Friday, January 1
In the context of Isaiah 1:4, Ellen White wrote: “The professed people of God had separated from God, and had lost their wisdom and perverted their understanding. They could not see afar off; for they had forgotten that they had been purged from their old sins. They moved restlessly and uncertainly under darkness, seeking to obliterate from their minds the memory of the freedom, assurance, and happiness of their former estate. They plunged into all kinds of presumptuous, foolhardy madness, placed themselves in opposition to the providences of God, and deepened the guilt that was already upon them. They listened to the charges of Satan against the divine character, and represented God as devoid of mercy and forgiveness.” The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4, p. 1137
Discussion Questions:
1. How can you “wash yourselves”? What does that phrase mean? (See Philippians 2:12, 13)
2. How did Jesus adapt, expand, and apply the love song of the vineyard? Matthew 21:33-45, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-19. What lessons are in the above story for us as Seventh-day Adventists?
3. What is the relationship between the forgiveness God offers and the transformation He accomplishes in our lives? Which comes first, transformation and then forgiveness, or forgiveness and then transformation? And why is it important to know which comes first?
4. In the quotation above, Ellen G. White says people placed themselves in opposition to “the providences of God.” What does that mean?
Summary: When God’s people forget Him and take His blessings for granted, He reminds them they are accountable to their covenant with Him. Mercifully, He points out their condition, warns them about the destructive consequences of abandoning His protection, and urges them to allow Him to heal and cleanse them.
