Black History Month
Each year beginning on February 1, an entire month of events are planned nationwide honoring the history and contributions of African Americans.
The theme for Black History Month in 2013 is "At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington."
The theme highlights two important anniversaries in the history of African Americans and the United States:
150 years ago, on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation set the United States on the path of ending slavery.
A century later, on August 27, 1963, hundreds of thousands of Americans, blacks and whites, joined the March on Washington to the memorial of Abraham Lincoln, the author of the Emancipation Proclamation, in pursuit of the ideal of equality of citizenship.
It was also on this occasion that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous speech, "I Have a Dream".
In 2013, Black History Month celebrates the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his memorable "I Have a Dream" speech. All about Black History Month
Black History Month began in 1926 as part of an initiative by writer and educator Dr. Carter G. Woodson who launchedNegro History Week in 1926. Woodson proclaimed that Negro History Week should always occur in the second week of February —between the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
Since 1976, every American president has proclaimed February as Black History Month. Today, other countries such as Canada and the United Kingdom also devote a month to celebrating black history.
The Web is a great place to find out more about that history — in poetry, literature, the arts, sciences, sports and entertainment — making Black History Month a time of fun, celebration, and learning:
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Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Black History Month.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Lesson Study 5. Jan 26-Fab 1 2013
Lesson 5*January 26-February 1
Creation and Morality
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This week’s Study: Gen. 2:16-17;Gen. 1:26-28; James 3:9;Acts 17:26;Prov. 14:31;Matt. 5:44-48;Rev. 20:11-13.
Memory Text: “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die’ “(Genesis 2:16-17, NIV).
People love to talk about “human rights.” From the Magna Carta (1215) to the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789) to various United Nations declarations, the idea is promoted that human beings possess certain “inalienable rights,” rights that no one can rightfully take away from us. They are ours by virtue of being human (at least that’s how the theory goes).
The questions remain: What are these rights? How are we to determine what they are? Can these rights change, and if so, how so? Why should we, as humans, have these rights, anyway?
In some countries, for instance, women were not given the “right” to vote until the twentieth century (some nations still deny it). How, though, can a government grant to people something that is their “unalienable right” to begin with?
Hard questions, and their answers are inseparably linked to the question of human origins, the study for this week’s lesson.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, February 2.
Our Dependence on the Creator
Genesis 2:7 depicts God as creating Adam individually, and represents him to be an intelligent moral being rather than as an animal. The text does not say, but one can imagine God using His hands to form the dust into the intended shape and size. One might think that the great Sovereign of the universe would not stoop to get His hands dirty in the making of man, but the Bible reveals the Creator as One closely involved with the Creation. Scripture records many occasions when God willingly interacted with the material creation. Examples include Exodus 32:15-16; Luke 4:40; and John 9:6. Indeed, the incarnation of Christ Himself into humanity, into human flesh, where He day by day interacted with the created world much the way we do, refutes the notion that God would not stoop to “get His hands dirty” among humanity.
Read Genesis 2:16-17. What command did God give to Adam? What is implied in this command?
We may ask, What right did God have to make rules for Adam and Eve? Compare this situation to that of a child in a family. The child’s parents provide the child with a home and all of life’s necessities. They love the child and have the child’s best interests in mind. Their greater experience and wisdom can spare the child much misery if that child will accept their guidance. Some children find this guidance difficult, but it is universally recognized that as long as the child is dependent on its parents for its necessities, it is obligated to accept the parent’s rules. In like manner, because we are always dependent on our heavenly Father for life and its necessities, it is always appropriate for us to accept God’s guidance. Because He is a God of love, we can trust Him to always provide what we need for our own good.
Read Psalm 95:6-7 and Psalm 100. How does the psalmist express our dependence on God? What obligations does that dependence automatically place on you, especially in regard to the way in which you treat others?
In the Image of God
Read Genesis 1:26-28. What special attribute was given to humans that was not given to the animals?
What exactly is “the image of God”? This question has generated a great deal of discussion, and opinions vary. But the verses provide some clues regarding the nature of the idea. First, note that to be made in the image of God implies that we resemble God in certain ways. One important aspect of the image of God is that God gave to humans dominion over the other creatures. As God is sovereign over all, so He has appointed to humans a share of sovereignty by giving them dominion over the fish, the birds, and the land animals.
Notice, too, that God purposed to make man in “our” image—that is, an image involving the plurality of the Godhead. Then He made humans male and female. The image of God is not fully expressed in an individual but in relationship. As the Godhead is manifest in three Persons in relationship, so the image of God in humans is expressed in relationship of male and female. The ability to form relationships is part of the image of God. Relationships, of course, imply responsibility and accountability, which means morality. Hence, right here we are given a strong hint at how morality finds its basis in the Creation story.
Read Genesis 9:6 and James 3:9. How is the idea of humans being made in the “image of God” clearly linked to the concept of morality?
Humans have wrestled for millennia with the question of morality. Even before one gets into what is the right kind of morality, the whole idea of morality itself raises a host of deep issues. Why should humans, as opposed to beetles, fleas, even chimps, have a moral conscience, a concept that distinguishes between right and wrong? How can beings, made essentially of amoral matter (quarks, gluons, electrons, and so forth) be aware of moral concepts? The answer can be found in the early chapters of the Bible, which reveal humans to be moral creatures made “in the image of God.”
Made of One Blood
In Genesis 2:23, Adam is given the task of naming his wife, whom he called Havah. This word is related to the Hebrew verb hayah, which means “to live” (Jews sometimes use the related expression lehayim, “to life!”). The Hebrew word for “Eve” (Havah) can be translated as “life-giver.” Eve’s name represents the fact that she is the ancestor of all humans. We are all one family in the most literal sense.
Read Acts 17:26. How does Paul link the brotherhood of all humanity to the creation? Compare with Matt. 23:9.
We are united in that we all descended from one woman, Eve, and from one man, Adam. And God is the Father of us all. This fact is the basis of human equality. Think how different human relations would be if all people recognized this important truth. If we ever needed proof of how far fallen we are, of how badly sin has damaged us, we have it in the sad fact that humans often treat each other worse than some people treat animals.
Read Proverbs 14:31 and 22:2. How do these texts help us to understand the link between morality and the fact that we are created by God?
Many factors have divided the human race: political, national, ethnic, and, of course, economic. The economic factor is, arguably, one of the most consequential (though never to the degree that Karl Marx envisioned: the workers of the world never did unite; instead, they warred against each other based on their nationality). Today, as always, the poor and the rich often regard one another with suspicion and disdain. How often these sentiments have led to violence, even war. The causes of poverty and the solution to it still continue to baffle us (see Matt. 26:11), but one thing is sure from the Word of God: rich or poor, we all deserve the dignity that is ours by virtue of our origins.
Years ago, after Darwinism became fashionable, some justified the exploitation of the poor by the rich on the grounds of “social Darwinism,” the idea that because, in the natural world, the strong overcome and exploit the weak, why should not the same principle apply in economics? How is this another example of why a correct grasp of origins is crucial to the understanding of morality?
The Character of Our Creator
God created us in His image, which means among other things that He intended for us to resemble Him in character. That is, we are to be like Him, as much as humanly possible (notice, to be like God is not the same thing as to aspire to be God, a crucial difference). In order for us to be like God, in the sense that we reflect His character, we must have a proper understanding of what that character is.
Read Matthew 5:44-48. What do these verses reveal not only about God’s character but also about how we should reflect His character in our own lives?
Read Luke 10:29-37. Again, what does this reveal about the character of God and how it should be reflected in humanity? See also Phil. 2:1-8.
The story Jesus told involved two men from different people groups, groups that were antagonistic toward each other. But Jesus showed that they were neighbors. Each was within the other’s sphere of responsibility, and God was pleased when their differences were set aside and one treated the other with kindness and compassion.
What a contrast is seen between the principles of God’s kingdom and the principles of Satan’s rulership. God calls the strong to care for the weak, while Satan’s principles call for elimination of the weak by the strong. God created a world of peaceful relationships, but Satan has distorted it so thoroughly that many regard survival of the fittest as the normal standard of conduct. If the vicious process of natural selection (in which the strong overpower the weak) were the means by which we came into existence, why should we do differently? If we accept this view, are we not following God, and the dictates of nature as He ordained it, when we advance our own interests at the expense of the less “naturally selected”?
What are other ways in which you can see how an understanding of our origins can impact our moral concepts?
Morality and Accountability
In an earlier lesson, we looked at Paul’s sermon to the men in Athens (Acts 17:16-31). Follow the line of reasoning he used, noting not just where he started but where he ended. What’s so important about the conclusion he came to, particularly regarding the question of origins and morality?
Paul’s sermon to the men of Athens began with Creation and ended with judgment. According to Paul, the God who made the world and everything in it has fixed a day on which He will judge the world. To be endowed with morality implies accountability, and each of us will be held responsible for our actions and our words (see Eccles. 12:14 and Matt. 12:36-37).
Read Revelation 20:11-13 and Matthew 25:31-40. What is clearly taught in these texts that is directly tied to morality?
Everyone who ever lived will meet together in God’s presence to face the judgment. The difference between the two groups in Jesus’ parable is how each person treated those who were in need. The Creator is interested in how His creatures treat each other, especially those who are needy. There is no place in heaven for the principle of natural selection; it is contrary to the character of the God of peace.
If the Bible teaches anything, it teaches that the justice so lacking in this world will one day be meted out by God Himself. More so, the whole idea of judgment implies a moral order: why would God judge, much less punish, if there were no moral standards to which people could be held?
Think through the reality and certainty of judgment. Why, then, is the gospel and the promise of salvation in Christ so crucial in order for us to have assurance in that judgment?
Further Study: According to Scripture, Adam was the first man and was specially created from the dust by God. Our understanding of the origin of morality is founded in the origin of Adam. Biblical concepts of morality are, then, inseparable from biblical concepts of origins.
Recognizing Adam as the first human also refutes the possibility that any fossils were ancestral to Adam or other humans. From where, then, did these fossils come? Several other possibilities exist.
First, the humanlike fossils might be forms of humans with normal intelligence but with growth patterns unlike any present-day human. A second possibility is that the fossils may have been degenerate, due to their own lifestyle or environmental stress or other factors. A third possibility is that they may be the results of Satan’s direct attempts to corrupt Creation in ways we do not understand. Another possibility is that they were not humans but were similar in morphology. Different people may prefer different explanations but, because we do not have direct evidence to settle the matter, it is best to avoid being dogmatic in our speculations. Fossils do not come with labels attached that say, “Made in China 500 million years ago” or the like. Our understanding of earth history, which varies greatly among scientists, provides a frame of reference within which we interpret fossils, but we do not have proof of our interpretations. They are, in the end, only that: interpretations, nothing more.
Discussion Questions
- Think through the implications of what it would mean if there were no Creator who imposed a moral order on humanity. Where would moral concepts come from? Many people who don’t believe in God nevertheless do hold to some strict moral standards. On what basis, other than God, might a person be able to develop a moral code? What are some possible scenarios that they could come up with? What, though, would be the ultimate weakness in them all?
- How does our view of Creation inform our opinions regarding current issues such as euthanasia, cloning, abortion, etc.?
- A local citizen who volunteered his time to give tours at the Nazi concentration camp of Dachau began the tour by talking about Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, implying that Darwin’s theory led to Dachau and the like. What’s the obvious logic of that line of reasoning? In what ways might it be flawed?
The Two Paths
Chief Asang was weeping, and no one could console him. I had no idea why he was upset, but I asked God to help me comfort him. I am a student missionary teaching the children of the chief's people.
As I approached the chief, he reached out and hugged me. “Thank you for coming,” he said when he saw me. “Something is bothering me and I know you can help.” Confused by his greeting, I wondered what I could do to help him.
“I had a dream and saw two pathways,” he said. “One path was wide and brightly lit. The other was a narrow trail, rugged and dark. My people were walking on the wide road, laughing and drinking as they traveled. On the narrow path I saw you and some children from the village, including my own grandchildren. Thistles on the narrow path tore your skin, but you didn't seem to mind. You were singing some of the songs you and the children sing at morning worship.
“Then suddenly, everything changed! The wide road became steep and dark, while the narrow trail became bright. Suddenly the wide road ended, and my people fell into a ravine, screaming in terror.
“I looked toward the narrow path and saw you and the children entering a pearly gate. Then I saw the face of Jesus that you showed us in the picture roll. He was welcoming you and my children to the city you call heaven. Most of my people were lost,” the chief mourned. “And I was among them! Please tell me what this dream means.”
I prayed for God's help to answer the chief's tearful plea. Then I said, “Your dream of the two pathways was written a long time ago in God's Word.” Opening my Bible, I showed him Matthew 7:13 and14.
“How can my people and I get on this narrow trail?” the chief asked with pleading voice.
“You must decide to follow Jesus now, while there is still time, Chief,” I encouraged.
“Please, tell me what we must do. I will tell my people to listen to you,” he responded, hope filling his words.
I explained God's plan of salvation to the chief. I told him that his people are God's children, and He wants to welcome them all into His kingdom.
Your mission offerings help support Adventist schools that send missionaries like me to people still living in darkness. Thank you for helping reach God's children everywhere with His love.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org
Bulletin Jan 26 2013
CHURCH AT WORSHIP
January 26, 2012▪
11:00 a.m.
Coming into the
presence of the one and only true God
Prelude
Song Service Praise
Team
*Introit “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent” Hymn #662
Welcome & Announcements Richard Mills Jr.
Celebrating God’s Presence
+Opening Hymn “I
Love To Tell The Story” Hymn #457
Call To Prayer “As We Come To You in Prayer” Hymn #671
*Intercessory Prayer Richard
Mills Jr.
*Prayer Response “O Thou Who Hearest” Hymn #668
Ministry in Giving:
Offertory Blessing John Vernooy
Worship in Giving
Children’s Story Tony Pinero
Ministry in Music Church School Students
School Offering John Vernooy
Proclamation
Scripture Reading Matthew 28: 16-20 Jude Alfred
Ministry in Music
Sermon “As You
Go” Pastor Earl Baldwin
Closing Hymn “Jesus Saves” Hymn #340
Benediction Dr.
Victor Dyman
+All Stand Sunset Tonight.
5:05 P.M.
*All Kneel Sunset Next Friday: 5:13 P.M.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Lesson Study Creation completed.
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Posted: 17 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST
As stated previously, the days of the Creation week are numbered and identified as being composed of a dark period, the evening, and a light period, the morning. There is no reasonable way in which to interpret these days other than as being like the days we experience today. Some have appealed to such texts as Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8 when arguing that each Creation day actually represents 1,000 years. This conclusion is not suggested by the text and does nothing to resolve the issue created by those who think that these days represent billions of years.
Also, if the days in Genesis represented long epochs, one would expect to find a succession in the fossil record that matches the succession of the living organisms created in the successive six Creation “days.” Thus, the first fossils should be plants, which were created on the third “day.” Next should be the first water animals and the air animals. Finally, we should find the first land animals. The fossil record does not match this sequence. Water creatures come before plants, and land creatures come before air creatures. The first fossil fruit trees and other flowering plants appear after all these other groups. The only point of similarity is that humans appear last in both accounts. “Of each successive day of creation, the Sacred Record declares that it consisted of the evening and the morning, like all other days that have followed.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 112. “But the infidel supposition, that the events of the first week required seven vast, indefinite periods for their accomplishment, strikes directly at the foundation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. It makes indefinite and obscure that which God has made very plain. It is the worst kind of infidelity; for with many who profess to believe the record of creation, it is infidelity in disguise.”—Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, p. 91. Discussion Questions
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Thursday, January 17, 2013
Lesson Study The Literal Day
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Posted: 16 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST
Read Genesis 1:5, 8, 31. What are the components of a creation day?
The nature of the days of Creation has been the subject of much discussion. Some have questioned whether the days were ordinary days or whether they might represent much longer periods of time. The text’s description of the Creation days provides the answer to that question. The days are composed of an evening (dark period) and a morning (light period) and are consecutively numbered. That is, the days are expressed in a way that very clearly shows that they are days just as we now experience them, an evening and a morning, a period of darkness and a period of light. It is difficult to see how the statement could be more clear or explicit in describing the days of a week. The repeated expression “and there was evening and there was morning” emphasizes the literal aspect of each day. Read Leviticus 23:3. What indication do we have that all seven days of Creation week were the same kind of days as those that we experience? The ancient Hebrews were in no doubt as to the nature of the Sabbath day. It was a day of ordinary length but carried a special blessing from God. Note the explicit comparison of God’s work week of six days with our work week of six days and the corresponding comparison of the day of rest for God and for us (see also Exod. 20:9, 11). Even many scholars who reject the idea of these being literal days often admit that the writers of the Bible understood that literal days were meant. So crucial to our relationship with God is our trust of God and of His Word. If we can’t trust the Word of God on something as foundational and as explicitly stated as the Genesis Creation in six literal days, what can we trust Him on? |
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Update to Lesson format.
Thank you for your feedback,and words of encouragement. Starting this Friday January 18 2013 we will be upgrading our Sabbath School Lesson to an weekly format. We well also be adding other upgrades soon. Thanks for all your input. Encourage a friend to join us on any of our social networking portals,
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Lesson Study The Creation Comleted
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Posted: 15 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST
After the Creation was completed in six days (we will study the creation of humanity later), we find the first mention in the Bible of the seventh day.
Read Genesis 2:1-3. Notice especially verse 1, which emphasizes the
The Hebrew word for rest in this text is shabath, which is closely related to the word for Sabbath. It indicates a cessation of labor upon completion of a project. God was not weary and in need of rest; He was finished with His work of creating and so He stopped. God’s special blessing rests on the seventh day. It is not only “blessed” but also “sanctified,” which carries the idea of being set apart and specially devoted to God. Thus, God gave special significance to the Sabbath in the context of the relationship between God and humans.
Read Mark 2:27, 28. What did Jesus say was the purpose of the Sabbath?Notice that the Sabbath was not made because God had a need but because man had a need for which God made provision. At the end of that first week, God rested from His acts of creation and devoted His time to relationship with His creatures. Humans needed the communion with their Maker in order to understand their place in the universe. Imagine the joy and wonder that Adam and Eve experienced as they conversed with God and beheld the world that He had made. The wisdom of this provision for rest became even more evident after sin. We need the Sabbath rest in order to prevent us from losing sight of God and getting caught up in materialism and overwork. God commands us to give one seventh of our lives to the remembrance of the act of Creation. What should that tell us about the importance of the teaching? How can you learn to have a deeper and richer experience with the Lord through resting on the Sabbath as He Himself did? |
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Lesson Study Creation of the Land Animals
Creation of the Land Animals
In Genesis 1:24-31, terrestrial animals and humans were created on the sixth day. As with the correlation between the second and fifth days, a correlation is also seen between the division of the land and sea on the third day and the filling of the land on the sixth day. One is reminded again of the orderly and purposeful sequence of Creation events, as is consistent with a God of order (compare 1 Cor. 14:33).
As with the creatures created on the fifth day, the wording of the text indicates that a plurality of types was created on the sixth day of Creation. A diversity of beasts, cattle, and creeping things were created, as well.
There is no single ancestor of all land animals; God, instead, created many distinct and separate lineages.
Note the expression “according to their kind,” or similar phrases in Genesis 1:11, 21, 24, 25. Some have attempted to use this phrase to support the idea of fixed “kinds,” an idea taken from Greek philosophy. The ancient Greeks thought that each individual was an imperfect expression of an unchanging ideal, known as a type. Yet, the fixity of species is not consistent with the biblical teaching that all of nature suffers from the curse of sin ( Rom. 8:19-22). We know that species have changed, as expressed in the curses of Genesis 3 (Ellen G. White wrote about the “threefold curse” on the earth—the curse after the Fall, after Cain’s sin, and after the Flood), and as seen in the parasites and predators that cause so much suffering and violence. The meaning of the phrase “according to their kind” is best understood by examining the context in which it is used.
Read Genesis 6:20, 7:14, and Leviticus 11:14-22. How is the expression “after its kind” or an equivalent phrase applied? How do these examples help us to understand the phrase in Genesis 1?
The phrase “after his kind,” or equivalent, should not be interpreted as some rule of reproduction. Rather, it refers to the fact that there were diverse kinds of creatures involved in the respective stories. Some Bible translations use the phrase “of various kinds,” which seems more true to the context. Instead of referring to fixity of species, the phrase refers to the diversity of creatures created on the sixth day. From the time of the Creation, there have been many kinds of plants and animals.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Lesson Study Creation of Air and Water Animals
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Posted: 13 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST
Read Genesis 1:20-23. What evidence, if any, exists in the texts that would imply randomness?
Notice that both water creatures and air creatures are mentioned in the plural, indicating that a diversity of organisms was created on the fifth day. Each creature was blessed with the capacity to be fruitful and multiply. Diversity was present from the beginning. There was no single ancestor from which all other species descended, but each species seems to have been endowed with the possibility of producing varieties of individuals. For example, more than 400 named breeds have been developed from the common pigeon, and at least 27 breeds of goldfish are known. God apparently gave each of His creatures the potential to produce a great variety of various offspring, further adding to the diversity of the creation. In verse 21, God saw that the creatures He had made were good. This implies they were well-designed, attractive to the eye, free from defects, and harmoniously participating in the purpose of the creation. Few living creatures excite our imagination and admiration more than the birds. Birds are truly amazing creatures and are wonderfully designed. Their feathers are lightweight but strong, stiff yet flexible. The parts of a flight feather are held together by complex sets of tiny barbs that provide strong but lightweight bracing. A bird’s lung is so designed that it can obtain oxygen as it inhales and also as it exhales. This provides the high level of oxygen required for powered flight. This result is accomplished by the presence of air sacs in some of the bones. These sacs function to sustain the flow of oxygen and, at the same time, to lighten the body of the bird, making flight easier to maintain and control. Birds are amazingly constructed. With all this in mind, read Matthew 10:29-31. What comfort can you find in these words? 1 comment(s) for this post:
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Lesson Study The Creation Completed
Posted: 11 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST
Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 1, Ps. 8:3, Rom. 8:19-22, Lev. 11:14-22, Gen. 2:1-3,Mark 2:28.
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Memory Text: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” ( Genesis 2:2, NIV).
This week’s lesson reviews the Bible’s brief description of the last three Creation days and the Sabbath rest. This description is found in Genesis 1-2:1-3, but numerous references to it exist in other parts of Scripture. One of the most striking aspects of the Creation account is its division into days of Creation. Why did He choose to make the seven-day time cycle that we call a week? Scripture does not tell us directly, but we can look for clues. Perhaps the most important clue is the Sabbath itself, which reserves a special time for communion between God and humanity. It may be that God established the week to provide a period of time suitable for ordinary work, yet with a regular period of time set aside as a reminder of our relationship to God (see Mark 2:28). This would help humans to remember that God is the true provider and that we are totally dependent upon Him. Whatever the reason, it is apparent that the Genesis Creation account reveals a Creation done with exceeding care and purpose. Nothing is left to chance.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 19.
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This week’s lesson reviews the Bible’s brief description of the last three Creation days and the Sabbath rest. This description is found in Genesis 1-2:1-3, but numerous references to it exist in other parts of Scripture. One of the most striking aspects of the Creation account is its division into days of Creation. Why did He choose to make the seven-day time cycle that we call a week? Scripture does not tell us directly, but we can look for clues. Perhaps the most important clue is the Sabbath itself, which reserves a special time for communion between God and humanity. It may be that God established the week to provide a period of time suitable for ordinary work, yet with a regular period of time set aside as a reminder of our relationship to God (see Mark 2:28). This would help humans to remember that God is the true provider and that we are totally dependent upon Him. Whatever the reason, it is apparent that the Genesis Creation account reveals a Creation done with exceeding care and purpose. Nothing is left to chance.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 19.
Leave a comment
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Posted: 12 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST
Read Genesis 1:14-19. What actions are mentioned on the fourth day of
Creation? How are we to make sense of this, especially given our present understanding of the physical world?
The fourth day has probably been discussed more than any of the other six Creation days. If the sun was created on the fourth day, what caused the daily cycles for the first three Creation days? On the other hand, if the sun already existed, what happened on the fourth day?Uncertainty over the events of the fourth day of Creation does not arise from a logical contradiction but from a plurality of possibilities. One possibility is that the sun was created on the fourth day, and the light for the first three days came from God’s presence or from another source such as a supernova. Revelation 21:23 is consistent with this idea, as the sun is not needed in the heavenly city because God is there. A second possibility is that the sun, moon, and stars were appointed their functions at that time. Psalm 8:3 seems consistent with this view. Hebrew scholar C. John Collins writes that the Hebrew wording of Genesis 1:14 may allow either of these two possibilities. (See C. John Collins, Genesis 1-4: A Linguistic, Literary, and Theological Commentary [Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing Co., 2006], p. 57.) A third possibility is that the sun was already in existence but was obscured by clouds or volcanic dust and was not visible or fully functional until the fourth day. One can compare this possibility with the planet Venus, where a similar situation occurs today. The text does not seem clearly to endorse or rule out any of these interpretations, although this does not deter strong opinions on the topic. It is probably a good rule not to give a question more significance than the Bible gives it, and we ought to acknowledge that our understanding is limited. This acknowledgment, especially in the area of creation, shouldn’t be that hard to accept. After all, think about how many scientific mysteries exist at present; that is, they are right here for experimental science to investigate and yet still remain mysteries. How much more mysterious is something hidden so far in the past? 4 comment(s) for this post:
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Friday, January 11, 2013
Lesson Study Forming the World
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“As the earth came forth from the hand of its Maker, it was exceedingly beautiful. Its surface was diversified with mountains, hills, and plains, interspersed with noble rivers and lovely lakes; but the hills and mountains were not abrupt and rugged, abounding in terrific steeps and frightful chasms, as they now do; the sharp, ragged edges of earth’s rocky framework were buried beneath the fruitful soil, which everywhere produced a luxuriant growth of verdure. There were no loathsome swamps or barren deserts. Graceful shrubs and delicate flowers greeted the eye at every turn. The heights were crowned with trees more majestic than any that now exist. The air, untainted by foul miasma, was clear and healthful. The entire landscape outvied in beauty the decorated grounds of the proudest palace. The angelic host viewed the scene with delight, and rejoiced at the wonderful works of God.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 44. Discussion Questions
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Thursday, January 10, 2013
Lesson Study Thursday God’s All-Powerful Word
What do the following texts teach us about the power of God’s word? 2 Cor. 4:6
The Bible teaches that God created out of nothing (ex nihilo), by the power of His word and without conflict or resistance in any form. This view of creation is unique to the Hebrews among all the peoples of the ancient world. Most nonbiblical creation stories tell of conflict and violence in creation. For example, the ancient Babylonians had a creation story in which the monster Apsu and his consort Tiamat produce a generation of deities that they then attempt to destroy, but Tiamat is killed in the battle. Her body is divided into two parts, one that formed the heavens and the other that formed the earth.
Modern men have also created a popular story of creation through violence. According to this story, God willfully created a world in which resources would be in short supply, causing competition among individuals, with the result being that weaker individuals would be eliminated by the stronger. Over time, according to this modern story, organisms have become more and more complex, ultimately producing humans and all other living organisms from a common ancestor.
Yet, the “gods” of evolutionary theory (random mutation and natural selection) are not the same as the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is the Defender of the weak and the generous Provider for all creatures. Death, suffering, and other evils were not caused by God; on the contrary, they came as a natural result of rebellion against His good rulership. The gods of evolutionary theory use competition and elimination of the weak by the strong in order to create. Even worse, they are responsible for death and suffering; indeed, death and suffering are their very means of creating.
Thus, Genesis 1 and 2 cannot, in any way, be harmonized with modern evolutionary theory, which at its core opposes the biblical account of Creation.
Isa. 55:11
2 Pet. 3:5The Bible teaches that God created out of nothing (ex nihilo), by the power of His word and without conflict or resistance in any form. This view of creation is unique to the Hebrews among all the peoples of the ancient world. Most nonbiblical creation stories tell of conflict and violence in creation. For example, the ancient Babylonians had a creation story in which the monster Apsu and his consort Tiamat produce a generation of deities that they then attempt to destroy, but Tiamat is killed in the battle. Her body is divided into two parts, one that formed the heavens and the other that formed the earth.
Modern men have also created a popular story of creation through violence. According to this story, God willfully created a world in which resources would be in short supply, causing competition among individuals, with the result being that weaker individuals would be eliminated by the stronger. Over time, according to this modern story, organisms have become more and more complex, ultimately producing humans and all other living organisms from a common ancestor.
Yet, the “gods” of evolutionary theory (random mutation and natural selection) are not the same as the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is the Defender of the weak and the generous Provider for all creatures. Death, suffering, and other evils were not caused by God; on the contrary, they came as a natural result of rebellion against His good rulership. The gods of evolutionary theory use competition and elimination of the weak by the strong in order to create. Even worse, they are responsible for death and suffering; indeed, death and suffering are their very means of creating.
Thus, Genesis 1 and 2 cannot, in any way, be harmonized with modern evolutionary theory, which at its core opposes the biblical account of Creation.
2 comment(s) for this post:
Tyler Cluthe:
09 Jan 2013 God's word, a concept that I wonder about as I do so many other things like the concept of "beginning." As Pastor John Carter said many years ago, "I can understand something that has no end but how can I understand something that had no beginning." I wonder if that doesn't apply to Genesis 1:1 as well as it does to God Himself. There is a lot in the Bible that bogs my feeble little mind down, things that probably will always remain a mystery to me. Ideas like God spoke things into existence seem to me to be a kind of baby talk to fallen humanity that God uses so that we can at least understand something. If God is all powerful as we think He is then does God actually have to speak in order to create? And why did it take such a powerful God six days to make this little speck of a planet and the life it contains? Was it for the sake of the Sabbath that was made for man? Well, I don't know! Perhaps we should just leave things the way scripture states them and be content with that. In a way, I am glad that I don't have much education. Even though Solomon extolled the virtues of wisdom and knowledge in the end he concluded that, "All is vanity" (Eccl. 12:8 NKJV). I have seen in universities professors with one or more doctorates degrees parading themselves around with a pride that is pitiful because they don't really understand just how little they really know in this vast universe. As one scientist once said years ago, "chances are that all of our knowledge and understanding is exactly wrong." So, I am driven to my knees and realize that probably the greatest lesson we all have to learn is how little we really are and to do what Micah says, "to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God" (Mic. 6:8 NKJV).Nancy Robert:
09 Jan 2013 None cane compare and no man on earth can ever know how this Great God created light. That light is in Christ Jesus and that it shines in the darkest parts of a repentant heart who has confessed his/her sins to God in prayer with all his/her heart.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Lesson Study The Heaven Created
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“Then God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,
and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day”(Gen. 1:6-8, NKJV).
God created the firmament, appointed its function, and gave it a name, heaven. The function of the firmament (heaven) was to divide the water below from the water above it. Today, we would probably use the term “sky” and recognize the division of the sky into the atmosphere, which is a part of our environment and the space beyond our atmosphere where the sun, moon, and stars are.The atmosphere appears to be the portion of the “heaven” that was formed on the second day of Creation. The atmosphere provides a method for moving water uphill; water can evaporate and enter the atmosphere, where it can be transported to any place on the earth. Then it can be brought back to the surface, either through the mist as described in Genesis 2:6 or as rain. God named the firmament, signifying His sovereignty over it. The act of naming implies that God is sovereign over space. Space does not limit God’s actions in any way, because He created and rules it. As with the lighting of the world on the first day, the creation of the firmament was completed before the end of the second day, another dark period of evening and a light period of morning. Much discussion has centered on the meaning of the word firmament. The Hebrew word raqia is sometimes used to describe a sheet of metal that has been hammered into a thin sheet, hence the term “firmament.” Critics have argued that the ancient Hebrews actually believed there was a hard surface above the earth; thus, they argue, because no such thing exists, the biblical account is wrong. But this is faulty reasoning. The use of the word firmament, in that context, simply applies to the sky above, both the atmosphere and space itself. We only have to look at the immediate context to know what is being talked about. In Genesis the birds are described as flying on “the face of the firmament” (Gen. 1:20, NKJV),and in another place the firmament is where the sun and moon are seen (Gen. 1:14). Obviously the birds don’t fly in the part of the raqia where the sun and moon are. Whatever the mysteries of the Creation narrative itself, one point comes through very clearly: nothing is left to chance. Why is that point important for us to know, especially at a time when many believe that chance played a big role in our creation? |
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