Lesson 8 Helps

November 14 - 20

   Wonderful, Counselor

Memory Verse: {Isa 9:6 NKJV} For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973,1978 & 1984 by the International Bible Society: Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House."

Sabbath Afternoon

Sunday

Counsel Of Wisdom

{Prov 12:15 NIV} The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.

{Psa 16:7 NRSV} I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

{Psa 16:11 NRSV} You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

{Psa 16:7 NIV} I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

{Psa 16:11 NIV} You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Testimonies, vol. 9, p. 276

Christ in His earthly life gave an example that all can (p. 276) safely follow. He appreciates His flock, and He wants no power set over them that will restrict their freedom in His service. He has never placed man as a ruler over His heritage. True Bible religion will lead to self-control, not to control of one another. As a people we need a larger measure of the Holy Spirit, that we may bear the solemn message that God has given us, without exaltation. {9T 275.4}

Brethren, keep your words of censure for your individual selves. Teach the flock of God to look to Christ, not to erring man. Every soul who becomes a teacher of the truth must bear in his own life the fruit of holiness. Looking to Christ and following Him, he will present to the souls under his charge an example of what a living, learning Christian will be. Let God teach you His way. Inquire of Him daily to know His will. He will give unerring counsel to all who seek Him with a sincere heart. Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, praising God in your daily conversation as well as in your prayers. Thus, holding forth the word of life, you will constrain other souls to become followers of Christ.

Monday

Counsel Of Love

{Jer 31:3 NIV} The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

Steps to Christ, p. 12

{SC 12.1}

Such is the character of Christ as revealed in His life. This is the character of God. It is from the Father's heart that the streams of divine compassion, manifest in Christ, flow out to the children of men. Jesus, the tender, pitying Saviour, was God "manifest in the flesh." 1 Timothy 3:16. (p. 13) {SC 12.2}

It was to redeem us that Jesus lived and suffered and died. He became "a Man of Sorrows," that we might be made partakers of everlasting joy. God permitted His beloved Son, full of grace and truth, to come from a world of indescribable glory, to a world marred and blighted with sin, darkened with the shadow of death and the curse. He permitted Him to leave the bosom of His love, the adoration of the angels, to suffer shame, insult, humiliation, hatred, and death. "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5. Behold Him in the wilderness, in Gethsemane, upon the cross! The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the burden of sin. He who had been one with God, felt in His soul the awful separation that sin makes between God and man. This wrung from His lips the anguished cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46. It was the burden of sin, the sense of its terrible enormity, of its separation of the soul from God--it was this that broke the heart of the Son of God. {SC 13.1}

But this great sacrifice was not made in order to create in the Father's heart a love for man, not to make Him willing to save. No, no! "God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son." John 3:16. The Father loves us, not because of the great propitiation, but He provided the propitiation because He loves us. Christ was the medium through which He could pour out His infinite love upon a fallen world. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. God suffered with His Son. In the agony of Gethsemane, the death of Calvary, the heart of Infinite Love paid the price of our redemption. {SC 13.2}

{Mat 19:21 NIV} Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Steps to Christ, p. 46

But what do we give up, when we give all? A sin-polluted heart, for Jesus to purify, to cleanse by His own blood, and to save by His matchless love. And yet men think it hard to give up all! I am ashamed to hear it spoken of, ashamed to write it. {SC 46.1}

God does not require us to give up anything that it is for our best interest to retain. In all that He does, He has the well-being of His children in view. Would that all who have not chosen Christ might realize that He has something vastly better to offer them than they are seeking for themselves. Man is doing the greatest injury and injustice to his own soul when he thinks and acts contrary to the will of God. No real joy can be found in the path forbidden by Him who knows what is best and who plans for the good of His creatures. The path of transgression is the path of misery and destruction. {SC 46.2}

It is a mistake to entertain the thought that God is pleased to see His children suffer. All heaven is interested in the happiness of man. Our heavenly Father does not close the avenues of joy to any of His creatures. The divine requirements call upon us to shun those indulgences that would bring suffering and disappointment, that would close to us the door of happiness and heaven. The world's Redeemer accepts men as they are, with all their wants, imperfections, and weaknesses; and He will not only cleanse from sin and grant redemption through His blood, but (p. 47) will satisfy the heart-longing of all who consent to wear His yoke,

Steps to Christ, p. 46 (continued)

to bear His burden. It is His purpose to impart peace and rest to all who come to Him for the bread of life. He requires us to perform only those duties that will lead our steps to heights of bliss to which the disobedient can never attain. The true, joyous life of the soul is to have Christ formed within, the hope of glory. {SC 46.3}

Tuesday

Counsel To A Minister

{1 Tim 1:2 NIV} To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

{1 Tim 2:7 NIV} And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.

{1 Tim 4:5-16 NIV} because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. {6} If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. {7} Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. {8} For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. {9} This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance {10} (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. {11} Command and teach these things. {12} Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. {13} Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. {14} Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. {15} Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. {16} Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Gospel Workers, p. 125

The subject of purity and propriety of deportment is one to which we must give heed. We must guard against the sins of this degenerate age. Let not Christ's ambassadors descend to trifling conversation, to familiarity with women, married or single. Let them keep their proper place with becoming dignity; yet at the same time they may be sociable, kind, and courteous to all. They must stand aloof from everything that savors of commonness and familiarity. This is forbidden ground, upon which it is unsafe to set the feet. Every word, every act, should tend to elevate, to refine, to ennoble. There is sin in thoughtlessness about such matters. {GW 125.1}

Paul urged Timothy to meditate upon those things that are pure and excellent, that his profiting might appear unto all. The same counsel is greatly needed by men of the present age. I urge upon our workers the necessity of purity in every thought, every act. We have an individual accountability to God, an individual work which no one else can do for us. It is to strive to make the world better. While we should cultivate sociability, let it not be merely for amusement, but for a higher purpose. {GW 125.2}

Is there not enough taking place around us to show the need for this caution? Everywhere are seen wrecks of humanity, broken-down family altars, ruined homes. There is a strange abandonment of principle, the standard of morality is lowered, and the earth is (p. 126) fast becoming a Sodom. The practices which brought the judgment of God upon the antediluvian world, and which caused Sodom to be destroyed by fire, are fast increasing.

Gospel Workers, p. 125 (continued)

We are nearing the end, when the earth is to be purified by fire. {GW 125.3}

{2 Tim 1:7-8 NIV} For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. {8} So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,

{Mat 8:23-34 NIV} Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. {24} Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. {25} The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" {26} He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. {27} The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" {28} When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. {29} "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" {30} Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. {31} The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs." {32} He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. {33} Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. {34} Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

{2 Tim 2:1-2 NIV} You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. {2} And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

{2 Tim 2:16 NIV} Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.

{2 Tim 2:19 NIV} Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."

{2 Tim 2:22-25 NIV} Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. {23} Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. {24} And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. {25} Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

{2 Tim 3:14-15 NIV} But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, {15} and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

{2 Tim 4:2 NIV} Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.

{2 Tim 4:5 NIV} But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Wednesday

Heaven's Counsel For All

{Eccl 12:13 NIV} Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

{Mat 6:25-33 NIV} "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? {26} Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? {27} Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? {28} "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. {29} Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. {30} If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? {31} So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' {32} For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. {33} But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 97

"Consider the lilies." Every flower that opens its petals to the sunshine obeys the same great laws that guide the stars, and how simple and beautiful and how sweet its life! Through the flowers, God would call our attention to the loveliness of Christlike character. He who has given such beauty to the blossoms desires far more that the soul should be clothed with the beauty of the character of Christ. {MB 97.1}

Consider, says Jesus, how the lilies grow; how, springing from the cold, dark earth, or from the mud of the river bed, the plants unfold in loveliness and fragrance. Who would dream of the possibilities of beauty in the rough brown bulb of the lily? But when the life of God, hidden therein, unfolds at His call in the rain and the sunshine, men marvel at the vision of grace and loveliness. Even so will the life of God unfold in every human soul that will yield itself to the ministry of His grace, which, free as the rain and the sunshine, comes with its benediction to all. It is the word of God that creates the flowers, and the same word will produce in you the graces of His Spirit. {MB 97.2}

God's law is the law of love. He has surrounded you with beauty to teach you that you are not placed on earth merely to delve for self, to dig and build, to toil and spin, but to make life bright and joyous and beautiful with the love of Christ--like the flowers, to gladden other lives by the ministry of love. {MB 97.3}

Fathers and mothers, let your children learn from the flowers. Take them with you into garden and field (p. 98)

and under the leafy trees, and teach them to read in nature the message of God's love. Let the thoughts of Him be linked with bird and flower and tree. Lead the children to see in every pleasant and beautiful thing an expression of God's love for them. Recommend your religion to them by its pleasantness. Let the law of kindness be in your lips. {MB 97.4}

{Micah 6:8 NIV} He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Thursday

Counsel For Last-Day People

{Mat 25:13 NIV} "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

{1 Th 5:6 NIV} So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

{2 Pet 1:10-11 NIV} Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, {11} and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

{Rev 22:14 NIV} "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

{Heb 10:35-37 NIV} So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. {36} You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. {37} For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay.

{Rev 2:7 NIV} He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

{1 Pet 5:8 NIV} Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

{2 Pet 3:11 NIV} Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

{2 Pet 3:14 NIV} So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

{1 John 3:3 NIV} Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

{Rev 21:27 NIV} Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

{Rev 3:14 NIV} "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.

Friday

{Prov 3:1-34 NIV} My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, {2} for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. {3} Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. {4} Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. {5} Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; {6} in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. {7} Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

{Prov 3:8-34} This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. {9} Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; {10} then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. {11} My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, {12} because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. {13} Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, {14} for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. {15} She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. {16} Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. {17} Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. {18} She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed. {19} By wisdom the LORD laid the earth's foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; {20} by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. {21} My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; {22} they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. {23} Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; {24} when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. {25} Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, {26} for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. {27} Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. {28} Do not say to your neighbor, "Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow"-- when you now have it with you. {29} Do not plot harm against your neighbor, who lives trustfully near you. {30} Do not accuse a man for no reason-- when he has done you no harm. {31} Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, {32} for the LORD detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence. {33} The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. {34} He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble. {35} The wise inherit honor, but fools he holds up to shame.

{Deu 28:1-68 NIV} If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. {2} All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: {3} You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. {4} The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. {5} Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. {6} You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. {7} The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. {8} The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. {9} The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. {10} Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. {11} The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity--in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground--in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. {12} The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. {13} The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. {14} Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. {15} However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: {16} You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. {17} Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. {18} The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. {19} You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. {20} The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him. {21} The LORD will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess.

{Deu 28:22-68} The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. {23} The sky over your head will be bronze, the ground beneath you iron. {24} The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed. {25} The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will come at them from one direction but flee from them in seven, and you will become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms on earth. {26} Your carcasses will be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away. {27} The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. {28} The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. {29} At midday you will grope about like a blind man in the dark. You will be unsuccessful in everything you do; day after day you will be oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue you. {30} You will be pledged to be married to a woman, but another will take her and ravish her. You will build a house, but you will not live in it. You will plant a vineyard, but you will not even begin to enjoy its fruit. {31} Your ox will be slaughtered before your eyes, but you will eat none of it. Your donkey will be forcibly taken from you and will not be returned. Your sheep will be given to your enemies, and no one will rescue them. {32} Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand. {33} A people that you do not know will eat what your land and labor produce, and you will have nothing but cruel oppression all your days. {34} The sights you see will drive you mad. {35} The LORD will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured, spreading from the soles of your feet to the top of your head. {36} The LORD will drive you and the king you set over you to a nation unknown to you or your fathers. There you will worship other gods, gods of wood and stone. {37} You will become a thing of horror and an object of scorn and ridicule to all the nations where the LORD will drive you. {38} You will sow much seed in the field but you will harvest little, because locusts will devour it. {39} You will plant vineyards and cultivate them but you will not drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms will eat them. {40} You will have olive trees throughout your country but you will not use the oil, because the olives will drop off. {41} You will have sons and daughters but you will not keep them, because they will go into captivity. {42} Swarms of locusts will take over all your trees and the crops of your land. {43} The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. {44} He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail. {45} All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and observe the commands and decrees he gave you. {46} They will be a sign and a wonder to you and your descendants forever. {47} Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, {48} therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you. {49} The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, {50} a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young. {51} They will devour the young of your livestock and the crops of your land until you are destroyed. They will leave you no grain, new wine or oil, nor any calves of your herds or lambs of your flocks until you are ruined. {52} They will lay siege to all the cities throughout your land until the high fortified walls in which you trust fall down. They will besiege all the cities throughout the land the LORD your God is giving you. {53} Because of the suffering that your enemy will inflict on you during the siege, you will eat the fruit of the womb, the flesh of the sons and daughters the LORD your God has given you. {54} Even the most gentle and sensitive man among you will have no compassion on his own brother or the wife he loves or his surviving children, {55} and he will not give to one of them any of the flesh of his children that he is eating. It will be all he has left because of the suffering your enemy will inflict on you during the siege of all your cities. {56} The most gentle and sensitive woman among you--so sensitive and gentle that she would not venture to touch the ground with the sole of her foot--will begrudge the husband she loves and her own son or daughter {57} the afterbirth from her womb and the children she bears. For she intends to eat them secretly during the siege and in the distress that your enemy will inflict on you in your cities.

{Deut 28:58-68} If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name--the LORD your God-- {59} the LORD will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. {60} He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. {61} The LORD will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed. {62} You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the LORD your God. {63} Just as it pleased the LORD to make you prosper and increase in number, so it will please him to ruin and destroy you. You will be uprooted from the land you are entering to possess. {64} Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods--gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. {65} Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. {66} You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. {67} In the morning you will say, "If only it were evening!" and in the evening, "If only it were morning!"--because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see. {68} The LORD will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.

Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 147 - 152(not included with lesson help)

The Ministry of Healing, p. 283

God gave to Israel instruction in all the principles essential to physical as well as to moral health, and it was concerning these principles no less than concerning those of the moral law that He commanded them: {MH 283.1}

"These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." Deuteronomy 6:6-9. {MH 283.2}

"And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto thy son, . . . The Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day." Verses 20-24. {MH 283.3}

Had the Israelites obeyed the instruction they received, and profited by their advantages, they would have been the world's object lesson of health and prosperity. If as a people they had lived according to God's plan, they would have been preserved from the diseases that afflicted other nations. Above any other people they would have possessed physical strength and vigor of intellect. They would have been the mightiest nation on the earth. God said: {MH 283.4}"Thou shalt be blessed above all people." Deuteronomy 7:14. (p. 284) {MH 283.5}

{Psa 119:105 NIV} Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.