Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024008S
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00:00 ♪[uplifting music]♪
00:11 ♪[uplifting music]♪ 00:14 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:16 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:17 We're glad that you could join us today 00:19 as we continue our journey through the book of Psalms. 00:21 This week is lesson number 8, "Wisdom for Righteous Living," 00:25 and the book of Psalms gives us no shortage of wisdom 00:29 on how to live a right life. 00:31 We're gonna begin our study today as we do each week 00:34 with prayer. Let's pray together. 00:36 Father, we want to thank You again for being with us 00:39 and guiding us through our study week by week 00:41 of the book of Psalms, and we ask that, again today, 00:44 You will do exactly the same. 00:46 We thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 00:49 Well, we're happy once again to have with us as our guest 00:51 the author of this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson, 00:54 Dr. Dragoslava Santrac. 00:56 She has a PhD in Old Testament and absolutely loves 01:00 the book of Psalms, and if you've been with us 01:02 week by week, you can tell that. 01:04 Slava, thank you for being with us again today. 01:06 >>Dragoslava Santrac: I'm delighted to be here, 01:08 as always. 01:09 >>Eric: So we're looking at "Wisdom for Righteous Living" 01:11 this week. 01:13 Now, last week, we looked at God's mercy, His grace. 01:17 If we've truly received God's grace and His mercy, 01:21 it should somehow change our hearts, there should be 01:24 some tangible, practical ways in which our lives change. 01:29 How does that fit in with what we're looking at 01:31 this week in "Wisdom for Righteous Living"? 01:35 How's that connection made? 01:37 >>Dragoslava: Yes, wisdom, this week's lesson, 01:39 "Wisdom for Righteous Living," is the logical continuation 01:44 of the story we've been trying to tell through the Psalms, 01:48 because the question comes-- we learned about 01:51 God's marvelous deeds, His salvation, His judgment, 01:56 His mercy redeemed us and saved us, and now what? 02:00 How do we continue living? 02:03 See, once we are saved and receive God's mercy, 02:06 we continue to live in this world. 02:09 Unlike the person who died on the right side of the cross 02:14 of Jesus, who received the salvation and then died, 02:19 most of us, by God's grace, we continue to live. 02:24 And sometimes, people struggle with it. 02:26 They understand receiving God's mercy, 02:29 but then what? How do I live? 02:31 And the Psalms, as you said, Eric, have many examples 02:36 and provide wonderful instructions 02:40 about how we should continue living in God's mercy. 02:44 And above everything, the Psalms call us to obtain wisdom 02:50 for righteous living, which goes beyond 02:53 mere observance of certain moral or ethical standards. 02:59 It is a wisdom, and wisdom is always 03:02 something practical and something very deep. 03:05 And I would like to point us to Psalm 1, 03:09 which is a wonderful wisdom psalm, 03:13 which also shows us how to live. 03:16 What is that righteous life we are called to pursue? 03:21 It's a short psalm but very deep. 03:24 It says, "Blessed is the man"-- and woman--"who walks not 03:30 "in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path 03:34 of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful." 03:38 Here we see this progression: walks, stands, sits. 03:44 These are very general terms, but they describe life 03:49 in its various aspects. 03:50 It describes walk, which means this is our way of life. 03:57 Then it describes standing in the path, which describes 04:01 our interests, where our interest in life. 04:05 So wisdom for righteous living wants to penetrate 04:10 our way of life and also our interest, 04:13 our inner motivations, and then it says, 04:16 "Nor sits in the seat of the scornful." 04:19 Sitting implies more than just interest, like standing. 04:24 It implies commitment, 04:26 and wisdom for righteous living wants to penetrate 04:30 our commitment that we have in life. 04:33 And then it provides the source of that wisdom: 04:38 "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, 04:42 "and in His law he meditates day and night. 04:46 "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, 04:51 "that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf 04:54 "also shall not wither; 04:57 and whatever he does shall prosper." 05:00 And here we see again this wisdom in action, 05:04 this righteousness in action. 05:06 It delights in the law, but not just delight 05:10 in a sense of emotional response-- 05:13 "Oh, I'm excited; I love this," but then I go my way and forget. 05:17 It does not just delight, but it also meditates, 05:22 which means it ponders; it tries to adopt it 05:26 and to become part of life, and then, finally, 05:30 shall be like a tree planted by the river. 05:34 Now, instead of sitting where we used to sit 05:37 once we did not have the mercy of God, 05:39 now we are planted or seated by the rivers of God's water 05:45 of His Word, His law, His righteousness. 05:49 >>Eric: You know, you've touched in here on the law, 05:52 and the Psalms speaks to a massive extent 05:56 about the law--"Oh, how I love [Thy] law! 05:59 It is my meditation all the day." 06:01 David spent a lot of time talking about the law. 06:03 >>Dragoslava: The longest psalm, 119, is about God's law. 06:08 >>Eric: Very much so, so it's a powerful theme 06:10 throughout the book of Psalms. 06:12 But when you talk to some people today, even within Christianity, 06:16 about God's law, sometimes there's a different perspective 06:20 about it. What is the perspective 06:23 that the psalmists give us about God's law, and how does that 06:27 compare to or contrast with some of the perspectives 06:30 on God's law today? 06:32 >>Dragoslava: Yes, I believe today many people 06:35 think of the law as a list of rules 06:39 of things that must not be, could not be done 06:43 or the things that we must do. 06:45 So it's mostly like to-do and not-to-do 06:48 and something that we need to fulfill, 06:51 almost like a checklist: 06:53 "Okay, I'm good. I didn't do this, 06:55 didn't do that; then I'm fine." 06:59 Where is delight in that? 07:01 And when people read, as we read Psalm 1, 07:05 "But his delight is in the law of the Lord," people won't-- 07:09 how can one delight in a set of rules, 07:12 in a code of requirements? 07:14 Well, let's turn to Psalm 119. 07:18 There, as I mentioned, is the longest psalm 07:22 or song, and it's all about God's law. 07:26 And from this psalm, we learn that the law of God 07:32 is about the way of life. 07:34 The psalmist will say, "Blessed"--I'm reading verse 1-- 07:39 "the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!" 07:45 Keeping the law is walking in the law, 07:48 meaning it's a way of life. 07:50 It is something that you do, not just from time to time. 07:55 It is the way of living. 07:57 And the psalmist involves almost like a progression. 08:02 In verse 32, it's so interesting he says, 08:07 "I will run the course of Your commandments, 08:11 for You shall enlarge my heart." 08:13 So he not only walks in the path of God's law, but because 08:19 his heart has been enlarged by God's mercy, he now runs. 08:24 And running conveys this message of excitement, of gratefulness 08:29 for being able to be on that course and path in life. 08:34 And then we see that the psalmist not just runs, 08:38 but then he says, "I walk in liberty," 08:41 which is verse 45, "And I will walk at liberty, 08:46 for I seek Your precepts." 08:48 And here is another point where the psalmist, 08:52 the biblical view of the law, 08:54 differs from most modern understanding of the law. 08:58 Most people think that the law is there to restrict us, 09:03 to somehow limit our liberties by "Thou shall not do this, 09:08 shall not do that," but the psalmist understood 09:11 that God's law gives liberty, liberty from sin, 09:16 which imprisons, liberty from the consequences of sin 09:21 that people suffer from. 09:23 So, keeping the law is the way of life 09:27 that gives liberty, that gives delight, 09:29 that brings us closer to God. 09:31 >>Eric: So it's a natural experience 09:34 when someone loves the Lord and recognizes the judgment 09:38 that they could be under, but the mercy 09:42 that God extends to them. 09:43 Then when they see God's will, it becomes a natural expression 09:47 of who they are to walk in that will 09:49 or, as you just mentioned, to run in that will. 09:53 And it brings liberty, not condemnation, 09:56 not restraint, not kind of a holding back, 10:01 but a freedom in one's life. 10:04 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, and it also brings us 10:06 a better understanding of God's character 10:09 and what God loves, the justice, the freedom, 10:15 the grace, that He loves. 10:18 All of that is contained in His law. 10:21 And we will see that the psalmist 10:22 in the same Psalm 119, he says that he not just keeps the law; 10:29 in verse 8, he also rejoices in it in verse 14. 10:33 He delights in it. 10:35 He clings to it and observes it with his whole heart. 10:40 He even finds learning and light and liberty and comfort, 10:45 all these wonderful things. 10:47 All of that he finds in the law, and some people 10:50 may actually wonder, "Is the psalmist 10:54 almost deifying the law?" 10:57 Not at all, but the psalmist understood that the law 11:00 is the reflection of God's character. 11:03 And that's why he finds light and mercy and joy in it, 11:08 because through the law, he gets to know God better. 11:12 >>Eric: Slava, I wanna read you something from the book 11:14 of Ecclesiastes, chapter 12, verses 13 and 14. 11:17 It says, "Let us hear the conclusion 11:19 "of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, 11:22 "for this is man's all. 11:24 "For God will bring every work into judgment, 11:27 including every secret thing, whether good or evil." 11:31 So with that in mind, what conclusion 11:32 do the Psalms reach? 11:34 >>Dragoslava: Yes, you see, well, the psalmists are aware 11:39 that, yes, the law of God is there, and I cherish it, 11:43 and I love it, but they also are aware of the shortness of life. 11:49 So there is this humility that always keep them on track, 11:54 and I love the memory text for this week, which says-- 11:57 it's from Psalm 90--"So teach us to number our days, 12:02 that we may gain a heart of wisdom." 12:05 So, one aspect of wisdom for righteous living 12:08 is cherishing the law of God, getting to know God 12:13 through His law, appreciating God's holiness and wishing 12:17 to live a life that is described and given in His laws 12:22 and precepts. 12:23 On the other hand, it's also the awareness 12:26 of the shortness of life. 12:28 When the psalmist says, "Teach us to number our days," 12:32 you know, when you can number something, 12:34 it means that there is an end to it, 12:37 and we always need to live with this perspective 12:40 of our end. And there is wisdom in it, yes. 12:45 >>Eric: So there is a recognition of that fact, 12:49 but resting in the fact that God wants us to come through 12:54 on the right side of things. 12:56 And if we have that right relationship with Him, 12:59 then a right relationship with the law 13:01 should be a part of that as well. 13:02 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes. >>Eric: We're gonna come back 13:04 and dig into this a little bit more. 13:06 If you're interested in this subject, 13:08 the subject of the Psalms and digging into it 13:10 and how God desires us to live our lives 13:13 in light of what we're learning, make sure that you pick up 13:15 the companion book to this quarter's 13:17 "Sabbath School" lesson. 13:18 You'll find it at itiswritten.shop. 13:21 Again, itiswritten.shop. 13:23 It's, of course, on the book of Psalms. 13:26 Grab that book, pick it up, share it with others, 13:28 read it, digest it, and put into practice what you find there. 13:32 You're going to find that your life is blessed as a result. 13:36 We're going to come back in just a moment 13:37 as we continue taking a look 13:39 at "Wisdom for Righteous Living." 13:41 We'll be right back. 13:42 ♪[uplifting music]♪ 13:46 >>John Bradshaw: It's the longest chapter 13:48 in all of the Bible: Psalm 119-- 13:52 176 verses long, with all but just a very few of those verses 13:59 speaking about the Word of God. 14:02 Don't miss "Great Chapters of the Bible: Psalm 119" 14:07 and journey through this beautiful psalm: 14:10 the law of God, the statutes of God, 14:13 the commandments of God, the Word of God, 14:16 focused on by David, the writer of Psalm 119. 14:21 Psalm 119 gives us deep insights into not only the Word of God 14:26 but the faithfulness, the love, and the heart of a mighty God. 14:31 Don't miss "Great Chapters of the Bible: Psalm 119" 14:36 and grow your appreciation for the Word of God. 14:40 "Psalm 119," brought to you by It Is Written TV. 14:46 >>John: Thank you for remembering 14:48 that It Is Written exists because of the kindness 14:50 of people just like you. 14:52 To support this international life-changing ministry, 14:55 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 14:59 You can send your tax-deductible gift 15:01 to the address on your screen, or you can visit us online 15:04 at itiswritten.com. 15:06 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 15:09 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 15:13 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 15:17 ♪[uplifting music]♪ 15:21 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 15:23 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:25 We're taking a look here at God's wisdom 15:28 for righteous living. 15:30 Slava, let me ask you this. 15:32 There are some people who feel a little uncomfortable 15:35 with the idea of God testing them. 15:38 Psalms talks a little bit about testing. 15:39 Does God really test us, and if so, 15:43 what does that test look like? What is it, and what isn't it? 15:47 What are these testing things? 15:48 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, the Psalms do speak 15:51 about God testing people, and you are right; 15:54 we feel uncomfortable with the idea of testing. 15:58 Let's just remember our school days and how much we enjoyed 16:02 the quizzes and tests, but they're necessary 16:05 in order for us to progress and mature in our faith 16:10 and understanding. 16:11 But you're correct; it is important to understand 16:15 what God's testing is and what it is not, 16:19 so we do not get a wrong idea. 16:22 There are a few texts we can read to help us 16:25 in understanding this issue better. 16:29 For example, Psalm 105, verse 19, 16:34 here it speaks about Joseph, who was in prison. 16:39 The verse says, "Until the time that his word came to pass, 16:45 the word of the Lord tested him." 16:48 Here we see that the Lord tested Joseph. 16:52 What was there to be tested? 16:54 Well, the Lord gave him wonderful revelations 16:57 about his future. 16:59 He gave him great promises, and I'm sure Joseph 17:03 was delighted and felt honored and really loved by God. 17:07 But then, somehow, life took him down some difficult 17:11 and challenging paths as much as to end up 17:15 in prison for something he was completely innocent for. 17:20 And here the text says 17:22 that "the word of the Lord tested him." 17:26 Did God test Joseph in order to discourage him and test him? 17:30 When we read the book of Genesis, we see that 17:33 the Lord was with Joseph. 17:35 It's highlighted; it's in there. 17:37 Therefore, the purpose of God's testing 17:40 is not to fail Joseph, but quite the contrary, 17:44 to strengthen him, to remove every possible 17:48 remaining doubts or misconceptions. 17:51 That's why God allowed these things, 17:54 to test Joseph, but to make him stronger 17:57 and victorious. 17:58 Maybe then, Psalm 81, and let's see, Psalm 81, 18:04 verse 7, also speaks about God's test, 18:11 81, verse 7, where God said, "You called in trouble, 18:17 "and I delivered you; I answered you 18:20 "in the secret place of thunder; I tested you 18:24 at the waters of Meribah." 18:26 Now, this recalls an incident in the Old Testament 18:31 when the Israelites were on their way 18:33 to the promised land, 40 years in the wilderness, 18:37 and God says, "You called in the trouble, 18:41 and I always delivered you." 18:43 And then there was one time when God delayed 18:45 just a little bit His deliverance 18:49 to test His people's faith-- 18:51 again, not to fail them but to strengthen them. 18:57 Unfortunately, in that case, they failed, but in His mercy 19:02 God gave them a lesson, and they moved on. 19:06 You see, this testing is very important. 19:08 I love the Hebrew word for "hope." 19:12 It comes from the root "qavah," which means "to stretch." 19:17 You see, in order to hope, we need to stretch. 19:21 Likewise, in order to grow, God tests us 19:24 just to stretch us a bit. 19:27 So God's testing is always a good thing. 19:30 He does that to strengthen us. 19:34 Now, there is another type of testing, Eric, which is 19:37 a bad testing, and, unfortunately, this is something 19:41 that we people do to God. 19:44 And in Psalm 95, we read about that bad type of testing. 19:53 It says in verse 8 and 9 of Psalm 95, "As in the day 19:59 "of trial in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me; 20:05 they tried me, though they saw my work." 20:09 It's interesting it is the same event 20:11 as Psalm 81, the incident at Meribah in the wilderness 20:16 when they needed and asked for water, and God delayed 20:19 just for a little bit. 20:20 God says, "There you tested me; you tried me, 20:25 though you saw my works." 20:27 You see, when people test God, it is usually to diminish Him 20:32 in their own eyes and in the eyes of other people. 20:36 It's to ascribe to God things that He does not deserve, 20:41 things that He does not do, that are contrary to His will. 20:46 And this type of testing God never does to people. 20:50 So there is a big difference and a wonderful lesson 20:53 for us in here. 20:54 >>Eric: So, God's type of testing is helpful to us. 20:57 It helps us to grow; it stretches us; 20:59 it increases and improves our faith and our trust of Him. 21:05 Now, from time to time, okay, well, with great regularity, 21:09 we face temptations. 21:11 And we might consider these unfortunate. 21:17 I don't think we want temptations, 21:19 but they're a part of life. 21:21 Temptations come. 21:22 Where do temptations come from? 21:26 How do we--how do we respond to these temptations? 21:30 What's at the core of these temptations? 21:32 And when we face temptations, how can the book of Psalms 21:36 help us through to find the right way out 21:39 of the temptations? 21:41 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, at the beginning, 21:42 let's just stress that temptation itself is not sin. 21:48 Sometimes people misunderstand that and say and think, 21:52 "Well, now that I've been tempted, 21:54 or I've been thinking, let me just do it. Anyway, I fell." 21:58 No, temptation in itself is not sin. 22:03 However, it does appeal to some remnants 22:07 of a weakness and sin in our nature, but as long 22:11 as we don't yield to the temptation, we are safe. 22:16 And that's the time, when we are tempted, 22:19 it is the time to turn to God and ask for His strength 22:23 and protection. 22:25 But the core of temptation is in the heart. 22:28 Sometimes we blame other people, or we blame 22:33 the life's circumstances, or we blame 22:36 these new modern times with all these temptations. 22:40 And, yes, they do play a significant part in it, 22:45 but if we, in our heart, place ourselves 22:50 in circumstances to be tempted even more, then we should 22:54 understand that this possibility is definitely coming from us. 22:59 And Psalm 141 is a wonderful psalm 23:04 to help us understand the temptation, how it works. 23:10 Here it says in verse 3 and 4, and I will read verse 4 first: 23:17 "Do not incline my heart to any evil thing." 23:21 So, you see, it is the inclination of the heart. 23:24 But then the next step is "to practice wicked works 23:30 "with [the] men who work iniquity; and do not let me 23:35 eat of their delicacies." 23:38 So there is this progression from the inclination 23:42 that exists in our heart; that's when we are tempted. 23:46 But then falling into temptation 23:48 means practicing the wicked works, 23:52 and what's really sad and terrible about practicing, 23:57 because people sometimes think, "Ah, God will forgive. 24:00 "I'll just do it once. I just need to satisfy myself. 24:04 I'll do it once and never again." 24:07 Well, it never works that way because a sin practiced 24:11 leads to the third line, "Do not let me eat 24:15 of their"--what?--"delicacies." 24:18 A practiced temptation-- a practiced sin 24:22 leads to liking the sin, and then we're in big trouble. 24:27 But the solution is in verse 3. 24:30 It is a prayer: "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; 24:34 keep watch over the door of my lips." 24:38 It is God in His mercy who can protect us 24:42 and deliver us, but we need to submit our will to God. 24:48 >>Eric: You know, when you speak of submitting your will to God 24:51 and Him delivering us from the temptation, 24:55 from the sin, even though the temptation has been there, 24:58 how are wisdom-- knowing what's right 25:01 and what's wrong-- how are wisdom and happiness 25:03 related in the Psalms? 25:05 We've seen how God can deliver us 25:07 from temptations, if we want to. 25:09 But I have a feeling that knowing what's going on, 25:13 the bigger picture, and what's going on 25:15 beneath the surface, as it were, could play 25:17 a big role in helping us find the happiness 25:19 that we're looking for, more than the fleeting happiness 25:22 that these "delicacies" provide. 25:23 >>Dragoslava: Absolutely, and in today's times, 25:27 it looks like that people are searching 25:29 more for happiness than for wisdom. 25:33 Everyone wants to be happy, have fun, happiness. 25:36 And as you said, and many times this is 25:38 just a fleeting happiness. Why? 25:41 Because it is devoid of true content that can make it 25:46 a lasting happiness, a truly beneficial happiness. 25:52 And in the Psalms, happiness is always related 25:57 or connected to wisdom. 25:59 And it's interesting, even in the Hebrew vocabulary, 26:03 the word for "happiness" is, almost sounds almost the same-- 26:08 it has a similar root as the word "steps"-- 26:12 steps to wisdom, walking in the law of God, 26:15 walking these steps brings happiness. 26:19 There is no true happiness without the wisdom 26:22 for righteous living. 26:24 >>Eric: So that wisdom helps us to find the steps to head 26:28 in the right direction that brings us true happiness. 26:31 So somebody's watching and wants happiness. 26:35 Give them some encouragement. 26:36 Help them find that right path. What would you tell them? 26:38 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, if you're wondering, 26:41 "How can I keep the law of God? 26:44 "The law of God is difficult. 26:46 "I'm weak; I don't know how to walk in this path 26:50 of righteousness," here is a prayer 26:53 and encouragement for you and all of us in Psalm 119. 26:59 Let us pray this prayer, and God will lift us up: 27:04 "Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, 27:08 "and I shall keep it to the end. 27:11 "Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; 27:15 indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart." 27:20 We're not left alone. 27:22 We are not left alone to seek and find wisdom 27:25 and to keep God's law. 27:27 God invites us to come to His classroom 27:31 and be taught by His Holy Spirit, 27:33 and He will give us this delight in His path of righteousness. 27:38 >>Eric: Slava, thank you for helping us to understand 27:40 a little bit more about how we can find wisdom 27:42 for righteous living in the book of Psalms. 27:45 And thank you for joining us again this week. 27:47 We've been looking at the importance of the law 27:50 and the right interaction that we can have with it 27:52 so that we don't end up misunderstanding this. 27:55 We look forward to having you join us again next week 27:57 as we continue our journey through the book of Psalms. 28:00 This has been "Sabbath School," brought to you by It Is Written. 28:03 ♪[uplifting music]♪ 28:24 ♪[uplifting music]♪ 28:27 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-02-15