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Sabbath Bible Lessons

Light for Today From the Sanctuary Service

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Lesson 4 Sabbath, April 23, 2011

A Corrupt Priesthood

“Neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them” (Nehemiah 9:34).

“The example of those who minister in holy things should be such as to impress the people with reverence for God and with fear to offend Him. When men, standing ‘in Christ’s stead’ (2 Corinthians 5:20) to speak to the people God’s message of mercy and reconciliation, use their sacred calling as a cloak for selfish or sensual gratification, they make themselves the most effective agents of Satan. Like Hophni and Phinehas, they cause men to ‘abhor the offering of the Lord.’ ”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 580.

Suggested Reading:   Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 575-580

Sunday April 17

1. THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL IN THE PROMISED LAND

a. Where did the Israelites set up their temporary headquarters, with the tabernacle, after crossing the Jordan? Joshua 4:19; 5:10; 10:6.

“A short distance from Jordan the Hebrews made their first encampment in Canaan. Here Joshua ‘circumcised the children of Israel;’ ‘and the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover’ (Joshua 5:3, 10).”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 485.

b. Where was the tabernacle set up after the Israelites had settled in the land of Canaan? Joshua 18:1.

“Heretofore Gilgal had been the headquarters of the nation and the seat of the tabernacle. But now the tabernacle was to be removed to the place chosen for its permanent location. This was Shiloh, a little town in the lot of Ephraim. It was near the center of the land, and was easy of access to all the tribes.”—Ibid., p. 514.


Monday April 18

2. A STATE OF ANARCHY

a. Describe Israel’s apostasy, starting with the priesthood, toward the end of the period of the Judges. 1 Samuel 2:12, 17, 22. What effect did the high priest’s mild rebuke have on his sons? 1 Samuel 2:23–25.

“The people stood in awe of the priests [Hophni and Phinehas], and submitted to their unlawful claims, robbing themselves of their rightful share of the offering. Thus, appetite, selfishness, and avarice triumphed, exerting their evil influence upon the people at the very time when every heart should have been directed in penitence and faith to the great Sacrifice which was to take away the sins of the world. These things had a telling influence upon the people, and they were fast losing all sense of the sacredness of the sacrificial offerings, and of the importance of attending upon the services of the sanctuary.

“The recreant priests added licentiousness to the dark catalogue of their crimes; yet they still polluted by their presence the tabernacle of the Lord, and, laden with sin, dared to come into the presence of a holy God. As the men of Israel witnessed the corrupt course of the priests, they thought it safer for their families not to come up to the appointed place of worship. Many went from Shiloh with their peace disturbed, their indignation aroused, until they at last determined to offer their sacrifices themselves, concluding that this would be fully as acceptable to God, as to sanction in any manner the abominations practiced in the sanctuary.”—The Signs of the Times, December 1, 1881.

b. What message did God send to Eli the high priest? 1 Samuel 2:27–29, 34, 35. How was the message regarded?

“Eli did not manifest the fruits of true repentance. He confessed his guilt, but failed to renounce the sin. Year after year the Lord delayed His threatened judgments. Much might have been done in those years to redeem the failures of the past, but the aged priest took no effective measures to correct the evils that were polluting the sanctuary of the Lord and leading thousands in Israel to ruin. The forbearance of God caused Hophni and Phinehas to harden their hearts and to become still bolder in transgression. The messages of warning and reproof to his house were made known by Eli to the whole nation. . . . But the warnings were disregarded by the people, as they had been by the priests.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 582.


Tuesday April 19

3. ELI HELD RESPONSIBLE

a. Through whom and how did God warn Eli the second time?

1 Samuel 3:2–18.

“Eli was priest and judge in Israel. He held the highest and most responsible positions among the people of God. As a man divinely chosen for the sacred duties of the priesthood, and set over the land as the highest judicial authority, he was looked up to as an example, and he wielded a great influence over the tribes of Israel. But although he had been appointed to govern the people, he did not rule his own household. Eli was an indulgent father. Loving peace and ease, he did not exercise his authority to correct the evil habits and passions of his children. Rather than contend with them or punish them, he would submit to their will and give them their own way. Instead of regarding the education of his sons as one of the most important of his responsibilities, he treated the matter as of little consequence.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 575.

b. Describe the differences between Eli and Abraham with regard to parental responsibility. 1 Samuel 2:30; Genesis 18:19.

“Eli allowed his children to control him. The father became subject to the children. The curse of transgression was apparent in the corruption and evil that marked the course of his sons. They had no proper appreciation of the character of God or of the sacredness of His law. His service was to them a common thing. From childhood they had been accustomed to the sanctuary and its service; but instead of becoming more reverent, they had lost all sense of its holiness and significance.”—Ibid., pp. 575, 576.

“In what striking contrast do the cases of Eli and Abraham stand! The example of one is given that parents may shun a similar course; the example of the other is given for parents to imitate. The characteristics of each stand out sharp and distinct. Each was doing a work the result of which would not only be seen in his own life, but would reach down to future generations, to his children, and to his children’s children. The influence that a person exerts in his own family is that which testifies of the genuineness of his religious experience.”—The Review and Herald, May 4, 1886.


Wednesday April 20

4. A LESSON FOR TODAY

a. What will a wise father do if he loves his children? Proverbs 3:11, 12; 22:15. How will adolescents prove whether they are wise or foolish? Proverbs 10:1, 8; 13:1; 15:5, 20.

“Those who follow their own inclination, in blind affection for their children, indulging them in the gratification of their selfish desires, and do not bring to bear the authority of God to rebuke sin and correct evil, make it manifest that they are honoring their wicked children more than they honor God. They are more anxious to shield their reputation than to glorify God; more desirous to please their children than to please the Lord. . . .

“Those who have too little courage to reprove wrong, or who through indolence or lack of interest make no earnest effort to purify the family or the church of God, are held accountable for the evil that may result from their neglect of duty. We are just as responsible for evils that we might have checked in others by exercise of parental or pastoral authority as if the acts had been our own.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 578.

b. How does the Bible emphasize the importance of receiving correction? Hebrews 12:5–8. How can we help those who are spiritually lame? Hebrews 12:13; Galatians 6:1.

“Many appear to be steadfast in the truth, firm, decided on every point of our faith; yet there is a great lack in them—the tenderness and love which marked the character of the great Pattern. If a brother errs from the truth, if he falls into temptation, they make no effort to restore him in meekness, considering themselves lest they also be tempted. They seem to regard it as their special work to climb upon the judgment seat and condemn and disfellowship. . . . [Galatians 6:1 quoted.] The spirit of this passage is altogether too rare in our churches. It is the lack of it that shuts out the Spirit of God from the heart, from the home, from the church. Shall we not henceforth practice the Bible plan of restoring erring ones in the spirit of meekness? Shall we not have the spirit of Jesus, and work as He worked? . . .

“Treat with respect and deference even your most bitter enemies, who would injure you if they could.”—The Review and Herald, December 16, 1884.


Thursday April 21

5. ISRAEL DEFEATED AND THE ARK TAKEN

a. What did the Israelites do when they were defeated by the Philistines? 1 Samuel 4:1–4. What was the outcome? 1 Samuel 4:10, 11; 5:1, 2.

“The greater the knowledge of God’s will, the greater the sin of those who disregard it.

“The most terrifying calamity that could occur had befallen Israel. The ark of God had been captured and was in the possession of the enemy. The glory had indeed departed from Israel when the symbol of the abiding presence and power of Jehovah was removed from the midst of them.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 584.

b. When a messenger came running to bring the sad news to Eli, how did the high priest and the people in Shiloh react? 1 Samuel 4:12–18.

“The thought that [Eli’s] sin had thus dishonored God and caused Him to withdraw His presence from Israel was more than he could bear; his strength was gone, he fell, ‘and his neck brake, and he died’ (1 Samuel 4:18).”—Ibid., p. 585.

c. How was that dreadful experience brought before the Israelites repeatedly, and for what purpose? Psalm 78:56–61; Jeremiah 7:12, 14.

“[The children of men] refused to listen to the voice of God in His created works, and in the warnings, counsels, and reproofs of His word, and thus He was forced to speak to them through judgments.”—Ibid., p. 588.


Friday April 22

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

a. Where did the Israelites establish their headquarters in the promised land, and to what place did they later move the sanctuary?

b. Describe the situation in Israel in the days of Eli the priest.

c. Why did God hold Eli responsible?

d. How does the Bible distinguish a right education from wrong one?

e. What did God want to teach Israel through the tragic Shiloh event?

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