Sabbath, October 15, 2022

Lesson 16 Help from the Sanctuary

“The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion.” Psalm 20:1, 2.

“From the creation and fall of man to the present time, there has been a continual unfolding of the plan of God for the redemption, through Christ, of the fallen race. The tabernacle and temple of God on earth were patterned after the original in heaven. Around the sanctuary and its solemn services mystically gathered the grand truths which were to be developed through succeeding generations.” –The Faith I Live By, p. 194.

SUNDAY

Inside the sanctuary

1. What does one who seeks guidance, assistance, and light find in the sanctuary?

Psalms 96:6; 63:2, 3 Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary…. 63:2To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

“There has been no time when God has granted greater evidences of His grandeur and exalted majesty than while He was the acknowledged governor of Israel. The manifestations of an invisible King were grand and unspeakably awful. A scepter was swayed, but it was held by no human hand. The sacred ark, covered by the mercy seat, and containing the holy law of God, was symbolical of Jehovah Himself. It was the power of the Israelites…. Before it idols were thrown down, and for rashly looking into it thousands perished. Never in our world has the Lord given such open manifestations of His supremacy as when He alone was the acknowledged king of Israel.” –The Faith I Live By, p. 194.

MONDAY

2. In face of human arrogance and injustice for which we have no solution or answer, where do we find light?

Psalms 73:16, 17; 27:4, 5 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; 17Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end…. 27:4One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. 5For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

“Christ sees the termination of the conflict. The battle is waging more and more fiercely. Soon He will come whose right it is, and will take possession of all earthly things. All the confusion in our world, all the violence and crime, are a fulfilment of the words of Christ. They are the signs of the nearness of His coming. In that day of His coming, Christ will preserve those who have followed Him, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He has pledged Himself to be their sanctuary. He says to them, Enter thou into a safe retreat for a little moment, and hide thee until I shall cleanse the earth from her iniquity.” –Sons and Daughters of God, p. 354.

TUESDAY

Help and support from the sanctuary

3. What does the psalmist pray for God’s people in the day of tribulation and distress? What comes from the sanctuary?

Psalms 20:1, 2; 3:4 The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; 2Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;… 3:4I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill.

“There is joy and consolation for the true-hearted, faithful Christian, that the world knows not of. To them it is a mystery. The Christian’s hope is big with immortality and full of glory. It reacheth to that within the veil, and is as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast. And when the storm of God’s wrath shall come upon the ungodly, this hope will not fail them, but they are hid as in the secret of His pavilion.” –Sons and Daughters of God, p. 354.

WEDNESDAY

The psalmist’s great longing

4. Amid life’s many problems, what was the psalmist’s great yearning? What does he say about those who seek the house of the Lord?

Psalm 84:2-4, 10 My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. 3Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. 4Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee…. 10For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

“If we do not receive the religion of Christ by feeding upon the word of God, we shall not be entitled to an entrance into the city of God. Having lived on earthlyfood, having educated our tastes to love worldly things, we would not be fitted for the heavenly courts; we could not appreciate the pure, heavenly current that circulates in heaven. The voices of the angels and the music of their harps would not satisfy us. The science of heaven would be as an enigma to our minds. We need to hunger and thirst for the righteousness of Christ; we need to be molded and fashioned by the transforming influence of His grace, that we may be fitted for the society of heavenly angels.” –God’s Amazing Grace, p. 251.

THURSDAY

5. What wonderful prospect have those who have their delight in the house of the Lord?

Psalms 84:4; 65:4; 92:13 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee…. 65:4Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple… 92:13Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Jeremiah 17:7, 8 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

“The great reason of such feeble Christianity is that those who claim to believe the truth have so little knowledge of Christ, and so low an estimate of what He will be to them, and what they may be to Him. We have the most solemn, weighty truths ever committed to mortals. Were our words, our thoughts our actions, more pure and elevated, more in accordance with the holy faith we profess, we should view our responsibilities in a far different light. How solemn, how sacred, they would appear. We would have a deeper sense of our obligations, and should make it our constant aim to perfect holiness in the fear of God. Earthly, temporal things would be subordinate to the heavenly and eternal.

“The language of the heart and lips would be, as expressed by the Psalmist: ‘How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Yes, the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even Thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in Thine house: they will be still praising Thee.’” –The Ellen G. White 1888 Material, pp. 1099, 1100.

FRIDAY

Praising the Lord in His house

6. What should those who regularly go to the house of the Lord render to Him, especially since they know of the blessings bestowed in that sacred place?

Psalms 135:1, 2; 134:1, 2 Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the name of the Lord; praise him, O ye servants of the Lord. 2Ye that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God…. 134:1Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. 2Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.

“There is need of prayer–most earnest, fervent, agonizing prayer–such prayer as David offered when he exclaimed: ‘As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.’ ‘I have longed after Thy precepts’; ‘I have longed for Thy salvation.’ ‘My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of theLord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.’ ‘My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto Thy judgments.’ Psalms 42:1; 119:40, 174; 84:2; 119:20. This is the spirit of wrestling prayer, such as was possessed by the royal psalmist….” –In Heavenly Places, p. 73.

“I have heard those who have been in the faith for years, say that they used to be able to endure trial and difficulty, but since the infirmities of age began to press upon them, they had been greatly distressed when brought under discipline. What does this mean? Does it mean that Jesus has ceased to be your Saviour? Does it mean that when you are old and gray-headed, you are privileged to display unholy passion? Think of this. You should use your reasoning powers in this matter, as you do in temporal things. You should deny self, and make your service to God the first business of your life. You must not permit anything to disturb your peace. There is no need of it; there must be a constant growth, a constant progress in the divine life.” –Selected Messages, book 2, p. 222.

SABBATH

7. Who was a type of sanctuary in the time of Exodus? Today who repre- sents the Lord’s sanctuary?

Psalm 114:1, 2 When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language; 2Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.

1 Corinthians 3:9, last part, 16, 17 … Ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s build- ing…. 16Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwell- eth in you? 17If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

“There are troublous times before us; the judgments of God are coming upon our world. The nations of the earth are to tremble. There will be trials and perplexities on every hand; men’s hearts will fail them for fear. And what shall we do in that day? Though the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and be removed like a cottage, if we have made God our trust, He will deliver us. ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’ ‘Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee…. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.’” –Sons and Daughters of God, p. 354.

Prayer is always answered for good

“We may commune with God in our hearts; we may walk in companionship with Christ. When engaged in our daily labor, we may breathe out our heart’s desire, inaudible to any human ear; but that word cannot die away into silence, nor can it be lost. Nothing can drown the soul’s desire. It rises above the din of the street, above the noise of machinery. It is God to whom we are speaking, and our prayer is heard. “Ask, then; ask, and ye shall receive. Ask for humility, wisdom, courage, increase of faith. To every sincere prayer an answer will come. It may not come just as you desire, or at the time you look for it; but it will come in the way and at the time that will best meet your need. The prayers you offer in loneliness, in weariness, in trial, God answers, not always according to your expectations, but always for your good.” –Gospel Workers, p. 258.