Study Focus: Genesis 22, Job 1:6–2:10, Isa. 43:1–7, Hos. 2:1–12, 2 Cor. 11:23–29.
Part I: Overview
This week’s lesson focuses on several biblical examples that help us to understand further the “whys” of suffering and the “hows” of overcoming evil and suffering. The example of Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his own son in obedience to God teaches us an unreserved trust in God, even when God’s commands do not make sense. Hosea’s painful relationship with his unfaithful wife reveals God’s own suffering caused by our unfaithfulness, His continued presence in our lives, and His work to restore relationships with a wayward, backslidden people. Job’s resolute loyalty to God, even when his own wife was calling him to curse God, teaches us that avoiding suffering and death is not the ultimate goal in life. Together with Job, Paul teaches us that love and faithfulness to God, His kingdom, and His mission in the world is the most fulfilling experience of Christian life. Of course, there are things we do not understand. But the Christian goes through suffering and death armed with the apostle Paul’s view on the struggle: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8:35, NKJV).
Lesson Themes: This week’s lesson highlights two major themes.
Our first theme will engage us in a profound study of relevant examples of suffering that will help us understand why God allows suffering in our experiences.
In our second theme, we will engage with vivid illustrations from the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah and how father and son survived their crucibles, learning and growing through these experiences.
Part II: Commentary
God’s Suffering With Us
In the second half of the twentieth century, process theology proposed a new theodicy or explanation of how evil originated and exists in the kingdom of the all-loving, all-powerful, and perfectly just God. Process theologians (such as John B. Cobb Jr.) envision a universe composed of free and self-creating entities engaged in a continuous progressive process of building an ever-changing world. However, since these entities also think that God’s power is limited, they conclude that evil and suffering have somehow sprung out of this complex process of building. The only good news that process theology can offer us is that God is sympathetic to us and suffers with the universe. He cannot eradicate evil because He cannot impinge upon our freedom, but He works to persuade all the entities of the entire universe to move toward a balance of harmony, creativity, and enjoyment.
This theme of God’s suffering with us has been used frequently beyond the circles of process theologians. Yes, the concept of God’s suffering with us is essential to our understanding of the gospel, but it must be understood correctly in the light of Bible truth. The major threat of the concept that God is suffering with us is that it has become a theodicy in and of itself, excluding other important aspects of biblical theodicy.
As innovative as these ideas may be, process theology and its theodicy are incompatible with the biblical revelation and cannot be accepted by Bible-believing Christians. Yes, in our fallen world, suffering is real and inevitable. And yes, God is suffering with us. But this reality is not the end of the story. One of the numerous problems of process theology is its speculation that evil is intrinsically related to creation; process theology is evolutionary in nature. By contrast, the biblical explanation is that evil is not “natural”; it does not belong to the original order of creation or of nature. Evil is opposed to God’s character, to His love and justice. God created a perfect world, perfect nature, perfect animals, and humans.
The fact that God created us free does not make evil necessary, and thus the following three points are especially relevant: (1) Evil has its roots in the freedom and moral agencies of free beings, such as angels and humans. (2) Evil did, and does, affect nature, but it does not emerge out of nature. (3) Evil is not eternal or coeternal with God or with creation (creation was intended to be and actually was perfect and without evil in the beginning); evil was brought into existence by our abuse of freedom, but it will be brought to an end by God’s loving and powerful intervention to rid the universe of its existence and threat.
Thus, because of His loving nature, God truly suffers with us, sharing with us the crucibles we have brought on ourselves and on nature and on His entire kingdom. But God does not suffer helplessly, powerlessly, as if nothing can be done because evil is part of the evolutionary emergence and growth of the universe. No! God did, and is doing, something about evil. He took the ultimate consequence of sin upon Himself in Christ and is actively working to counter evil. He calls all people to accept His grace and to be ready to return to His kingdom, from which He will eradicate evil forever.
The Sacrifice of Isaac
God’s command to sacrifice Isaac was a unique command with multiple purposes. On the one hand, God’s call to Abraham was a trial or a test. Ellen G. White writes that on Mount Moriah God tested Abraham’s fidelity: “Heavenly beings were witnesses of the scene as the faith of Abraham and the submission of Isaac were tested. The trial was far more severe than that which had been brought upon Adam. Compliance with the prohibition laid upon our first parents involved no suffering, but the command to Abraham demanded the most agonizing sacrifice. All heaven beheld with wonder and admiration Abraham’s unfaltering obedience. All heaven applauded his fidelity. . . . God’s covenant, confirmed to Abraham by an oath before the intelligences of other worlds, testified that obedience will be rewarded.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 155.
On the other hand, God’s command was more than a test. In fact, its primary purpose was threefold: a revelation, a prophecy, and a typology. God wanted to teach Abraham and the entire world about God’s own sacrifice of His Son for us (John 3:16). Ellen G. White emphasizes this point in a number of her writings. In The Desire of Ages, she affirms: “Abraham had greatly desired to see the promised Saviour. . . . And he saw Christ. . . . He saw His day, and was glad. He was given a view of the divine sacrifice for sin. Of this sacrifice he had an illustration in his own experience. The command came to him, ‘Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, . . . and offer him . . . for a burnt offering.’ Genesis 22:2. Upon the altar of sacrifice he laid the son of promise, the son in whom his hopes were centered. Then as he waited beside the altar with knife upraised to obey God, he heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me.’ Genesis 22:12. This terrible ordeal was imposed upon Abraham that he might see the day of Christ, and realize the great love of God for the world, so great that to raise it from its degradation, He gave His only-begotten Son to a most shameful death.”—Pages 468, 469.
Elsewhere, Ellen G. White brings together the two purposes of God’s command in Genesis 22: “It was to impress Abraham’s mind with the reality of the gospel, as well as to test his faith, that God commanded him to slay his son. The agony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from his own experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for man’s redemption. No other test could have caused Abraham such torture of soul as did the offering of his son. God gave His Son to a death of agony and shame. The angels who witnessed the humiliation and soul anguish of the Son of God were not permitted to interpose, as in the case of Isaac. There was no voice to cry, ‘It is enough.’ To save the fallen race, the King of glory yielded up His life. What stronger proof can be given of the infinite compassion and love of God? ‘He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?’ Romans 8:32.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 154.
If the primary purpose of Genesis 22 was for it to be part of God’s revelation of His plan of salvation, it is important to emphasize that the divine command to Abraham was a singular, unique, prophetic event in the history of the world. Through this unique experience of Abraham, God has efficiently communicated His plan to save humanity through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Therefore, no one else in the history of humanity has ever received, nor will anyone ever receive, that command of sacrificing another human being again. Even in the case of Abraham, the sacrifice of Isaac was immediately replaced with an animal sacrifice. For this reason, Abraham’s experience cannot be justifiably associated with the ancient practice of child sacrifice or with any child abuse, ancient or contemporary.
Another important aspect of this experience is Isaac’s own participation and reaction in this experience. While we focus on Abraham’s anguish and suffering, we need to point out that this experience was Isaac’s crucible, too, and his reaction is inestimable. Indeed, he could have reacted in many ways, such as dubbing his father a mad old man or escaping by running away. But Isaac did not do so. His upbringing in faithfulness and in trusting God and his father makes Isaac a perfect example for the Christian going through crucibles. Ellen G. White highlights this point in a colorful narration of this scene:
“Abraham . . . in obedience to the divine command . . . pursues his journey with Isaac by his side. He sees before him the mountain which God had told him He would signalize as the one upon which he was to sacrifice. He removes the wood from the shoulder of his servant and lays it upon Isaac, the one to be offered. He girds up his soul with firmness and agonizing sternness, ready for the work which God requires him to do. With a breaking heart and unnerved hand, he takes the fire, while Isaac inquires: Father, here is the fire and the wood; but where is the offering? But, oh, Abraham cannot tell him now! Father and son build the altar, and the terrible moment comes for Abraham to make known to Isaac that which had agonized his soul all that long journey, that Isaac himself is the victim. Isaac is not a lad; he is a full-grown young man. He could have refused to submit to his father’s design had he chosen to do so. He does not accuse his father of insanity, nor does he even seek to change his purpose. He submits. He believes in the love of his father and that he would not make this terrible sacrifice of his only son if God had not bidden him to do so.”—Sons and Daughters of God, p. 205.
Part III: Life Application
Share three principles from the story of Abraham and Isaac that show you how to overcome crucibles.
How did Job and Hosea respond to their suffering? What can their responses teach you about how to overcome a crucible?
Notes
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Key Text: Isaiah 53:10
Study Focus: Genesis 22, Job 1:6–2:10, Isa. 43:1–7, Hos. 2:1–12, 2 Cor. 11:23–29.
Part I: Overview
This week’s lesson focuses on several biblical examples that help us to understand further the “whys” of suffering and the “hows” of overcoming evil and suffering. The example of Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his own son in obedience to God teaches us an unreserved trust in God, even when God’s commands do not make sense. Hosea’s painful relationship with his unfaithful wife reveals God’s own suffering caused by our unfaithfulness, His continued presence in our lives, and His work to restore relationships with a wayward, backslidden people. Job’s resolute loyalty to God, even when his own wife was calling him to curse God, teaches us that avoiding suffering and death is not the ultimate goal in life. Together with Job, Paul teaches us that love and faithfulness to God, His kingdom, and His mission in the world is the most fulfilling experience of Christian life. Of course, there are things we do not understand. But the Christian goes through suffering and death armed with the apostle Paul’s view on the struggle: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8:35, NKJV).
Lesson Themes: This week’s lesson highlights two major themes.
Our first theme will engage us in a profound study of relevant examples of suffering that will help us understand why God allows suffering in our experiences.
In our second theme, we will engage with vivid illustrations from the story of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah and how father and son survived their crucibles, learning and growing through these experiences.
Part II: Commentary
God’s Suffering With Us
In the second half of the twentieth century, process theology proposed a new theodicy or explanation of how evil originated and exists in the kingdom of the all-loving, all-powerful, and perfectly just God. Process theologians (such as John B. Cobb Jr.) envision a universe composed of free and self-creating entities engaged in a continuous progressive process of building an ever-changing world. However, since these entities also think that God’s power is limited, they conclude that evil and suffering have somehow sprung out of this complex process of building. The only good news that process theology can offer us is that God is sympathetic to us and suffers with the universe. He cannot eradicate evil because He cannot impinge upon our freedom, but He works to persuade all the entities of the entire universe to move toward a balance of harmony, creativity, and enjoyment.
This theme of God’s suffering with us has been used frequently beyond the circles of process theologians. Yes, the concept of God’s suffering with us is essential to our understanding of the gospel, but it must be understood correctly in the light of Bible truth. The major threat of the concept that God is suffering with us is that it has become a theodicy in and of itself, excluding other important aspects of biblical theodicy.
As innovative as these ideas may be, process theology and its theodicy are incompatible with the biblical revelation and cannot be accepted by Bible-believing Christians. Yes, in our fallen world, suffering is real and inevitable. And yes, God is suffering with us. But this reality is not the end of the story. One of the numerous problems of process theology is its speculation that evil is intrinsically related to creation; process theology is evolutionary in nature. By contrast, the biblical explanation is that evil is not “natural”; it does not belong to the original order of creation or of nature. Evil is opposed to God’s character, to His love and justice. God created a perfect world, perfect nature, perfect animals, and humans.
The fact that God created us free does not make evil necessary, and thus the following three points are especially relevant: (1) Evil has its roots in the freedom and moral agencies of free beings, such as angels and humans. (2) Evil did, and does, affect nature, but it does not emerge out of nature. (3) Evil is not eternal or coeternal with God or with creation (creation was intended to be and actually was perfect and without evil in the beginning); evil was brought into existence by our abuse of freedom, but it will be brought to an end by God’s loving and powerful intervention to rid the universe of its existence and threat.
Thus, because of His loving nature, God truly suffers with us, sharing with us the crucibles we have brought on ourselves and on nature and on His entire kingdom. But God does not suffer helplessly, powerlessly, as if nothing can be done because evil is part of the evolutionary emergence and growth of the universe. No! God did, and is doing, something about evil. He took the ultimate consequence of sin upon Himself in Christ and is actively working to counter evil. He calls all people to accept His grace and to be ready to return to His kingdom, from which He will eradicate evil forever.
The Sacrifice of Isaac
God’s command to sacrifice Isaac was a unique command with multiple purposes. On the one hand, God’s call to Abraham was a trial or a test. Ellen G. White writes that on Mount Moriah God tested Abraham’s fidelity: “Heavenly beings were witnesses of the scene as the faith of Abraham and the submission of Isaac were tested. The trial was far more severe than that which had been brought upon Adam. Compliance with the prohibition laid upon our first parents involved no suffering, but the command to Abraham demanded the most agonizing sacrifice. All heaven beheld with wonder and admiration Abraham’s unfaltering obedience. All heaven applauded his fidelity. . . . God’s covenant, confirmed to Abraham by an oath before the intelligences of other worlds, testified that obedience will be rewarded.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 155.
On the other hand, God’s command was more than a test. In fact, its primary purpose was threefold: a revelation, a prophecy, and a typology. God wanted to teach Abraham and the entire world about God’s own sacrifice of His Son for us (John 3:16). Ellen G. White emphasizes this point in a number of her writings. In The Desire of Ages, she affirms: “Abraham had greatly desired to see the promised Saviour. . . . And he saw Christ. . . . He saw His day, and was glad. He was given a view of the divine sacrifice for sin. Of this sacrifice he had an illustration in his own experience. The command came to him, ‘Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, . . . and offer him . . . for a burnt offering.’ Genesis 22:2. Upon the altar of sacrifice he laid the son of promise, the son in whom his hopes were centered. Then as he waited beside the altar with knife upraised to obey God, he heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me.’ Genesis 22:12. This terrible ordeal was imposed upon Abraham that he might see the day of Christ, and realize the great love of God for the world, so great that to raise it from its degradation, He gave His only-begotten Son to a most shameful death.”—Pages 468, 469.
Elsewhere, Ellen G. White brings together the two purposes of God’s command in Genesis 22: “It was to impress Abraham’s mind with the reality of the gospel, as well as to test his faith, that God commanded him to slay his son. The agony which he endured during the dark days of that fearful trial was permitted that he might understand from his own experience something of the greatness of the sacrifice made by the infinite God for man’s redemption. No other test could have caused Abraham such torture of soul as did the offering of his son. God gave His Son to a death of agony and shame. The angels who witnessed the humiliation and soul anguish of the Son of God were not permitted to interpose, as in the case of Isaac. There was no voice to cry, ‘It is enough.’ To save the fallen race, the King of glory yielded up His life. What stronger proof can be given of the infinite compassion and love of God? ‘He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?’ Romans 8:32.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 154.
If the primary purpose of Genesis 22 was for it to be part of God’s revelation of His plan of salvation, it is important to emphasize that the divine command to Abraham was a singular, unique, prophetic event in the history of the world. Through this unique experience of Abraham, God has efficiently communicated His plan to save humanity through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Therefore, no one else in the history of humanity has ever received, nor will anyone ever receive, that command of sacrificing another human being again. Even in the case of Abraham, the sacrifice of Isaac was immediately replaced with an animal sacrifice. For this reason, Abraham’s experience cannot be justifiably associated with the ancient practice of child sacrifice or with any child abuse, ancient or contemporary.
Another important aspect of this experience is Isaac’s own participation and reaction in this experience. While we focus on Abraham’s anguish and suffering, we need to point out that this experience was Isaac’s crucible, too, and his reaction is inestimable. Indeed, he could have reacted in many ways, such as dubbing his father a mad old man or escaping by running away. But Isaac did not do so. His upbringing in faithfulness and in trusting God and his father makes Isaac a perfect example for the Christian going through crucibles. Ellen G. White highlights this point in a colorful narration of this scene:
“Abraham . . . in obedience to the divine command . . . pursues his journey with Isaac by his side. He sees before him the mountain which God had told him He would signalize as the one upon which he was to sacrifice. He removes the wood from the shoulder of his servant and lays it upon Isaac, the one to be offered. He girds up his soul with firmness and agonizing sternness, ready for the work which God requires him to do. With a breaking heart and unnerved hand, he takes the fire, while Isaac inquires: Father, here is the fire and the wood; but where is the offering? But, oh, Abraham cannot tell him now! Father and son build the altar, and the terrible moment comes for Abraham to make known to Isaac that which had agonized his soul all that long journey, that Isaac himself is the victim. Isaac is not a lad; he is a full-grown young man. He could have refused to submit to his father’s design had he chosen to do so. He does not accuse his father of insanity, nor does he even seek to change his purpose. He submits. He believes in the love of his father and that he would not make this terrible sacrifice of his only son if God had not bidden him to do so.”—Sons and Daughters of God, p. 205.
Part III: Life Application
Share three principles from the story of Abraham and Isaac that show you how to overcome crucibles.
How did Job and Hosea respond to their suffering? What can their responses teach you about how to overcome a crucible?
Notes