questions. What do you do when evil prospers? When evil seems to prosper all around you, how do you handle that?

When the wicked are rejoicing in their wealth, What do you do? How long are the wicked going to triumph? And then it brings the psalmist to a conclusion that answers those questions. Psalm 73, verse 1, truly, God is good to Israel, such as pure in heart. And then he says, verse 16, When I thought how to understand this, " he said, look, I'm trying to understand, why is there so much evil?

Why is there so much suffering? How can I relate to this evil? How can I relate to this suffering? How can I do this? And look what he says, verse 16, when I thought how to understand this, it was too painful to me, until, until when, until when, until I went to the sanctuary of God.

Then I understood their end. David is saying here, evil's all around me, wickedness prevails, there's natural disasters, there's war, there's sickness, suffering, and death. How do I understand all this? Where are you God? Then he says, I was perplexed until I went to the sanctuary.

There I saw God sitting upon his throne. There by faith I recognized that I could trust God, that he would be by my side through every difficulty and every sorrow. He'd never leave me and never forsake me. There I recognized that 1 day there would be an end, an end to evil, an end to wickedness, an end to unrighteousness, an end to war, an end to suffering, an end to famine, an end to heartache. 1 day there will be an end to these things.

And I can look to the sanctuary and recognize that this life is not all there is, and I can live a life of divine trust. Last paragraph, Thursday's lesson, the psalmist is led to the sanctuary, the place of God's sovereign rule, and was reminded that there, that today, is only 1 piece of the mosaic, and he should consider the end when the wicked will face God's judgment. The fact that the psalmist understood this truth in the sanctuary and confessed his previous falla shows that reality can be grasped only by spiritual insight, not human logic. Spiritual insight enables us to see the end and see the triumph of God. We come to Friday's lesson and it is quite a remarkable statement by Ellen White, Testimonies for the Church, Volume 5, page 578, 579.

Summon all your powers to look up, not down at your difficulties. Where are we looking everybody up, not down at our difficulties? Then you'll never faint by the way. You'll soon see Jesus behind the cloud, reaching out his hand to help you, and all you have to do is give him your hand in simple faith and let him lead you. As you become trustful, you'll, through faith in Jesus, become hopeful.

As you become trustful, you will through faith in Jesus become hopeful. I don't know what you're going through today, my friend, but I know this. God is there. He hasn't left his throne. The throne is not vacant.

He sits upon his throne. His love is poured out to you today. Sense his presence. He will strengthen you. He will encourage you in the trials of life.

And 1 day soon, He will come to put an end to evil. And that is good news. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you with all of our hearts for Jesus. We thank you for His love, His grace, His goodness, His mercy.

We thank you that evil will be vanquished and 1 day we can live with him forever. In Christ's name, Amen. This media was brought to you by AudioVerse, a website dedicated to spreading God's Word through free sermon audio and much more. If you would like to know more about Audioverse or if you would like to listen to more sermons, please visit www.audioverse.org

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Series

Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2024: Psalms

05 Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land

Description

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Other Teachings in Series

01 How to Read the Psalms

21m

02 Teach us to Pray

23m

03 The Lord Reigns

24m

04 The Lord Hears and Delivers

24m

05 Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land

22m

06 I Will Arise

20m

07 Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

19m

08 Wisdom for Righteous Living

25m

09 Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

31m

10 Lessons of the Past

25m

11 Longing for God in Zion

22m

12 Worship That Never Ends

33m

13 Wait on the Lord

25m

Sound Doctrine