Sabbath School

Accepting the Psalms as God’s Word and paying close attention to their poetic features, as well as their historical, theological, and liturgical contexts, is fundamental for understanding their messages.

The Psalms are prayers and, as such, are invaluable, not only for their theological insight but also for the ways they can enrich and transform our individual and communal prayers.

He is the Sovereign King over the whole world, and He rules the world with justice and righteousness. His laws and statutes are good and bring life to those who keep them.

God is close to His people and to His creation, both in heaven and on earth. Though He has established His throne in heaven and rides on the clouds, He also is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.

As sin corrupts the world more and more, the earth has increasingly become “a strange land” to God’s people. This reality creates a problem to the psalmist: How does one live a life of faith in a strange land?

The Lord is long-suffering and holds His wrath in His great forbearance, not wanting anyone to perish. Though God’s proper time for His intervention does not always coincide with human expectations, the day of God’s judgment is coming.

God’s mercy is everlasting. Before the everlasting God, human life is as transient as grass, but God pities humans and renews their strength, and in Him they have the promise of eternity.

God allows times of testing to let His children’s faithfulness (or unfaithfulness) be clearly revealed. Wisdom for righteous living is gained through the dynamics of life with God amid temptations and challenges.

The Psalms testify about Christ’s person and ministry. Almost all aspects of His work in the plan of salvation are seen in the Psalms. In various ways, Christ’s life and work are prefigured and predicted in them, often with remarkable accuracy.

The goal of this week’s lesson is to realize that each generation of God’s people plays a small but significant part in the grand historical unfolding of God’s sovereign purposes in the great controversy.

Zion is represented as God’s living presence among His people. God reigns from Zion and founded His temple in Zion. Thus, Zion is a place of divine blessings and refuge which is interchangeably referred to with Jerusalem and the sanctuary.

The Lord wants all the world to join His people in worship. The Lord’s people are identified with the righteous, who worship the Lord and whose hope is in Him and His love.