In the Crucible with Christ
The Shepherd’s Crucible
Lesson #1 for July 2, 2022
Scriptures: Psalm 23;Romans 12:18-21.
[From the Bible study guide=BSG:] We are starting a long but all-important journey this quarterCa journey into the meaning of suffering, evil, and death. Yes, suffering can be studied as a separate phenomenon of human existence; it can be studied from a scientific or psychological perspective in such terms as perception, affections, and consequences. However, the biblical view on suffering is much deeper. The Bible explains the origin of sufferingCan origin that exonerates God from any responsibility for bringing sin into existence. The Bible also shows how God uses suffering as a transformational framework for our own enrichment, victory, and eternal life. If we imagine life as a journey, Psalm 23 is one of the best places to start, because it talks about a path. This path takes us through the highs and lows of our lives. More important, Someone is guiding us on that path. That Someone is more than a Guide; He is a caring and loving Shepherd. The most important questions for our journey, for our highs and lows, are: Do we know the Shepherd? Do we trust Him [the Good Shepherd] whatever happens or wherever He may decide to take us??Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 13.†‡§
Psalm 23:3-4: 3He gives me new strength.
He guides me in the right paths,
as he has promised.
4 Even if I go through the deepest darkness,
I will not be afraid, LORD,
for you are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me.?American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed.,Psalm 23:3-4). New York: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible].†‡
Psalm 23:1: The LORD is my shepherd;
I have everything I need.?Good News Bible.*
1 John 4:8,16: 8Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love….
16And we ourselves know and believe the love which God has for us.
God is love, and those who live in love live in union with God and God lives in union with them.?Good News Bible.*
Hebrews 13:8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever. [sic]?Good News Bible.*†‡
James 1:17: Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning.?Good News Bible.*
Psalm 23:1-6: The LORD is my shepherd;
I have everything I need.
2He lets me rest in fields of green grass
and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water.
3He gives me new strength.
He guides me in the right paths,
as he has promised.
4Even if I go through the deepest darkness,
I will not be afraid, LORD,
for you are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me.
5You prepare a banquet for me,
where all my enemies can see me;
you welcome me as an honoured guest
and fill my cup to the brim.
6I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life;
and your house will be my home as long as I live.?Good News Bible.*
Revelation 12:7-10: 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; 8but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. 9The huge dragon was thrown out—that ancient serpent, called the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, “Now God’s salvation has come! Now God has shown his power as King! Now his Messiah has shown his authority! For the one who stood before our God and accused our brothers and sisters day and night has been thrown out of heaven. 11Our brothers and sisters won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die. 12And so be glad, you heavens, and all you that live there! But how terrible for the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you, and he is filled with rage, because he knows that he has only a little time left.”?Good News Bible.*†
[BSG:] But why are these paths called “paths of righteousness” or “right paths” (NIV, NRSV)? Here are four important reasons. First, they are the right paths because they lead to the right destination?the Shepherd’s home. Second, they are the right paths because they keep us in harmony with the right Person?the Shepherd Himself. Third, they are the right paths because they train us to be the right people?like the Shepherd. Fourth, they are the right paths because they give us the right witness?as we become the right people, we give glory to the Lord. They are “right” or “righteous” paths, whether the going is easy or hard.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Monday, June 27.†‡§
Psalm 23:4: Even if I go through the deepest darkness,
I will not be afraid, LORD,
for you are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff protect me.?Good News Bible.*
[BSG:] At certain times of the year, the wadis and ravines found in Israel are prone to flash floods that can come unexpectedly and prove overwhelming. These places also are characteristically narrow, with steep sides that block out the light. Hence, “the shadow of death” is an image for “very deep shadow,” or “deep darkness.”?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, June 28.‡
[BSG:] “A lamb who found himself in the valley of the shadow of death might conclude that he had been falsely led. It was needful for him to traverse that darkness in order to learn not to fear. The shepherd is still with him.”—Elisabeth Elliot, Quest for Love (Grand Rapids, MI: Revell Books, 1996), p. 218.?[as quoted in the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, June 28].‡§
Psalm 23:5: You prepare a banquet for me,
where all my enemies can see me;
you welcome me as an honoured guest
and fill my cup to the brim.?Good News Bible.*†
Matthew 5:44: [Jesus said:] “But now I tell you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”?Good News Bible.*‡
Romans 12:18-21: 18Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. 19Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God’s anger do it. For the scripture says, “I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.” 20Instead, as the scripture says: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame.” 21Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.?Good News Bible.*
[BSG:] In David’s culture, when an honored guest came for a feast, the host would anoint his head with oil as the guest was about to enter the banqueting hall. The oil was a mixture of olive oil and perfume. Then the guest would be seated in front of far more food than one could ever eat.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Wednesday, June 29.‡
Ephesians 6:12: For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.?Good News Bible.*
Psalm 23:6: I know that your goodness and love will be with me all my life;
and your house will be my home as long as I live.?Good News Bible.*
Ephesians 1:4: Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.
Because of his love….?Good News Bible.*†
2 Peter 1:10: So then, my brothers and sisters, try even harder to make God’s call and his choice of you a permanent experience; if you do so, you will never abandon your faith.?Good News Bible.*†
Hebrews 11:13-15: 13 It was in faith that all these persons died. They did not receive the things God had promised, but from a long way off they saw them and welcomed them, and admitted openly that they were foreigners and refugees on earth. 14Those who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. 15They did not keep thinking about the country they had left; if they had, they would have had the chance to return.?Good News Bible.*
Since Hebrews 11 is the great chapter on faith, does that mean that everyone mentioned in that chapter is going to be saved? Samson? Gideon? The children of Israel?
[BSG:] Some translations say that goodness and unfailing love (God’s covenantal commitment) will “follow” me all the days of my life. However, the original verb is much stronger, and the text should read that goodness and unfailing love will “pursue” me all the days of my life. (In fact, it’s the same Hebrew verb used in such verses asGenesis 14:14,Joshua 10:19, and1 Samuel 25:29, where the idea of “pursuit” is very clear.)?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Thursday, June 30.†‡
Genesis 14:14: When Abram heard that his nephew had been captured, he called together all the fighting men in his camp, 318 in all, and pursued the four kings all the way to Dan.?Good News Bible.*†
Joshua 10:18-19: 18 “Place some guards there, 19but don’t stay there yourselves. Keep on after the enemy and attack them from the rear; don’t let them get to their cities! The LORD your God has given you victory over them.”?Good News Bible.*† [That surely is pursuit!]‡
[EGW:] Every soul is as fully known to Jesus as if he were the only one for whom the Saviour died.… He cares for each one as if there were not another on the face of the earth.?Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages* 480.1.†‡
[EGW:] The soul that has given himself to Christ is more precious in His sight than the whole world. The Saviour would have passed through the agony of Calvary that one might be saved in His kingdom. He will never abandon one for whom He has died. Unless His followers choose to leave Him, He will hold them fast.?Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages* 480.5.†‡
Of course, we know that Christ died not just for us, but for the entire onlooking universe. They needed to learn the truth about God and the truth about Satan.
[EGW:] “Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again.” That is, [Jesus was saying,] My Father has so loved you, that He even loves Me more for giving My life to redeem you. In becoming your substitute and surety, by surrendering My life, by taking your liabilities, your transgressions, I am endeared to My Father.?Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages* 483.5-484.0.†‡
[BSG:] One biblical representation of life is of a path through a landscape. This path follows a trajectory from birth to death. There are not one but two paths. The first is the good path, the path of justice or righteousness (Prov. 8:20) that leads to prosperity and life (Ps. 1:2, 3), for God Himself makes the path smooth (Prov. 2:8,Isa. 26:7). Those who walk on the good or righteous path are guided by the divine Word that serves as a lamp for their feet when life is dark (Ps. 119:105). Eventually, their path becomes progressively brighter as the midday (Prov. 4:18). Those on this path also acknowledge God in all aspects of life (Prov. 3:5, 6). Although this path leads to life, it is narrow, and few walk on it (Matt. 7:14). The second path is the bad, or the sinful, path. This is the wide path that leads to iniquity, superficial existence, and death (Ps. 1:4, 5; Prov. 14:12; Matt. 7:13).?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 13-14.‡§ [Are we sure which of these two paths we are on?]‡
Proverbs 5:21: The LORD sees everything you do. Wherever you go, he is watching.?Good News Bible.*
Proverbs 4:14: Do not go where evil people go. Do not follow the example of the wicked.?Good News Bible.*
Psalm 1:1: Happy are those
who reject the advice of evil people,
who do not follow the example of sinners
or join those who have no use for God.?Good News Bible.*
Ezekiel 33:11: [Ezekiel told the people that God had told him to say:] “Tell them that as surely as I, the Sovereign LORD, am the living God, I do not enjoy seeing sinners die. I would rather see them stop sinning and live. Israel, stop the evil you are doing. Why do you want to die?”?Good News Bible.*‡
(1) Yes, the end of each of the two paths is determined: the path of righteousness leads to life, and the path of iniquity leads to death. But being on one path or another is a matter of our choice. (2) If we decide to be on the path of righteousness, God promises that the righteous path will take us to life.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 14.† [Being on the right path does not mean there will be no problems!]‡
[BSG:] Fledgling Christianity was at first called “the Way” (Acts 9:2; Acts 19:9, 23; Acts 22:4; Acts 24:14, 22) or “ ‘the way to be saved’ ” (Acts 16:17, NIV). Apollos was “instructed in the way of the Lord” and received even more instruction while on it (Acts 18:25, 26, NKJV). The apostle Paul also associates religion with “walking” and insists that Christians can “no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind” (Eph. 4:17, NKJV). The apostle John exhorts us to “walk” in God’s commandments and in His love (2 John 1:6).?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 15.‡§
[BSG:] It is true that the history of Christianity is littered with apostasy, abuse, deception, and corruption; numerous times Christianity took divergent routes from Christ’s path. But this does not mean there is no path of righteousness to be followed. Jesus remains the Path, and He promises us that His path is the truth and that it will take us to life, eternal life…. Even if it is narrow, even if it has crucibles, it is the only, and the best, path to life. Our Shepherd will take us there.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 15.†‡
[BSG:] The Western concept and word “religion” comes from the Latin re (again) plus ligare (connect, tie)—to tie again, to reconnect. While it has been developed in the Western Christian environment, this term makes sense from the biblical perspective, too, and can be connected to the biblical view of religion as a “path” and “journey.” When humanity took the path to perdition, we lost the connection with God. Religion is that process through which humans and God are reconnected. But how do we reconnect with God? If religion is a “path” or “journey,” it is not an atemporal, ahistorical phenomenon, as in the pagan mythological or philosophical religions. Rather, in the biblical view, religion (or the reconnection of humanity with divinity) is a process in time and space. It is a personal and historical journey, both for God and for us. God comes to us and meets us where we are, in history. Another difference between pagan and biblical religions is that in pagan religions people must clear a path for themselves, to find the way to the world of the gods, to earn their favors, to reconnect to them, or to steal their secrets or the secret to eternal life. In the biblical religion, on the contrary, it is God Himself who clears the path to us. He comes to us, seeking to save us, to take us back to the path of life, to take us back to Himself. In fact, He Himself becomes the Path and the Guide and the Shepherd. He walks with us through that valley, guiding us on that path of reconnecting to God. This is God’s religion, the religion of grace!?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 15-16.†‡§
[BSG:] We can trust our Shepherd to take us through the crucibles of life because, before permitting us to pass through crucibles, the Shepherd Himself went through that crucible. But there is an essential difference between His crucible and ours. Many of our crucibles are caused by ourselves or other humans, or by the consequences of sin in general. The Shepherd’s crucible was caused by us [or by Satan], and He [God] took it upon Himself sacrificially, substitutionally, and redemptively. How does this understanding help you go through suffering??Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 17.†‡
©2022, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. †Bold type is added. ‡Text in brackets is added. §Italic type is in the source. ¶Compared with the first source, this source has punctuation and/or capitalization differences only. €This source has minor wording differences compared with the first source and may also have punctuation and/or capitalization differences. [email protected]
Last Modified: June 5, 2022
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