Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024005S
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00:11 ♪♪♪ 00:15 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:17 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:18 We're glad that you could join us again this week. 00:20 This week, we are looking at lesson number 5, 00:24 "Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land," 00:27 a fascinating subject 00:29 that we're going to be looking at this week, 00:30 and we're glad that you could join us. 00:32 Let's begin with prayer. 00:34 Father, thank You for leading us through the book of Psalms 00:37 and helping us to gain a better understanding 00:39 of the purpose of the Psalms 00:40 and what we can benefit from them 00:43 and what we can share with others that may benefit them. 00:46 We ask that You'll bless our time together today, 00:48 and we thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 00:51 Well, our guest this week once again 00:53 is Dr. Dragoslava Santrac. 00:55 She is a PhD, or has a PhD, in Old Testament 00:59 and is the author of this quarter's 01:01 "Sabbath School" lesson. 01:02 Slava, thanks for joining us again today. 01:04 >>Dragoslava Santrac: I'm honored to be here. 01:06 >>Eric: Now, we've had an exciting journey so far, 01:08 and now we're 5 weeks into this particular quarter, 01:12 and this week's lesson is 01:13 "Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land." 01:16 That's kind of a-- it's a strange title. 01:19 What is this week's lesson all about? 01:21 >>Dragoslava: Mmm. Well, the title is taken from Psalm 137, 01:27 and in this psalm we read about the sentiments of God's people, 01:34 who are being taken to exile, to Babylon, 01:38 and on the way to Babylon their captors ask them 01:43 to sing the songs of the Lord, the songs of Zion. 01:47 Now, they left Jerusalem in ruins, 01:51 the temple is destroyed, the land is devastated, 01:55 so this question, "Sing us the song of Zion," 01:58 is a mocking question. 02:00 And that's why the people respond, 02:03 "How shall we sing the Lord's song 02:06 in a strange land?" 02:08 And they point to this harsh reality 02:11 that exists between the glorious promises of Zion, 02:16 of peace, of prosperity in these songs, 02:19 and the current situation of exile. 02:23 And their situation, the situation of this song 02:26 in a strange land, mirrors, I would like to say, 02:30 the entire history of humanity, where we are called to hope, 02:36 to look up with faith in a strange land. 02:40 And this land is becoming increasingly strange 02:43 and hostile to God's people. 02:46 So I think this is such an adequate title to describe 02:51 our situation today as well. 02:54 We are called to sing and hope in the midst of devastation 02:58 and darkness. 02:59 >>Eric: And there really is no loss 03:02 or no lack of devastation and darkness today in the world. 03:05 It doesn't take much to turn on the news or open your app 03:09 and find it or really, even, 03:10 to just look at the world around you. 03:12 You don't even have to look at a digital version of it. 03:15 We go through struggles and trials as well, and, yet, 03:17 here we are supposed to have that hope 03:21 and that encouragement, and the psalmists 03:22 are trying to bring that out. 03:24 What else can you share to help us understand 03:26 this "Lord's song in a strange land"? 03:29 >>Dragoslava: Yes, so you see we mentioned earlier 03:34 how God is in control. 03:38 He is the one at the center of life for the psalmist, and, 03:43 indeed, for them, all the questions of life 03:46 inevitably find their way to God, 03:50 to the questions that involve God. 03:53 People today, when they see the evil in the world, 03:57 they are challenged and tempted to say, 04:00 "Well, there is no God." 04:02 And that becomes a sort of solution. 04:06 If God is good and omnipotent and all these things 04:10 are happening, it must mean that there is no God. 04:13 But for the psalmists, they refuse to succumb 04:16 to such a conclusion. 04:18 For them, what is at stake is that God's reputation 04:23 is questioned. 04:25 And for example, when we read Psalm 79, verse 10, 04:29 the key question they ask is not, "Is there a God? 04:33 Does God exist?" The key question for them is 04:38 the question of God's reputation. 04:40 In Psalm 79, the psalmist cries, "For Your name's sake! 04:46 "Why should the nations say, 'Where is their God?' 04:49 "Let there be known among the nations in our sight 04:52 "the avenging of the blood of Your servants 04:55 which has been shed." 04:57 So the psalmists see here at stake is God's reputation, 05:03 His name in the world, not God existence. 05:07 So the psalmists and this song in Psalm 137, 05:11 the people refuse to succumb to silence. 05:16 They want to continue to sing the Lord's song, 05:18 even in the strange land. 05:21 >>Eric: And I think that's encouragement for us, 05:22 too, because we hear the same thing, you know: 05:24 If all these bad things are going on in the world, 05:26 then how can there indeed be a God? 05:29 These are opportunities for us to lift up God and His name 05:34 and to reflect on where He has led us 05:36 in the past because that's an indicator 05:38 of where He's going to lead us in the future. 05:41 So where does this hope get us? Where do we go with this hope? 05:47 What kind of encouragement do we receive from it? 05:50 >>Dragoslava: Yes, so the psalmists, 05:52 whenever they are in challenging situations, 05:55 instead of turning away from God, they turn to the past 06:00 and seek God in their past experiences. 06:03 Because God is not a new God to them. 06:06 It is the living God, who has revealed Himself 06:09 to His people, so they know God. 06:12 So there is always that tendency to search for God in the past. 06:16 And usually, the two reoccurring motifs 06:20 are the motifs of creation. 06:23 They explore the mysteries of creation 06:25 and see God's loving and mighty hand in creation, 06:30 and also in history, in God's past acts of deliverance, 06:34 in Exodus and others. 06:36 So all that inspires hope for the people to wait 06:41 for God to intervene. 06:43 >>Eric: So we can do that, too. 06:45 When life gets difficult, when times get hard, 06:48 we have that opportunity to do the same thing, 06:52 to look back at where He's led us in the past 06:54 and where He's going to in the future. 06:56 The biggest issue or the question 06:58 that the psalmists wrestle with 07:00 when addressing this problem of evil 07:03 in personal or community lives, what is that-- 07:08 what is that problem? How do they come through? 07:10 We've touched on a little bit, but what's really at stake here 07:16 if we don't get this right? 07:18 Because we all go through trials, 07:20 we all go through challenges, and there are going to be people 07:23 who look at us to see how we go through, 07:28 or don't go through, these challenges. 07:30 What's really at stake here? 07:32 >>Dragoslava: Yes, so let's take, for example, Psalm 73. 07:37 We have already mentioned this beautiful psalm, 07:39 and it really provides some good lessons for us. 07:45 Here, the psalmist almost doubts his path of righteousness, 07:52 and he is thinking, 07:54 "How is it that the evil prosper and the righteous suffer? 07:59 Do I in vain keep God's laws and strive to live a good life?" 08:07 But what's interesting in this psalm 08:09 is that the psalmist keeps all these thoughts 08:12 just between himself and God. 08:15 And then we reach this marvelous verse 15, 08:19 where the psalmist said, "If I had said, 08:23 'I will speak thus'"-- "I will speak thus," 08:26 meaning sharing all these doubts that I have-- 08:30 "behold, I would have been untrue to the generation 08:36 of Your children." 08:38 Meaning, he realizes that now, if I cross that line 08:41 and start sharing my doubts, 08:43 I would be untrue to God's people, 08:47 I would cause others to stumble and lose their faith, 08:51 and that's where he gets his wake-up call and said, 08:54 "I refuse to do that," and instead he says in verse 16, 08:59 "When I thought how to understand this, 09:02 it was too painful [to] me"-- and he decides what?-- 09:05 to go "into the sanctuary of God." 09:09 And the sanctuary of God 09:11 represents the community of people, 09:13 and "then I understood [the] end [of the evil]." 09:18 So maybe this is one lesson: to bring our doubts, 09:22 to share them with God only, and to be considerate 09:28 to our community of faith, to other people, 09:31 because this consideration will lead us 09:34 to a better understanding. And we see the psalmists, 09:38 they use the time of God's silence 09:41 to meditate on God's works in the past and to gain 09:46 a better understanding of themselves. 09:49 Maybe we can quote Psalm 90, verse 1, 09:53 where the psalmist also gives a good revelation. 09:58 When the temple was destroyed, some abandoned faith, 10:02 but the psalmist took time to ponder 10:06 about what's happening, and he comes to this revelation: 10:10 "Lord, You have been our dwelling place 10:14 in all generations," 10:16 meaning, though the temple is destroyed, 10:19 the psalmist gets now a deeper insight 10:23 into the reality and realizes 10:24 it's not the temple as the building that mattered, 10:28 but it is the Lord, who is our dwelling place. 10:32 The Lord in His person is our temple. 10:36 And whenever we go through tough times, 10:39 taking time to ponder will lead us 10:42 to a greater revelation of God Himself. 10:45 >>Eric: You know, we have a tendency as human beings, 10:48 if and when we're going through difficult times, 10:51 to whine and complain. And frequently, when we do that, 10:56 we don't help the matter very much, 10:58 but we end up bringing other people down. 11:01 But here we have-- we have a different direction 11:06 that's laid out for us, a way that can both encourage us 11:10 and can encourage others around us. 11:12 There's a real concern here on the psalmist's part 11:17 that he doesn't share these doubts and discouragements 11:21 with others to bring them down. 11:24 Perhaps a little something we can learn there, yeah? 11:27 >>Dragoslava: Absolutely, absolutely. 11:29 And again, we get disappointed when things don't go 11:33 according to our understanding. 11:35 But the Psalms teach us that when we let God be God, 11:41 it means that we will let Him be bigger than our box 11:45 we tend to put Him in, 11:46 and we will let Him teach us and lead us 11:49 to greater understanding of Himself 11:52 and of ourselves and His plans for our lives 11:56 and for this world. 11:58 >>Eric: So it helps to broaden our understanding, 12:00 to make, as you said, the box a little bit bigger, 12:03 because when we get discouraged and depressed, we tend to-- 12:06 everything shrinks in on itself. 12:08 The problems get bigger, but everything else 12:10 seems to shrink in. 12:11 And here we have opportunities to understand 12:15 that it's much bigger. 12:16 There's a lot more going on, and we have 12:19 these incredible opportunities to be blessings to other people, 12:22 which we might miss out on otherwise if we just complained 12:28 and murmured. >>Dragoslava: Absolutely. 12:29 >>Eric: You know, there's plenty of evidence in the Bible 12:31 that murmuring doesn't cause a lot of good-- 12:34 we'll put it that way. 12:35 But these are encouraging words here. 12:37 And we're gonna continue digging into this. 12:39 I want to encourage you, if you have not yet done so, 12:42 make sure that you pick up the companion book 12:44 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" study. 12:46 You will find it at itiswritten.shop. 12:50 Again, that's itiswritten.shop. 12:52 And you will find more in-depth looks at the book of Psalms. 12:57 You'll find some wonderful quotes there, 13:00 you'll find more evidence 13:01 for each of the different subjects 13:03 that we are looking at, and you will find 13:05 that your study is broadened and strengthened 13:07 as you look at that book. 13:10 Again, you'll find it at itiswritten.shop. 13:12 It's the companion book for this quarter's study 13:14 on the book of Psalms. 13:16 We're gonna be right back with more 13:18 as we continue taking a look 13:19 at "Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land." 13:21 We'll be right back. 13:23 ♪♪♪ 13:27 >>John Bradshaw: You know that at It Is Written, 13:29 we are serious about the study of the Word of God, 13:32 and we encourage you to be serious 13:34 about God's Word also. 13:37 Well, I wanna share with you another way 13:39 that you can dig deeper into the Word of God, 13:41 and here it is: itiswritten.study. 13:47 Go online to itiswritten.study, 13:49 and you can access the It Is Written Bible Study Guides, 13:54 25 in-depth Bible studies that will walk you through the Bible. 13:58 It's gonna be good for you, and it's the sort of thing 14:02 that you will want to tell somebody else about 14:05 so that they can dig deeper into the Word of God 14:08 and come to know the things of the Bible intimately. 14:12 As you get into the It Is Written 14:13 online Bible study guides, 14:15 you'll understand the prophecies of the Bible, 14:17 the plan of salvation, and more. 14:19 So don't forget: itiswritten.study, 14:22 itiswritten.study. 14:27 ♪♪♪ 14:31 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:33 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:34 We're looking at 14:36 "Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land." 14:39 Slava, let me ask you this question: 14:41 When there are innocent people who are suffering, 14:44 sometimes it seems as if God is absent. 14:49 And we see that happening all over the world. 14:52 How do the psalmists respond to that when they see 14:55 innocent people suffering? Where is God? 14:58 >>Dragoslava Santrac: Where is God? That's the question 15:00 that people ask throughout history. 15:03 And that's one of the most complex questions 15:06 that we are asked as believers, "Where is God?" 15:10 Especially when the innocent, when the children suffer. 15:14 And the psalmists also are challenged 15:17 by these questions because oftentimes, 15:20 they themselves suffered severely. 15:23 But instead of asking "Where is God?" 15:26 in a sense of denying God's existence, 15:30 God's goodness, they turn to God. 15:34 They refuse to succumb to evil, and what is perceived 15:38 as God's silence, the psalmists take that 15:42 as, in their bold resolve, to appeal to God to intervene 15:48 because they believe that the prayer is powerful 15:51 because it is directed to the living God. 15:54 So for them, there must be a reason 15:57 why God is apparently hiding His face. 16:01 So they appeal to God to intervene. 16:04 Well now, very often, or from time to time in the Psalms, 16:09 we'll see that the psalmists will use 16:11 a very difficult language, a language of-- 16:15 even a language of anger or imprecatory language. 16:18 The Psalm 137 that we mentioned earlier 16:22 is perhaps one of the most difficult ones 16:25 for believers to explain because the psalmist says, 16:29 "Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom"--all right?-- 16:34 "the day of Jerusalem," and then in verses 8 and 9, 16:38 "O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, 16:43 happy the one who repays you as you have served us!" 16:49 So there is almost this payback desire. 16:52 And then a very, very difficult text: 16:55 "Happy the one who takes and dashes your little ones 17:00 against the rock!" 17:02 But remember, these texts reflect 17:05 what the Babylonians did to them; 17:08 that's what the psalmist says. 17:09 So, we tend to shun away from verses like this. 17:15 However, I believe this imprecatory language 17:18 should be appreciated because, 17:20 note, this language is addressed to God. 17:23 The psalmist does not seek to take revenge upon themselves 17:28 but bring that to God. 17:30 And they appeal to God's promises 17:33 of judgment of evil. 17:35 Now, I would like to think that perhaps the psalmist took evil 17:40 more seriously than we do today sometimes, 17:44 especially if we live comfortably, 17:47 then we have the privilege to perhaps cringe 17:52 or be offended by these words. 17:55 But people who go through suffering, 17:57 they understand that suffering should be brought to God 18:01 but that the revenge belongs to God alone. 18:05 >>Eric: And that ought to probably help us make it 18:08 through life a little bit better 18:10 because if we are constantly focused on revenge ourselves 18:14 or payback, as you mentioned, 18:16 that can hurt our own spirit. 18:19 It can hurt or damage our own lives 18:21 and our own walks with God, 18:22 but if we can learn to trust Him in the good times, 18:26 then that's going to help us, hopefully, 18:28 to trust Him in the bad times and to see that He's still there 18:32 and that, ultimately, He's gonna make things right. 18:35 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, and to trust God's judgment 18:38 means that we leave it to God to intervene 18:42 and judge the way He finds it fit. 18:45 Maybe we can recall Jonah, 18:47 the prophet Jonah in the Old Testament. 18:49 He was sent to preach the message of God's judgment 18:54 upon the unfaithful and wicked people, 18:58 but then it turns out that the people repented, 19:01 and God graciously forgave them. 19:04 Now, it can happen that when we pray to God 19:08 and give our anger and imprecations 19:11 and desire for revenge to God, 19:14 that God in His judgment will turn our enemies 19:20 into our friends, 19:22 bring them to the point of repentance and save them, 19:25 because that's the first point of God's judgment: 19:29 it's salvation of all people. 19:31 And that's a marvelous, wonderful thing. 19:34 >>Eric: So if payback was left to us-- 19:37 >>Dragoslava: Oh yes. >>Eric: ...we might approach it 19:39 a little differently than God does, 19:41 not a salvific payback but a revenge type of payback. 19:47 But God has the right heart. 19:49 He has the right motives, He knows the end 19:51 from the beginning, and if we can leave that to Him, 19:54 difficult though that may be, He has a better plan for it 19:59 than we do. That's pretty powerful. 20:01 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, indeed, indeed. 20:03 And it brings us peace, living in the security 20:08 and love and grace of God. 20:10 It brings us peace and assurance. 20:13 >>Eric: So, we're called to sing this song. 20:17 What are--you mentioned some of the benefits. 20:19 It gives us peace; it gives us assurance. 20:21 What other benefits are there for us, to us, 20:25 through us, if we learn to sing this song at the times 20:30 when we're called to? 20:31 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, these songs will inspire hope, 20:35 not only in us but in people around us. 20:39 The Psalms call us to refuse to be silent, 20:43 but instead to continue singing the Lord's song 20:47 and inspire hope, telling people that there is light coming, 20:51 that there is life coming, that God will triumph. 20:55 So, with bringing hope, they also serve as a testimony 21:00 to God's gospel in Jesus Christ to the world, 21:05 and the message of salvation is a powerful message 21:10 in those songs. 21:12 >>Eric: So these challenges are really, 21:14 if we look at them in the right-- 21:17 through the right lens, they're opportunities. 21:19 They're opportunities for us to glorify God, 21:22 for us to help other people see a better picture, 21:26 a more clear picture of Him than even perhaps 21:29 we ourselves sometimes see. 21:33 You and I have both been through challenges; 21:36 everyone has. 21:37 If we've--if we breathed, if we've lived, 21:40 we've been through challenges, 21:41 and some of them seem downright overwhelming. 21:44 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes. >>Eric: And we don't know 21:45 how we're going to make it through, 21:47 but if we can turn back to God, 21:49 then He can find a way to bring His glory through 21:54 in those challenging situations. 21:56 There's likely some people watching this who are thinking, 22:00 "Sure, you may be able to say that, 22:02 but you don't know what I'm going through," 22:04 or, "You don't know what I have gone through, 22:06 "and I'm dealing with something that is just beyond painful, 22:11 that you could never possibly imagine." 22:13 What kind of words of encouragement 22:15 would you give to someone 22:17 who might be experiencing a loss or a challenge 22:20 or just a downright horrible situation 22:25 to help them out? 22:26 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, I learned from the Psalms 22:30 that our confidence does not thrive 22:33 on the absence of problems and difficulties. 22:36 Quite contrary, 22:38 it thrives on the integrity of God's character, 22:42 of His loving and truthful and faithful person. 22:46 Here I would like to share one wonderful quote 22:48 that means a lot to me: 22:51 "Summon all your powers to look up, 22:55 "not down at your difficulties; 22:58 "then you will never faint by the way. 23:01 "You will [see soon] Jesus behind the cloud, 23:04 "reaching out His hand to help you; 23:08 "and all you have to do is to give Him your hand 23:13 "in simple faith and let Him lead you. 23:18 "As you become trustful you will, through faith in Jesus, 23:22 become hopeful." 23:25 >>Eric: So what this is all about, then, 23:26 is maybe a reorientation of life. 23:31 So we're oriented in one direction, 23:33 and then something happens in our lives, and we become 23:37 what we might call disoriented, and now we have an opportunity 23:41 to be reoriented. 23:44 Share a little bit more about the benefits 23:46 of that reorientation and why, when we're disoriented, 23:51 it doesn't serve us well to stay disoriented but to reorient. 23:56 >>Dragoslava: Yes, the experience of disorientation 24:00 will surely come to every one of us in different times of life 24:05 and in different ways but surely will hit us 24:08 once or twice or even more times. Why? 24:12 Because life on this earth is not simple. 24:16 The reality of evil and sin complicates things 24:20 to that extent that people even question 24:23 and doubt God's love and grace in this life. 24:26 And that's where the sense of disorientation comes, 24:30 because we were thought to believe certain things, 24:34 and we even experience them, 24:36 but then circumstances of life will challenge us. 24:40 Now, let us take that time of disorientation 24:45 as a time of learning, 24:47 as a time maybe even to sit back and meditate 24:50 and muse and seek God. 24:53 And by doing that, we will allow God, 24:56 through His Word, maybe through other people, 24:59 to lead us to a new reorientation, 25:02 which is the time of maturing, of growing 25:06 or broadening our experience with God, 25:09 the time of learning. 25:11 Because what other way do we have to grow? 25:15 And we need to grow and mature. That's the journey. 25:18 That's the life journey, spiritual journey as well. 25:23 >>Eric: You know, it's in that disorientation time 25:26 that a lot of people fall out, 25:29 and so you can either fall out and continue in disorientation 25:33 and discouragement, 25:35 or you can use that time, as you mentioned, 25:37 for spiritual growth and to broaden and deepen 25:41 your relationship with Jesus and be reoriented. 25:45 So all the benefits come from the reorientation 25:48 in the right direction, as opposed to going 25:51 in a different direction, 25:53 in a direction that really has no hope. 25:56 And so the psalmists do a wonderful job of helping us 25:59 to see that. And as we look at that, hopefully, 26:02 we can learn and we can grow in the same way. 26:07 Any final thoughts on this, this week? 26:09 >>Dragoslava: Well, I would like to say 26:11 that all these wonderful things we said about new orientation 26:15 or reorientation, we cannot do this on our own. 26:19 And that's why reading the Psalms, 26:22 praying the Psalms daily is so very important. 26:27 Because the Psalms do not just inform us; 26:31 they also empower us by God's grace 26:34 and through the Holy Spirit. 26:36 So, taking time every day to read the Psalms, 26:40 it will shape our thoughts, it will mold our heart 26:44 to sing in tune with this wonderful inspired Word. 26:49 And this is where the reorientation 26:51 and maturing happens, 26:53 through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, 26:56 not by self-motivation and self-talk. 27:00 And I know it's very popular nowadays, 27:02 this motivational speaking and self-motivation, 27:07 which has its merits as well. 27:10 But the task is too huge for us to do it alone. 27:15 We will never make it. 27:16 Take the time of the-- every day to read the Psalms, 27:21 sing the Psalms, pray the Psalms. 27:23 There is power of God in them. 27:25 >>Eric: Slava, thank you for helping lead us 27:28 through "Singing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land." 27:31 And thank you for joining us this week. 27:33 We will return again next week as we continue our journey 27:36 through the Psalms here on "Sabbath School," 27:39 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:40 ♪♪♪ 28:22 ♪♪♪ 28:26 [Captioning provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-01-26