Sabbath School Lesson for November 13-19, 2021
Overview of Lesson 8
Choosing life was important to Moses as he preached to God’s people in Deuteronomy. He wanted them to see that…
- the tree of life in the Garden of Eden shows that man was meant to live forever (Sunday)
- the Flood and other statements in the Bible help us see that there is no middle ground in our choice of who to believe and serve (Monday)
- life was good and resulted in blessing–and death came from doing evil and led to curses (Tuesday)
- revealing our love for God by obeying Him is not a hard thing to do (Wednesday)
- choosing life or death is really a matter of who we worship (Thursday)
The most wonderful thing about the gospel is that it is based on our freedom to choose between God and Satan, between life and death. Like the angels, humans have been blessed with the ability to love God or not. It’s our choice. And what we do with that choice makes all the difference in our existence, both here on earth and eternally–with God or without Him.
Moses was naturally concerned with the choices the nation of Israel would make. Obedience to God’s law would determine their fate, both individually and as God’s chosen people. Only as they allowed God to dwell in their hearts and obeyed Him out of love would they be allowed to live peacefully in Canaan.
Memory Text: ” ‘I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.’ ” Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV
What a powerful choice they were given. It indeed boiled down to life or death. Blessing if they chose life by believing and following God, and curses if they chose death by believing and following Satan’s lies. Generations counted on their making the right choice.
Sunday: The Tree of Life
The tree of life in the middle of the Garden of Eden bore treasured fruit. Eating this fruit would happily result in eternal life. Adam and Eve were given the opportunity to eat of that tree, until they sinned and ate from the forbidden tree instead. Their one restriction was too much of an enticement, thanks to Satan’s alluring deception, which led to their immediate downfall and ultimate ban from the beautiful life-giving tree. See Genesis 2:15-17; 3:22, 23.
But our choice of having life or death continues, with the intervening sacrifice of God’s dear Son. Someday we will have the pleasure of visiting that tree of life again in the earth made new. Instead of going back into nothingness forever, to the dust from which we were created, we can spend eternity with our Savior when He comes again and resurrects His beloved followers. See Revelation 22: 2, 14. Notice in verse 14 of Revelation 22 that the commandments are mentioned. They are still important right up to the end of time.
As the memory text points out, Moses’, and God’s desire, is for us to choose life–eternal life. And our choice affects, not only us, but generations that follow. Just like it did for Adam and Eve.
Bible Verses to Read and Discuss:
Deuteronomy 30:19, Genesis 2:8, 9, and Revelation 22:2
- Why has it always been to man’s advantage to listen to and obey God’s commandments?
- Why does God provide life through this life-giving tree? What does it indicate about our continual choice to love God–even in heaven?
Monday: No Middle Ground
Many times, in both the Old and New Testaments, we find two stark choices to be made by mankind.
- People in Noah’s time could enter the ark and be saved, or perish with the rest of the creatures during the Flood (Genesis 7:23).
- According to Jesus, we can build our house on the rock and survive the storm, or build on the sand and fall (Matthew 7:24-27).
- We can perish or have eternal life (John 3:16).
- The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23).
- To be carnally-minded is death, but to be spiritually-minded is life (Romans 8:6).
Notice that these fates are eternal. Ultimately, we will either be saved and live with God forever, or perish eternally and never be able to enjoy God’s full presence. There is no middle ground when it comes to obeying God. Our earthly choices make all the difference.
Bible Verses to Read and Discuss:
Revelation 20:14 and 21:8
- What implications are there in calling this final fate of the wicked their second death?
- Why is it unreasonable to think that the wicked are suffering eternally, rather than dying the second time for their sins in a lake of fire after the Second Coming?
- Why would Satan be pleased with a belief in eternal torment that most churches now teach?
Tuesday: Life and Good, Death and Evil, Blessings and Curses
Adam and Eve had only two choices in the Garden of Eden. Eat of one tree and live or eat of another tree and die. Moses reminded them that they also had two choices before them. If they obeyed God they would live, but if they turned their heart from God and instead worshiped other gods, they would die.
In Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Moses plainly set before them their choice. Choose God and be blessed, or choose other gods and be cursed. It may sound as if God would curse them for making the wrong choice, because the ancient Hebrew mind viewed God as the Prime Mover of the Universe. Everything that happened to them was because of Him. But, in hindsight, we recognize that the curses were the natural consequences of following their own selfish, evil ways, the way of Satan, the way that leads to death.
We can learn from Israel’s example and take the best advantage of our sacred gift of free will. When we give ourselves fully to God and choose a life of service to Him, we can enjoy spiritual blessings that make life, even at its worst, more bearable.
Bible Verses to Read and Discuss:
Deuteronomy 30:15, 16
- What blessings would there be for Israel, if they loved and obeyed God?
Deuteronomy 30:17, 18
- What would cause Israel to perish and not be successful when they crossed over into Canaan?
Deuteronomy 30:19, 20
- What marks this as another covenant declaration from God?
- What obligations did God’s people have in the covenant presented here?
Wednesday: Not Too Hard For You
The first ten verses of Deuteronomy 30, near the end of Moses’ sermons, describe the wonderful blessings that would be theirs if they chose to obey God. It was the only way to enjoy the special protection only God could provide.
How encouraging were his words in verse 14: “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.” God’s word must be spoken and reside in us, in order for us to fulfill God’s requirements and be blessed. They were indeed fortunate to have God’s word near them, spoken through Moses and later through other prophets of God.
When taken internally, when the word was obeyed, they would gain a blessing, but also would be a blessing to others. And that was the whole mission of their nation: to bless the other tribes in the region, and eventually the whole world through the birth of the Messiah, the Living Word.
Moses made the task before them sound inviting, but also possible. Just as it remains today for Christians, who are also considered the children of Abraham (Romans 10:12).
Bible Verses to Read and Discuss:
Deuteronomy 30:14 and Romans 10:8-10
- How does Paul in Romans clarify what the Word is?
- How does believing the Word lead to righteousness?
John 1:18 and 1 Corinthians 10:4
- Who was the Word that was near Moses and the Hebrews?
Thursday: A Question of Worship
Our modern minds envision the worship of the ancient Hebrews, with its animal sacrifices and symbolic rituals, as rather primitive. But there was a sharp contrast between the sanctuary service and the pagan worship practices of the rest of the world at the time.
Satan has always attempted to copy God’s worship style at first; but later he incorporates his own sinister deviations in order to gradually pull humanity away from God. Instead of animal sacrifices, for instance, they were using human sacrifices to gain their gods’ favor. Their expressions of devotion were not to the Creator, but to some creature of the Creator, and they certainly didn’t reflect His true love. Lust better describes the prevailing emotion they encouraged. These subtle twists became brutally cruel and eventually separated the pagan tribes from God entirely, causing in some cases, for their complete destruction.
Who and how they worshipped would determine the fate of God’s people, just as it will affect our eternal destination in these last days of earth’s history. Our materialism and lustful, sensual lifestyles are forms of modern idolatry to be sure. See Revelation 13:4-6, 14:6, 7.
Bible Verses to Read and Discuss:
Deuteronomy 4:19, 8:19, and 11:16
- Why was Moses so insistent about not worshipping other gods?
Deuteronomy 5:8-10
- What “other gods” do we worship today?
- What kind of legacy does our worship choices have on our family?
Friday: Final Thoughts
Looking at the everyday choices we make in life, we seldom consider their outcome as very significant. Although, individually, our actions may not be making a great impact, they do contribute to our character development and the overall influence we have on others.
Whatever we do or say, wherever we go, we have an opportunity to glorify our Father in heaven or draw people’s hearts away from Him. The finality of our choices must always be kept in mind. The result always boils down to an eternity of life or death–being in the presence of our Creator or being separated from Him forever.
Just as in marriage, our commitment to God continues long after saying vows at the altar or in the baptismal font. Our commitment must be followed by daily efforts to keep the relationship alive and functioning.
The principle of love found in the Ten Commandments still blesses our lives today. Clinging to this moral law and the love it promotes will lead us in the direction of everlasting life, a state of being God designed for us in the beginning.
Thanks to the all-encompassing sacrifice of the Messiah, we can enjoy life, simply by choosing it and allowing God to transform our characters by keeping His commandments.
Next Week: Turn Their Hearts
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