Special Insights No. 6
First Quarter 2006
Adult Sabbath School Lessons
“Families in the Family of God”
(Produced by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message Study Committee)
Wise Words For Families
For close to 3000 years, these “wise words” of this Lesson in the book
of Proverbs have been studied and pondered by God’s people. We are Seventh-day
Adventists, people living in the “time of the end,” in the
time of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, in the great Day of
Atonement. If time in this sinful world were to go on another 3000 years,
these words would still be “wise.” But we must look at them in the light
of the “third angel’s message in verity,” to borrow Ellen White’s description
of the message that “the Lord in His great mercy sent” to us in the
1888 era.
The word “atonement” means reconciliation, at-one-with. Those who await
the coming of the Lord on this Day of Atonement want to be reconciled
with all the members of their families. This calls for some tremendous
miracles! No one of us is innately more righteous than others, so the
problems of family disorientation and alienation are in reality our
“corporate” problems as a church. It seems awkward to pray to the Lord
for “at-one-ment” with Him if bitter alienation with family members
haunts our prayers.
And let us speak with compassion; those who fortunately have been spared
the bitterness of separation or divorce should thank the dear Lord,
and sympathize with those who have not been so fortunate. Marital discord
is an extremely heavy burden to carry! When we all “appear before the
judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:10), if we are married, we shall
be standing there with our spouse. Does the Lord Jesus have some special
help for us during this Day of Atonement, to prepare for that tense
moment?
Yes, there is, in God’s promise to “send you Elijah the prophet before
the great and terrible day of the Lord” (Mal. 4:5). If your mental image
of “Elijah” is that of a specialist in chopping off heads of priests
of Baal, look again. When “he” comes he will specialize in ministries
of reconciliation: “He shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (vs. 6). Such a work
could not be successful unless there is also a turning of the hearts
of husbands to their wives, and wives to their husbands. This cannot
be a fear work, even though the concluding clause says, “lest I come
and smite the earth with a curse.” It gives the superficial impression
of the greatest fear-driven movement in history; but it cannot be because
fear never works the kind of “reconciliation” that is the subject of
the great Day of Atonement. It’s “hearts” that are “turned,” and only
love can do that kind of “turning.” And the only love that can work
that stupendous miracle (which is greater than creation) is the love
of Christ.
We conclude therefore that the coming of “Elijah” means the ministry
of the experience of self being “crucified with Christ,” which in turn
must mean the greatest uplifting of “Christ and Him crucified” that
has ever been known on earth—and that of course will be the message
of that fourth angel of Revelation 18:1-4. Then at last the “wise words
for families” in the book of Proverbs will meet their ultimate in fruit-bearing.
Love, not fearful terror, will bring the “third angel’s message” home
to wounded hearts.
Thank God our lesson authors discuss frankly the problems involved
in the allurement of sexual attractions. Indeed, the temptation can
be almost irresistible, under certain circumstances. “Almost,” because
it is not irresistible. We have a Savior from that temptation, whether
the temptation to sin is adultery for a married person, or fornication
for one unmarried. But how can we have a Savior from sexual sin if He
was never tempted by sexual temptation?
Just here is where the “dragon” who “deceiveth the whole world” has
stepped in with his most successful lie: it’s the false doctrine that
Jesus Himself in His incarnation took sinless human nature and therefore
was never tempted sexually, and therefore cannot “succor them that are
tempted” in this regard (cf. Heb. 2:9-18; 4:15). This false doctrine
is Satan’s most successful ploy to bring sorrow to many human hearts.
The family is bitter wherein a husband or wife has yielded to that
lure and has fallen. Suspicion and deep hatred often linger for years.
Facing Christ in judgment becomes a horrendous thought. Children wonder
what’s wrong, why the family isn’t happy.
It’s easy for “us” to condemn the wrongdoer; but the Savior who forgave
and restored King David for his double sin of adultery and murder, still
lives. The personal, private forgiveness for the guilty one is given
to the one who receives it in the contrition and humility David has
written about in Psalms 32 and 51; the healing for the estrangement
can only be dearly acquired. It’s not a flippant, trivial gesture of
pardon. But there’s where the long-promised Elijah comes in to the picture.
Elijah is close to Christ, who was crucified (he ministered to Him on
the Mount of Transfiguration, Mt. 17:3). Healing for a wounded family
is complementary to the deep rooted love that is in Christ’s forgiving
those who murdered Him.
Forgiveness with healing in the family is not impossible; it’s just
expensive. It is not too much to say that such expense becomes possible
in this final Day of Atonement; expensive things that have never been
possible in the past are now taking place in the cleansing of the heavenly
sanctuary. The work of cleansing goes down to deeper roots than ever
before.
Our Lesson touches on the ministry of humor, which is a part of the
Holy Spirit’s healing. Nor frivolity, no; it’s healthiness that comes
with the gift of forgiveness and heart-cleansing. That elusive “merry
heart” may seem impossible to realize; the wounds occasioned by infidelity
are too deep and painful, scars are slow to heal. But be patient; above
all, be believing in the goodness of the Lord. “Who can bring a clean
thing out of an unclean?” (Job 14:4). Only the Christ who drank the
bitter cup to its dregs while on His cross. He can work miracles. But
when He’s done, you won’t be praising your psychoanalyst; you’ll be
praising Him.
Finally, thanks to the author of Psalm 31 for the portrait of the happiest
woman in the world. If you been blest to have such a woman for your
mother or your wife—praise God from whom all blessings flow!
(Friday’s page speaks of “support groups” being helpful. Let the Lord
lead you to one. Don’t push Him. When they descend to become
mutual tale-bearing clubs wherein they share salacious talk about sexual
adventures, they become very dangerous).
—Robert J. Wieland
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