Friday, July 12
Read Ellen G. White, “The Law Given to Israel”, pp. 303-314; “God’s Care for the Poor”, pp. 530-536, in Patriarchs and Prophets.
“There is nothing, after their recognition of the claims of God, that more distinguishes the laws given by Moses than the liberal, tender, and hospitable spirit enjoined toward the poor. Although God had promised greatly to bless His people, it was not His design that poverty should be wholly unknown among them. He declared that the poor should never cease out of the land. There would ever be those among His people who would call into exercise their sympathy, tenderness, and benevolence. Then, as now, persons were subject to misfortune, sickness, and loss of property; yet so long as they followed the instruction given by God, there were no beggars among them, neither any who suffered for food”. Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 530, 531.
“These regulations were designed to bless the rich no less than the poor. They would restrain avarice and a disposition for self-exaltation, and would cultivate a noble spirit of benevolence; and by fostering good will and confidence between all classes, they would promote social order, the stability of government. We are all woven together in the great web of humanity, and whatever we can do to benefit and uplift others will reflect in blessing upon ourselves”. Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 534, 535.
Discussion Questions:
Of the blueprint God gave to Moses and the Israelites for the kind of society they were to establish, what feature, law or regulation, most catches your attention (whether it be specifically mentioned in this week’s study or from your wider reading)?
In the laws He gave to His people, why do you think God seems so focused on the most vulnerable?
How should we understand and relate to these laws today? How do we choose which of these are applicable and relevant to us today? What is the most important thing we can learn from these detailed instructions for how the Israelites were to order their society and lives?
Summary: God heard the cries of the suffering people of Israel in Egypt and intervened to rescue them. He sought to build a special covenant relationship with them and to work with them to establish a new society that would be a blessing to all, even those often forgotten, marginalized, and vulnerable.
