Global Rebellion and the Patriarchs
January 16, 2015
Larry R Evans
Sabbath School
Introduction
This quarter, as we study and reflect upon the theme of the
ongoing battle between Christ and Satan, we find ourselves caught in the middle
of this battle. There are times when we
cannot see beyond the smoke rising from the battlefield and we wonder where God
is. Does He even know we are here? Can
He hear our desperate cries for help? These cries for help are not new. These cries echo through the corridors of
history and certainly do so during the time of the biblical patriarchs: Adam & Eve, Cain & Able, Noah,
Abraham, Jacob & Esau and Joseph to name the characters of our study for this
week. In the midst of a struggle to
maintain hope, these patriarchs reveal important insights about the battle that
Satan has waged against God but their struggles also reveal encouragement to
hold on and to trust God.
It was Luther who said, “There are times when our hope despairs. Those are the times when we need to teach our
despairs to learn to hope.”
In her book about “coming along side people touched by
disability,” Same Lake, Different Boat,
Stephanie O. Hubach identifies three different views of how to see the presence
of disabilities in our present world.
They are:
1.
The
Historical View: “Disability is an abnormal part of life in a normal world.
2.
The
Postmodern View: “Disability is a normal part of life in a normal world.”
3.
The
Biblical View: “Disability is a normal
part of life in an abnormal
world.”
It is important to recognize that we are living in a world
that is abnormal and therein lies a pillar of hope. Our journey in the smoke-filled battlefield
is temporary. God has something much
better for us and if we look closely even now we can see evidences that He is
acting in our behalf which promises better days ahead. During this time, “we need to teach our
despairs to hope” and that is what today’s Bible study is meant to teach us. Philip Yancey wrote, “We see God best in the
same way we see a solar eclipse: not by staring at the sun, which would cause
blindness, but through something on which the sun is projected” (Rumors of Another World, p.35). In our study today, we have the opportunity
of seeing God through the experiences of the patriarchs and therefore have the
platform for an enduring hope come what may.
Questions for Reflection
1.
When God confronted Adam and Eve and later Cain
with their sins, what response did they present that undermined the hope that
could have been theirs?
2.
When God created the world He did so by
separating light from the darkness, the waters in the sky from the waters of
the earth and then waters of the earth from the dry ground (Gen. 1:1-10). The
earth was then able to flourish with vegetation, fish, birds, animals, and
eventually man himself. When sin
dominated the earth what did the flood do with that separation of the elements
of creation? What was God doing for Noah
and how could a catastrophe be a message of hope for him?
3.
Are the recorded experiences of Abraham meant to
show us that we will be rewarded for being faithful? What does his journey out of his comfort zone
(his homeland and family—Gen. 12:1), or the story of the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:1-29)or the instructions to sacrifice Isaac (Gen.
22:1-19), teach us? When Abraham was
asked to look into the sky to see stars that God had put there, what assurance
was there in that for him (Gen. 15:1-12)?
4.
This week we have a focus on brothers—Cain and
Able, Jacob and Esau and then Joseph and his 11 brothers. What do these relationships teach us about
the ongoing “great controversy”—the battle between Christ and Satan?
a.
Cain and Able?
b.
Jacob and Esau?
c.
Joseph and his brothers?
Reflective Study
1.
When
God confronted Adam and Eve and later Cain with their sins, what response did
they present that undermined the hope that could have been theirs?
·
Adam and Even blamed each other which eventually
led to blaming God. The promise made to them by the serpent was that they would
be like God which ultimately meant that they would first serve themselves. So Eve saw the forbidden fruit was “good” for
food but (1)it was God’s prerogative to decide what was good. (2) Eve found
that the fruit was “pleasing to the eye” – the senses had more power than God’s
word and (3) the fruit was a means for gaining wisdom and Eve redefined the
source of wisdom. Each of the three
named benefits undermined trust and dependence upon God and this becomes a
theme throughout Scipture. When
confronted with God’s question, “Where are you?” both Adam and Eve lied and
denied they had done anything wrong.
·
Cain killed his brother over an act of
worship. It is not a stretch to see the
ambitions Satan at work here. See Isa.
14:12-14 where Satan is seen as
clamoring for worship.
2.
When
God created the world He did so by separating light from the darkness, the
waters in the sky from the waters of the earth and then waters of the earth
from the dry ground (Gen. 1:1-10). The earth was then able to flourish with
vegetation, fish, birds, animals, and eventually man himself. When sin dominated the earth what did the
flood do with that separation of the elements of creation? What was God doing for Noah and how could a
catastrophe be a message of hope for him?
·
The fundamental purpose of Satan is to destroy
everything God had made. The flood came
as a result of universal corruption. All
that God had separated in the process of creation is now reunited—light and
darkness; the water above and the waters below; the sea and the dry land; day
and night, the fish of the sea, the birds of the air; and all living creatures
that moved on the earth. All that was
outside the ark was combined into a dark and stormy soup.
·
Of special note is Gen. 7:4, “the blotting out”
of all life or as the NIV puts it, “wife from the face of the earth every
living creature I have made.” This same
term is used to describe the actions of the Redeemer in forgiving sin. (Deut.
9:14; Isa 25:8; 43:25). The good news is
that God will indeed step in and bring all evil and suffering to an end—but at
a time when He sees it best to do.
·
The new earth described by John in Rev. 21:1-6
says that once sin is dealt with God will bring the “new” earth back. The new creation is made possible because the
sin that destroyed the trust relationship with God has been replaced with a new
one where God once again “dwells among His people” (Rev. 21:3).
3.
Are
the recorded experiences of Abraham meant to show us that we will be rewarded
for being faithful? What does his
journey out of his comfort zone (his homeland and family—Gen. 12:1), or the
story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:1-29)or the
instructions to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:1-19), teach us? When Abraham was asked to look into the sky
to see stars that God had put there, what assurance was there in that for him (Gen. 15:1-12)?
·
Without an understanding of the ongoing conflict
between Christ and Satan it is easy to feel that the Bible’s concern is
primarily written to describe our fight for spiritual survival. What the bigger theme teaches us is that the
primary story is how God is working to bring an end to the very nature of sin
and its demeaning attitude towards God who should not be trusted.
·
The story of Abraham begins with a call to leave
his country, his people and family—everything that represented security. (Gen.
12:1). In their place God promises to
make of him a great nation, a great name and great influence (12:2-3). So the question is this: Is the account of Abraham about his rewards
for being faithful or is it about the God who is faithful to His word and who
blesses those who trust Him. This is
first a story about God and then a story about Abraham.
·
This is seen when Abraham is old and has no
children. Has God missed the opportunity
to give Abraham children. After all He
did promise to make of him a great nation!
Then God calls Abraham out to look into the sky. We normally think this is at night but the
context suggests that it is during the day light. (Gen. 15:1-12). God tells him to count the stars. At that time of day he may have seen a few
but the truth of the matter is Abraham knew there were many he could not see
until it became dark. There are times
when we can only see a fraction of what God is doing but that does not mean God
is not actively working in our behalf!!
5.
This
week we have a focus on brothers—Cain and Able, Jacob and Esau and then Joseph
and his 11 brothers. What do these
relationships teach us about the ongoing “great controversy”—the battle between
Christ and Satan?
a.
Cain and
Able? Cain is angry, cynical and
rebellious. He lies to God. He knows exactly where his brother is but sin
had turned brother against brother which is reminiscent of Satan’s own turn and
his own fellow companions in heaven as well as against his own creator.
b.
Jacob and
Esau? The foundation of the sin problem lies within
the realm of the choices we make.
Choices are often made based on trying to force our intentions (good or
bad) upon others. Jacob wanted the
blessing that Esau cared little about—that is, until he lost it. Esau lost his birthright because he placed
ultimate value upon his immediate needs rather than his future heritage—a
common temptation today.
Jacob, with the influence of his
mother, chose to use deception to get what he wanted and then suffered by never
seeing his mother again and being deceived by his own father-in-law . Once again, however, we are reminded of God’s
patience even with the waywardness of his chosen servants and people. God’s pledge to Abraham carried the day for
Jacob . . . and for us.
c.
Joseph
and his brothers? Joseph was spoiled
and his brothers knew it. You are
familiar with the story of Joseph – how he was sold into slavery, betrayed by
those whom he helped and eventually was elevated to national acclaim. Joseph became a changed man and while we may
think it is first a story about Joseph it is really first a story about God and
the blessings others find by remaining in a relationship with Him during good
and bad times. Joseph:
i. Avoided
taking the place of God. (Gen. 50:19—“Am I in the place of God?”). Something
Satan refused to learn (Isa. 14:12-14)
ii. Learned
to take the long view trusting in God (Gen. 50:20—“God intended it for good.”)
iii. Views
the future with hope because he sees it
from God’s perspective. (Gen. 50:21—“I will provide for you and your
children.”)
Reflective Conclusion
The philosopher, Simone Weil, wrote: “We see either the dust
on the window or the view beyond the window but never the window itself.” There is much we do not understand because
what we see is indeed limited. The
patriarchs we’ve studied in this week’s lesson makes this truth quite
clear. Recognizing these illustrations
as first a story about God and His faithfulness to us is critical. As Luther pointed out, “There
are times when our hope despairs. Those
are the times when we need to teach our despairs to learn to hope.”
This hope is built on the foundation of who God is. We must begin there and with who we are. Such a beginning defines who we are and the
hope we have. When all is said and done,
the statement by Ellen White summarizes it well,
“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth,
and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Revelation 5:13.
The great controversy
is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse
of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created
all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable
space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and
inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is
love.” – The Great Controversy,
p. 678.
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