Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024006S
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00:12 ♪♪♪ 00:15 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:16 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:18 We're glad that you could join us for lesson number 6, 00:21 "I Will Arise." 00:24 Let's begin today with prayer. 00:26 Father, thank You for bringing us together again this week 00:29 as we continue to look at the Psalms and find encouragement 00:32 and answers to the challenging difficulties 00:35 that we find in life. 00:37 We ask that You'll bless us and encourage us 00:39 and help us to find hope once again this week. 00:42 And we thank You, in Jesus' name, amen. 00:45 Well, our guest once again this week 00:47 is Dr. Dragoslava Santrac. 00:49 She has a PhD in Old Testament and is absolutely thrilled 00:54 to be sharing with us about the book of Psalms. 00:57 Slava, thank you for being with us once again. 00:59 >>Dragoslava Santrac: Thank you for having me here. 01:01 >>Eric: So we are now looking at week number 6. 01:03 We're almost halfway through our studies 01:06 in the book of Psalms. 01:07 Last week, in week number 5, we kind of dwelt upon the hope, 01:11 or at least we ended with the hope, 01:13 that God is in charge, that ultimately 01:15 He's going to bring justice and restoration and so forth. 01:22 And what do the Psalms say makes God kind of the ultimate hope 01:27 that we have, and how does He intervene in the challenges 01:32 that we see going on in the world right now? 01:35 Where's the hope in that? Or how do we find hope in that? 01:39 >>Dragoslava: Well, God's power as Creator 01:42 and sovereign King and Judge is unparalleled in this world. 01:47 However, the key here that the psalmist highlights 01:52 so many times is that God can be trusted, 01:56 that He's reliable. 01:58 So, not only that He is able to do it, 02:01 He is willing to do it, and if we turn to Psalm 18, 02:07 which is a beautiful song to the God, the sovereign Savior, 02:14 we read that the psalmist is in deep trouble. 02:17 He says that "the pangs of death surrounded" him. 02:22 And in the midst of all of that, he proclaims a wonderful message 02:28 in verse 30: "As for God, His way is perfect; 02:34 the word of the Lord is proven." 02:38 Therefore, for the psalmist, this is so very important 02:42 to know, that God is not just able, 02:45 but that He has proven Himself to be reliable and trustworthy. 02:50 And we will see that it's done through creation, 02:53 and Psalm 18 employs the language of creation, 02:58 and we read about the clouds and fire 03:02 and thunders and seas and the foundations of the world 03:06 are uncovered and shaken when God is coming to save 03:11 and deliver His faithful people. 03:13 So, this creation language points to God's power, 03:17 but also to His involvement 03:19 with the world that He's created. 03:22 And in the midst of all of that, His word is proven to be true. 03:27 So God is faithful, and that's the source 03:29 of great hope for all who believe. 03:33 >>Eric: What about His intervention here in this world? 03:36 Again, sometimes people get this idea that God is-- 03:38 He's God, He's off somewhere in the universe doing His thing, 03:42 and while He may not really like what's happening here, 03:46 He's a little bit distant, a little bit removed from it. 03:49 But that's not the picture that we get here in Psalms, 03:51 is it? >>Dragoslava: Yes. 03:53 Well, we can maybe wonder, 03:55 was the psalmist's deliverance as dramatic 03:59 as the psalmist describes it in Psalm 18, 04:03 where God shoots His arrows and smoke went up 04:07 from His nostrils, and He's riding on the clouds? 04:11 It's a very dramatic scene, but we may wonder, is-- 04:16 did it really happen that way? 04:19 Well, for someone who was in deep trouble 04:22 and seen and was a witness of God's deliverance, 04:27 it is as dramatic and wonderful as it sounds in this psalm. 04:32 Though God will sometimes work in quiet ways 04:36 through circumstances that, to an unobservant person, 04:42 may seem like even a coincidence, 04:44 but working behind the scenes does not make 04:47 God's intervention a less intervention than it is. 04:51 But yes, God does answer prayers, 04:53 and He does intervene in the lives of His children. 04:57 And those who have experienced God's deliverance 05:01 in various ways in their lives, 05:03 they know that God is living and that He is there. 05:07 Though, sometimes, God does call us to wait, 05:10 but in His time, He will appear; He will intervene. 05:15 >>Eric: You know, some of this language 05:16 that you just shared here, with the arrows 05:19 and the smoke coming out of His nostrils, 05:20 you get this picture that God is not a-- 05:23 He's not a passive God; He's just-- 05:25 He's not in the background, kind of in the shadows, 05:28 but He's very much involved, 05:29 and sometimes in the book of Psalms 05:31 you see this depiction of Him as a warrior. 05:34 Now, we may not always think of God as a warrior. 05:38 I think we view Him as powerful, 05:41 but this warrior imagery is something that maybe 05:45 we could learn something more about God's character. 05:49 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes. 05:50 No, that's right, and the picture of war 05:53 and God as warrior, it's a little bit strange, 05:57 especially for us today. 05:58 But again, let's try to see this image 06:02 from the point of view of the oppressed, 06:05 from the point of view of those who suffer, who are imprisoned. 06:10 They need a warrior, not a weak God, 06:13 and God is definitely not weak. He is a warrior. 06:17 He takes the sufferings of His people seriously, 06:21 and the image of warrior points to the severity 06:26 and urgency of God's response. 06:28 And my favorite image or portrayal of God 06:32 as a warrior is in Psalm 98. 06:36 And here we can learn about the kind of warrior God is. 06:41 "Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! 06:44 "For He has done marvelous things; 06:46 "His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. 06:52 "The Lord has made known His salvation; 06:55 "His righteousness He has revealed 06:58 in the sight of the nations." 07:00 What kind of warrior is God? 07:03 God is the warrior who fights to bring salvation. 07:08 The verse says that "the Lord has made known His salvation." 07:14 And also "His holy arm has gained Him the victory." 07:18 The word for, the Hebrew word for "victory," "hoshiah" here, 07:22 also means "salvation," so the Lord wages wars 07:27 to bring salvation to people, 07:30 to those who are oppressed and to those who suffer. 07:34 And what I also find very encouraging 07:37 and inspiring here 07:38 is that the psalm says that God gave-- 07:42 gained Him the victory and made known His salvation. 07:49 We may wonder, how is it that God gained Him a victory? 07:54 Did He need that victory? Was the salvation for Himself? 07:58 Well, obviously here God is identifying Himself 08:03 with the oppressed, with the suffering, 08:05 with His people, meaning that their salvation 08:09 is His salvation; His victory is their victory. 08:14 And there is also this universalistic approach, 08:20 universal salvation, because "the earth," verse 3, 08:24 "have seen the salvation of...God. 08:28 Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth." 08:31 So this is the kind of warrior that we talk about 08:36 when we speak of God as warrior. 08:38 >>Eric: So it's a warrior who connects Himself 08:41 with those who are going through the challenges, 08:44 who maybe don't feel that they have the power, 08:47 they're in a position where they feel powerless, 08:52 but they can see that they have a God who is all-powerful, 08:55 who fights on their side and fights on their behalf. 08:57 The psalmist uses a lot of these words, 09:01 but did God always fight on the side of the psalmist? 09:05 Did the psalmist always receive the answers to the prayers 09:11 that he expected, that he hoped? 09:14 My suspicion is it's maybe not always what he hoped. 09:18 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, and I believe that many of us 09:22 are wondering the same thing: 09:24 Does God always intervene? 09:26 And when we read the Psalms, the Psalms are full of hope 09:30 and confidence, and we may get this idea that, 09:33 "Well, it was easy for the psalmist. 09:35 Look, God would always intervene immediately." 09:39 But it was not always so. 09:41 And many Psalms actually tell us about that and teach us 09:46 what to do in situations like this. 09:48 For example, Psalms 142, if maybe someone is going 09:54 through the period of waiting on God 09:57 and praying and still not receiving 10:00 the answer from God, reading Psalms 142 and 143, 10:07 these earnest prayers for deliverance, 10:09 and although the psalmist 10:12 still does not have the answer from God, 10:15 he resolves to doing something. 10:18 The psalmist is not passive. 10:20 He's not being depressed and worrying. 10:24 Instead, he turns to meditating and remembering: 10:29 "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; 10:34 I muse on the work of Your hand." 10:38 And this is the continuation of his plea for deliverance, 10:43 and the psalmist now turns to the sources of hope, 10:47 which is God's intervention in the past, 10:50 and the triple repetition here: 10:54 "I remember, I meditate, I muse" 10:57 tells us of this fervent need to draw closer to God. 11:02 And then we also have these beautiful expressions: 11:05 "I muse on the work of Your hand," 11:08 and then in the next verse, the psalmist says "my hand"-- 11:12 Your hand, my hand. 11:14 Then in verse 7: "my spirit." 11:17 In verse 10, he says: "Your Spirit." 11:21 "Your hand, my hand, my spirit, Your Spirit"-- 11:24 in these times of waiting, the psalmist fervently wants 11:29 to draw near, near to God. 11:32 >>Eric: Yeah, and I think God wants to see that. 11:35 He longs to be close to us. 11:37 He longs to be near us, or, I mean, He is near us, 11:40 He is close to us, but He longs for us to recognize 11:43 that He is near us and that He is close to us, 11:45 and sometimes, unfortunately, we forget that, 11:48 especially when we're going through difficult times, 11:51 through challenging times. 11:53 But these are psalms that can help us to see 11:56 that we're not alone when we feel...discouraged, 12:01 when we feel that life is against us, that they-- 12:05 whoever "they" happen to be-- 12:07 but they are making our lives difficult. 12:10 God's right there. 12:12 And He wants us to place our hands in His hands, 12:15 and our spirit united with His Spirit can give us hope 12:18 and can give us encouragement. 12:20 These are some incredible psalms we're looking at, 12:24 "I Will Arise." 12:25 And if you want to dig more into 12:27 this quarter's Sabbath school lesson, 12:29 make sure that you pick up the companion book 12:31 to this quarter's Sabbath school lesson. 12:34 You will find it at itiswritten.shop. 12:37 It's on, of course, the book of Psalms, 12:39 and Dr. Martin Klingbeil is the author, 12:42 and he is a wealth of information 12:45 on the book of Psalms. 12:47 So between the study guide that you're going through right now 12:50 and Dr. Klingbeil's book, 12:51 you're going to find additional depth, 12:54 you're going to find more meaning, 12:56 greater understanding of the book of Psalms, 13:00 and through that, not only will your own strength 13:03 or your own walk be strengthened, 13:05 but you're going to find that others will be as well 13:08 as you seek to share encouragement 13:10 and hope with them. 13:12 We're going to be back in just a moment 13:13 as we continue looking at lesson number 6, 13:16 "I Will Arise." 13:17 ♪♪♪ 13:21 >>John Bradshaw: It's one of the great stories of the Bible: 13:23 a shepherd boy against a giant. 13:25 It's a story that speaks to your story: 13:28 human beings weakened by years of sin up against an enemy 13:31 with years of experience in sin. 13:33 I'm John Bradshaw. 13:35 Join me on location in Israel for "David and Goliath." 13:39 We'll go to the Valley of Elah where the conflict 13:41 between Judah and the Philistines took place. 13:43 We'll visit the stream where David selected five stones 13:46 and see the hillsides on which Israel 13:49 and the Philistines camped. 13:50 The Bible comes alive in "David and Goliath": 13:53 faith in the face of darkness, 13:56 faith in the midst of faithlessness and failure, 13:58 and reliance upon God when all other hope is gone. 14:02 "David and Goliath," filmed on location in Israel. 14:05 Hope in the midst of trials, the power of a mighty God, 14:09 deliverance when deliverance is needed. 14:13 Don't miss "David and Goliath," 14:15 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 14:21 >>John: More and more people are watching It Is Written TV. 14:25 They're watching their favorite "It Is Written" programs, 14:28 listening to inspiring sermon series, 14:31 and much more. 14:33 They're watching them here, here, and even here. 14:37 See for yourself why people are turning to It Is Written TV 14:40 to watch their favorite Christian programs live 14:43 and on demand. 14:44 Watch It Is Written TV for free anytime on Roku, 14:48 Apple TV, and at itiswritten.tv. 14:51 ♪♪♪ 14:56 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:57 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:59 We're continuing our study of lesson number 6, 15:01 "I Will Arise." 15:03 Slava, let me ask you this question. 15:05 It's clear that God intervenes from time to time 15:08 in earth's history. 15:09 We know that He's going to be intervening 15:11 when Jesus comes back again. 15:14 But are there times when God expects His people-- 15:17 you, me, others-- to play an active role 15:21 in the restorative work 15:22 that He is doing here on Planet Earth? 15:25 Where do we fit in to all this, 15:27 or is He just kind of doing everything on His own, 15:29 and we just hope for the best? 15:32 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, sometimes it becomes so easy 15:35 to take the Psalms and other parts of the Bible, 15:39 where God speaks about His intervention 15:42 and His acts of salvation and deliverance, 15:45 to take all these verses and serve 15:48 as a kind of excuse for us to do nothing. 15:52 Why? Because God will do everything. 15:55 However, the Psalms do not give us this excuse 16:00 to give over to God our responsibility, 16:05 and we do play a significant part 16:07 and have a responsibility when it comes to the deliverance 16:11 and seeking justice and restoring the world 16:14 to what God wants it to be. 16:16 And we can mention several psalms in this context. 16:20 For example, Psalm 41, 16:23 it says, "Blessed is he who considers the poor; 16:28 "the Lord will deliver him in [the] time of trouble. 16:32 "The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, 16:35 and he will be blessed on the earth." 16:38 So here we see that the Lord puts together 16:43 our consideration for the poor, 16:46 our work on alleviating suffering in the world, 16:50 with our own salvation and blessing and wellbeing. 16:54 "Blessed is the one who considers the poor." 16:57 So we are to consider the poor; we are to be involved 17:01 in the work of helping the unfortunate 17:05 and restoring the justice in the world. 17:08 And then Psalm 82, 17:10 this is an excellent, excellent psalm that speaks 17:15 about our responsibility in God's work on this earth. 17:21 And it is the psalm, a plea for justice, 17:24 and we see God standing "in the congregation 17:28 of the mighty," and then it says, 17:31 "He judges among the gods." 17:34 A very interesting choice of words. 17:37 Why would God call the gods? 17:41 Why is He judging among the gods? 17:43 And then we are trying to understand 17:46 the identity of these gods, and God says, 17:48 "How long will you judge unjustly, 17:52 "and show partiality to the wicked? 17:55 "Defend the poor and fatherless; 17:57 "do justice to the afflicted and [the] needy. 18:01 "Deliver the poor and needy; 18:03 free them from the hand of the wicked." 18:06 And these are all requirements we find in Deuteronomy 18:10 and requirements that God had of His leaders and judges, 18:15 but, by extent, of His people as well. 18:18 So, God expects His people to be involved. 18:22 But it's interesting that God calls the judges "gods." 18:26 And there is a whole poetic ambiguity 18:29 and wordplay in this psalm 18:33 where God is calling people who think they have authority 18:37 and behave as if they are gods because they are above the law, 18:42 or they think that they're above the law. 18:44 But then God says, "I'm the one who will stand and judge you." 18:49 And then later it says, "You are gods.... 18:52 But you shall die like men." So you think you are gods. 18:56 You do have this authority and privilege from me 18:59 to serve as leaders, 19:01 but if you don't use it justly and correctly, 19:05 you will die like mere men because that's exactly 19:08 what you are. 19:10 No one is above the law. 19:12 >>Eric: That really helps, I think, 19:14 put everybody right where they ought to be, 19:17 because there are some people today 19:18 who are in positions of authority 19:20 who may do things that are out of line 19:25 with God's will-- we'll put it that way-- 19:27 and think that they don't have to answer to anybody. 19:30 Well, ultimately, what it sounds like here is 19:32 that God is going to-- He's going to be just, 19:35 He's going to bring fairness and justice in the end. 19:40 How much should we be involved in? 19:43 Where--is there a line between-- can we try to do God's work? 19:47 Or where does our work end? 19:50 Is there--or do the two work together? 19:53 Is there a hard line between God's work 19:55 and our work, or is He trying to help us 19:58 find ways to work in concert with Him as we try to relieve 20:03 the pain and the suffering of the needy and the poor? 20:07 How does that all work together? 20:08 >>Dragoslava: Well, you already hinted it correctly, 20:11 that this is combined work with God. 20:15 It is not us who are doing our work; 20:18 it is us joining God in His work. 20:21 And that's why prayer is very important 20:24 and seeking God's will 20:26 because we don't want to have projects of our own 20:30 and trying to impress God and people. 20:33 We ask God, humbly, to give us the opportunity and show us 20:39 the ways how we can join Him in His work of restoration. 20:43 And God will lead us. 20:45 God will open the doors and give the opportunities for that. 20:50 >>Eric: So we're talking about helping those who are in need. 20:53 The term "social justice" is frequently talked of these days. 21:00 How does social justice fit with what we're talking about? 21:04 Are they kind of part and parcel? 21:06 Are they separate? Are they different? 21:08 How does this all fit together in Psalms? 21:10 >>Dragoslava: Well, in the Psalms, 21:11 there is no such term as "social justice." 21:14 I'm not sure if that phrase appears in the Bible. 21:18 "Social justice" is something that, 21:20 in these modern times, we like to talk about a lot. 21:24 Because for the psalmist, justice, 21:27 social justice, what we call social justice, 21:30 is an inevitable part of personal piety. 21:34 That's not a separate thing that we do. 21:37 Oh, we serve God here, 21:40 but then we remember that there is something 21:42 called "social justice," 21:44 and then we go and do it sporadically. 21:46 Doing social justice, taking care of our communities, 21:50 helping people, being involved, 21:53 is what piety, faith in action is all about. 21:58 And that's why we see in the Psalms 22:01 that what we call social justice and worship 22:04 are tied very closely together. 22:07 And we can point to certain psalms and read about that. 22:12 >>Eric: So, what might that look like in practical terms? 22:16 Let's say I'm living my life, and I happen to see 22:20 an opportunity to help someone. 22:22 How might that play itself out, 22:25 and how would that be an extension, a connection 22:28 of my worship with God? 22:30 >>Dragoslava: Well, let's go and check some of the Psalms, 22:33 especially Psalms 15 and 24 can help us in that regard, 22:40 where we see that what you mentioned, Eric, 22:43 is a way of life, is not something 22:46 that we necessarily think about. 22:49 It is the way we respond, almost naturally, 22:53 because we live at the center of God's will 22:56 and His Spirit. 22:58 And we read here in Psalm 15, 23:02 "Who may abide in Your tabernacle, Lord? 23:06 Who may dwell in Your holy hill?" 23:10 So, therefore, if we are to abide in God's presence, 23:13 then verse 2 says, "He who walks uprightly, 23:17 "and works righteousness, 23:19 "and speaks the truth in his heart; 23:22 "he who does not backbite with his tongue, 23:25 "nor does evil to his neighbor, 23:28 "nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; 23:33 "in whose eyes a vile person is despised, 23:37 but he honors those who fear God," 23:40 et cetera, et cetera. 23:41 And then he does not take money from the innocent, and then, 23:46 "He who does these things shall never be moved." 23:50 So in order to abide in God's presence, 23:53 we need to live and we live like God lives: 23:58 His values, His character is reflected in us. 24:03 Or Psalm 24, just briefly: 24:06 "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? 24:10 "Or who may stand in His holy place? 24:14 "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, 24:17 "who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, 24:21 "nor sworn deceitfully. 24:24 He shall receive [the] blessing from the Lord," et cetera. 24:27 So, ethical choices that we make in life are part of worship. 24:32 And what we do in our everyday life opportunities 24:36 that God places on our path, 24:39 we should not take them as something 24:41 that happened by chance. 24:44 It is maybe God who placed them. 24:46 If we remember Jesus, when the people asked, 24:49 "Lord, When did we see You in prison? 24:52 When did we see You naked or hungry and helped You?" 24:56 What did Jesus say? 24:58 "When you did to the least of these children of mine, 25:02 you did it to me," yes. 25:04 >>Eric: You know, in joining hands with God, 25:07 if I can use that imagery in this, 25:10 not only are we helping others, but in helping others, 25:15 I'm going to assume that there's a benefit 25:18 to ourselves, that somehow that helps us. 25:21 How can--what's the benefit to us in helping others? 25:27 >>Dragoslava: Well, as Psalm 41, 25:29 when we partner with God in doing these things, 25:33 we ourselves are blessed 25:36 because we are brought closer to God. 25:39 We get to understand who God really is 25:41 and what His mission in this world is all about. 25:45 We get strengthened, we get restored, 25:49 we get encouraged, 25:51 and we learn to be thankful and satisfied in all circumstances. 25:57 Like the apostle Paul said, 25:59 "I know how to have plenty and to have little," 26:02 because we partner with God, and we understand the path 26:06 that Jesus went through, and we are following Him. 26:11 >>Eric: Slava, if somebody was kind of thinking right now, 26:14 "I know of an opportunity. What should I do?" 26:19 How would you encourage them in that? 26:21 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, I would tell them-- 26:23 I would tell you to join the psalmist 26:27 and not remain silent in the face of injustices 26:32 and oppression. 26:33 Raise your voices in prayer to God 26:37 and ask God for the opportunities 26:40 and for these wonderful privileges 26:43 to join with Him and partner with Him 26:46 in doing His work in this world. 26:49 And let Psalm 72 serve as both as encouragement 26:56 and guidance to us. 26:59 "For He"--the Lord-- 27:00 "will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, 27:05 "and him who has no helper. 27:07 "He will spare the poor and [the] needy, 27:10 "and will save the souls of the needy. 27:13 "He will redeem their life from [the] oppression 27:17 and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight." 27:22 It is both an encouragement of our deliverance, 27:25 but also a call for us to join God in His work 27:29 of deliverance of people. 27:31 >>Eric: Slava, thank you for helping us to see today 27:33 how we can join hands with God in helping His children 27:37 who are going through challenging times. 27:39 We hope that you also have been encouraged 27:42 as you've seen how we can link hands, 27:45 link arms with God and be a blessing to others. 27:48 We're going to continue our study of the Psalms 27:50 next week as we look at lesson number 7, 27:53 and we look forward to having you join us as well. 27:55 This has been "Sabbath School," 27:57 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:59 ♪♪♪ 28:23 ♪♪♪ 28:26 [Captioning provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-02-01