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“You Say What?”
Read Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing p. 46
- When God gave the law on Sinai, what was it meant to be?
- What was the nature of God’s law? Did Israel understand what is was?
Matthew 18:4 (New International Version)
“‘Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’ ”
YOU SAY WHAT?
Here are some amazing predictions, by well-informed people, that didn’t turn out the way they expected.
Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist some men to help him drill for oil in 1859. Their responses: “Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try to find oil? Are you crazy?”
Western Union internal memo, 1876: “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.”
Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895” “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.”
Marechal Ferdinand Foch, professor of strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre: “Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.”
David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s: “The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?”
British Parliamentary Committee report on Thomas Edison’s electric light bulb: “Unworthy of the attention of practical and scientific men.”
Decca Recording Company, rejecting the Beatles, 1962: “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.”
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943: “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.”
Popular Mechanics, 1949: “Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.”
Ken Olson, president, chairman, and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977: “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.”
Bill Gates, 1981:”640K ought to be enough for anybody.”
A Yale University management professor said this about Fred Smith’s paper proposing a reliable overnight delivery service: “The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.”
(Feasible means doable, and Fred Smith went on to start the Federal Express Corporation.)
Charles H. Duell, commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899: “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” (Adapted from Famous False Predictions, ozsermonillustrations.com).
From our perspective today, in 2007, how do these predictions seem? Crazy? At least shortsighted? We are looking at a much bigger picture now, and what seemed sensible to the people mentioned above, in the circumstances they were in, now seems totally upside-down to us. What might this comparison say about looking at things from the perspective of the kingdom of this world, and looking at things from the bigger picture of God’s kingdom? Do we ever get caught looking at things through the wrong kingdom glasses?
Look up these words in your dictionary. What is the definition of each?
- Law
- Love
Using your Bible concordance, look for the words “Law and Love.” Do you find either of those words in the same text? If so, write the texts down on the lines below.
HERE’S WHAT I THINK
Kevin wants to feel included in school activities at his new school. He doesn’t necessarily want to become really popular, just accepted and a part of things. Sports aren’t his thing, so he takes his parents’ advice to try to get involved in student government. But of course, all the important positions are taken by popular kids, whether they can do the jobs well or not. What is open to him, he is told, is a “position” as chair of the clean-up committee for the school picnic.
Should Kevin agree to do it? What will that say about him to his new schoolmates? Will he ever be seen as anything other than a “servant”? What advice would you give Kevin before he makes his decision?
Go to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your answers. Be upfront and honest. Say what you think. Your thoughts and feelings may seem clearer to you when you write them down, so we’ve provided space for you here as well. You may also wish to share them with your class later.
Psalm 119:97-99 (Contemporary English Version)
“I deeply love your Law!
I think about it all day.
Your laws never leave my mind,
and they make me much wiser
than my enemies.
Thinking about your teachings
gives me better understanding
than my teachers.”
Psalm 19:7-11 (New International Version)
“The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
“The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
“The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.
“They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
“they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
“By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.”
- What do you think about the verses you have just read? Please answer the questions below in your own words.
- Are rules important? Explain.
- What purpose is there for rules?
- How can God’s law make us happy?
- Why do we find the words law and love in the same verse?
- Did God make rules (commandments) to make us miserable and control us, or was there another reason? Explain.
“The law given upon Sinai was the enunciation of the principle of love, a revelation to earth of the law of heaven. It was ordained in the hand of a Mediator—spoken by Him through whose power the hearts of men could be brought into harmony with its principles. God had revealed the purpose of the law when He declared to Israel, ‘Ye shall be holy men unto Me.’ ” Exodus 22:31
(Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing,” p.46).
Exodus 20:3-17 (Contemporary English Version)
“Do not worship any god except me.
Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don't bow down and worship idols. I am the LORD your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations.
“Do not misuse my name. I am the LORD your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name. Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That's why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me.
“Respect your father and your mother, and you will live a long time in the land I am giving you.
“Do not murder.
“Be faithful in marriage.
“Do not steal.
“Do not tell lies about others.
“Do not want anything that belongs to someone else. Don't want anyone's house, wife or husband, slaves, oxen, donkeys or anything else.
SO WHAT?
Everything about God’s kingdom is about selflessness. That is sometimes a hard concept to really comprehend, especially at this time in your life when you are just discovering who you really are—your true self. But don’t let the words we use about things confuse you.
You are a special, unique, and valuable child of God. One of a kind. And yet, the very grace and power that have made you that way are based on the law of selfless love.
We are told that the glory that shines from Jesus’ face is the glory of selfless love, and He wants to make us into His image. When you read the commandments that He asks us to obey if we love Him, you find that everyone is about selflessly loving God, and then selflessly reflecting His love to others. Success in God’s kingdom is upside-down from success in the kingdom of this world.
But don’t get confused. This isn’t all “lovey-dovey” stuff that has no backbone. To live this way in the middle of the kingdom of Satan takes the bravest kind of person that there is. After all, self-centeredness is exactly what Satan and his kingdom are all about.
“The law of selfless love is the law of life for earth and heaven. This selfless love comes straight from the heart of God” (Messiah, pp.11, 12). Therefore, successes in God’s kingdom is being so connected with God through Jesus and His Spirit that we absorb this principle into our lives and live it out in all our relationships with others. Each of the Ten Commandments grows from this concept. This is totally upside-down from what the world considers success, which usually depends on people being self-centered n order to get where they want to, or what they want. God’s way to success brings true happiness. Satan’s leaves people empty and hollow eventually because the success of this world never lasts forever.
After doing the “Today’s Reading” Exodus 20:3-17 (printed for you in Tuesday’s lesson), do the exercise below.
For each commandment put in your own words how it is a law of selfless love, and what it means. Compare that to the way the world views this sort of Christian value.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
“The Pharisees noted the vast difference between their manner of instruction and that of Christ. They saw that the majesty and purity and beauty of the truth, with its deep and gentle influence, was taking firm hold upon many minds. The Savior’s divine love and tenderness drew the hearts of men to Him. The rabbis saw that by His teaching the whole tenor of the instruction they had given to the people was set at naught. He was tearing down the partition wall that had been so flattering to their pride and exclusiveness; and they feared that, if permitted, He would draw the people entirely away from them. Therefore they followed Him with determined hostility, hoping to find some occasion for bringing Him into disfavor with the multitudes and thus enabling the Sanhedrin to secure His condemnation and death” (Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing p.47)
Read
- Ephesians 6:10, 11
- 1 Kings 2:3
- 1 Kings 11:38
- Matthew 20:26-28
- Mark 10:31
- 1 Corinthians 9:24
After reading the preceding texts, please answer the following questions:
- How may we be able to stand against the wiles of the devil?
- How do we become great?
- When we run in a race, who or how many receive the prize?
- What happens to the “last”?
- What will happen to us if we keep the commandments?
- What must we do for God to build us an enduring house?
Luke 10:25-28 (Contemporary English Version)
“An expert in the Law of Moses stood up and asked Jesus a question to see what he would say. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to have eternal life?’
“Jesus answered, ‘What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?’
“The man replied, ‘The Scriptures say, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.” They also say, `Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.' "
“Jesus said, ‘You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.’
“Whenever men choose their own way, they place themselves in controversy with God. They will have no place in the kingdom of heaven, for they are at war with the very principles of heaven. In disregarding the will of God, they are placing themselves on the side of Satan, the enemy of God and man. Not by one word, not by many words, but by every word that God has spoken, shall man live. We cannot disregard one word, however trifling it may seem to us, and be safe. There is not a commandment of the law that is not for the good and happiness of name, both in this life and in the life to come. In obedience to God’s law, man is surrounded as with a hedge and kept from the evil. He who breaks down this divinely erected barrier at one point has destroyed its power to protect him; for he has opened a way by which the enemy can enter to waste and ruin
(Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing,” p.52).
- What does the Scripture reading tell us about Jesus interpretation of the Law?
- Does God mean for the Ten Commandments to something that is complicated and hard to understand or even follow?
- Even if they are simple to understand, does God intend for us to obey every part of them?
- Can we change them to fit our way of thinking?
- Shouldn’t we be able to make them easier for us to obey? Explain.
- Do we sometimes have a different idea of obedience?
- What do law and obedience have to do with love?
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?
As a citizen of God’s kingdom, you have access to a much bigger perspective than those whose allegiance is to the kingdom of this world. You can look at things from the big picture of God’s selfless love, the love that is the law of the entire universe. Living in that kingdom means that everything you do is in reference to God’s great commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself.”
That is the way to success in God’s kingdom. The successful kingdom agent would never think of unloving acts such as using God’s name lightly, making a false accusation against someone else, or disrespecting their parents.
But that is all upside-down to the way we feel like being when we are not following Jesus and empowered by His unselfish grace. Living a life of unselfish love in a self-centered world is a stupendous task. Are you up to the challenge?
A legal religion is insufficient to bring the soul into harmony with God. The hard, rigid orthodoxy of the Pharisees, destitute of contrition, tenderness, or love, was only a stumbling block to sinners. They were like the salt that had lost its savor: for their influence had no power to preserve the world from corruption. The only true faith is that which ‘worketh by love’ (Galatians 5:6) to purify the soul. It is as leaven that transforms the character (Thoughts from the mount of Blessing, p.53).
This week, take the time to look at God’s Ten Commandments in the light of living a life of unselfish love. Ask for the Spirit’s power to live that way this week, and then observe yourself doing it.
- I spent time with God each day before I did anything else, thinking about His love and asking Him to guide my day.
- I asked God to stay more important to me than anything or anyone else.
- I chose not to do or say things that would be disrespectful to God, or that would misrepresent Him.
- I kept my “date with God” on the Sabbath, joining Him in helping others, and learning more about Him in nature and His Word.
- Through the Spirit’s power, I was obedient and respectful to my parents, trying to think about how they felt, and not just the way I felt.
- I loved others by not “killing” anyone’s reputation, or hating anyone and getting back at them for something they did to me.
- I stayed pure, not going against my promise to God to use my sexuality only for the loving purpose for which He created it.
- I respected other people’s belongings, not taking anything for myself that God didn’t provide for me.
- I did not lie to others or about them; instead, I told them the truth in love.
- I didn’t waste time wishing I had what others have. I trusted, instead, that God has provided everything I need (including the power to keep His commandments).