Heritage Sabbath Sermon
October 20, 2001
Lest We Forget
by G. Ralph Thompson
"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou
forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy
heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons"
(Deut 4:9, KJV).
"Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his
commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this
day" (Deut. 8:11, KJV).
The First Forty Years
The life of Moses is divided into three periods of forty years each. He
was the miracle baby of Amram and Jochebed, born at the time when there was a
decree from Pharaoh to kill every male child born to Israelite slaves in Egypt.
We are familiar with the story of how his parents defied Pharaoh's command by
keeping his birth secret. By the time he was three months old, Jochebed could
no longer hide him. She made a little water-tight boat of reeds, and put the
baby in it. Committing her child to the care of God, she hid the little ark in
the rushes along the river's edge. The baby's sister, Miriam, stayed nearby to
see what would happen.
Soon Pharaoh's daughter, coming down to the river, heard a little baby's
cry and discovered him. She knew at once that this was a Hebrew child. In her
sympathy for the mother, she decided to adopt the beautiful baby and bring him
up as her own. Miriam, casually looking on, offered to get a nurse for the
child from among the Hebrews. His mother became that nurse, and for twelve
precious years she had the opportunity to instill in Moses the knowledge of the
true God. His mother taught him the folly and sin of idiolatry, and taught him
to bow down and pray to the living God who made heaven and earththe God
who alone could help him. In Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 244, we read,
"How far reaching in its results was the influence of that one Hebrew woman,
and she an exile and a slave! The whole future life of Moses, the great mission
which he fulfilled as the leader of Israel, testifies to the importance of the
work of the Christian mother. There is no other work that can equal this. To a
very great extent, the mother holds in her own hands the destiny of her
children. She is dealing with developing minds and characters, working not
alone for time, but for eternity. She is sowing seed that will spring up and
bear fruit, either for good or for evil. She has not to paint a form of beauty
upon canvass or to chisel it from marble, but to impress upon a human soul the
image of the divine."
So, until Moses was forty years of age he was the adopted son of
Pharaoh's daughter, heir to the Egyptian throne. He was trained in the wisdom
of the Egyptiansin science, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, military
strategy, philosophy, history and theology, law, economics, and architecture.
"Moses was fitted to take pre-eminence among the great of the earth, to shine
in the courts of its most glorious kingdom, and to sway the scepter of its
power. His intellectual greatness distinguishes him above the great men of all
ages. As historian, poet, philosopher, general of armies, and legislator, he
stands without a peer. Yet with the world before him, he had the moral strength
to refuse the flattering prospects of wealth and greatness and fame, 'choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season'" (Heb. 11:24, 26; Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 246).
Moses never forgot his roots; his mother's teaching continually reminded
him of the true God. He was an Israelite, not an Egyptian, and he never became
brain-washed by the Egyptian educational system so that he forgot his true
background and the true God.
The Second Forty Years
The second forty-year period of his life began when one day he saw an
Egyptian striking an Israelite. Immediately his Hebrew loyalty came to the
forefront. The Egyptian was beating one of his kinsmen, and without stopping to
think of the consequences he sprang forward and killed the Egyptian, burying
him in the sand. He thought that this act would establish forever in the minds
of his fellow Israelites that he indeed was on their side and considered them
his people.
But how wrong he was! "For he supposed his brethren would have
understood how that God by his hand would deliver them; but they understood
not" (Acts 7:25). He did not realize how jealous they were of his living the
life of a prince in the king's palace, while they had to work as slaves in the
hot Egyptian sun.
Some while later he saw two Israelites fighting and went to make peace
between them. The offender said to him, "Who made you a judge and a ruler over
us? Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?"
Moses was stunned to learn that his secret was widely known. It would
not be long before word reached the palace that the heir to the Egyptian throne
had killed an Egyptian to save an Israelite slave. If he were to be captured,
he most certainly would be put to death as a traitor, for Pharaoh would
consider this an act of treason.
Moses fled for his life, and thus began the second forty-year period of
his life.
Eventually arriving in Midian, Moses began a new life there. It would
take forty long years for him to unlearn all the principles of leadership he
had learned in the University of Egypt. In the arduous University of Midian he
would enroll in a post-graduate course in true leadership.
"In the school of self denial and hardship he was to learn patience, to
temper his passions. Before he could govern wisely, he must be trained to obey.
His own heart must be fully in harmony with God before he could teach the
knowledge of His will to Israel. By his own experience he must be prepared to
exercise a fatherly care over all who needed his help.
"Man would have dispensed with that long period of toil and obscurity,
deeming it a great loss of time. But Infinite Wisdom called him who was to
become the leader of His people, to spend forty years in the humble work of a
shepherd. The habits of care-taking, of self- forgetfulness and tender
solicitude for his flock, thus developed, would prepare him to become the
compassionate, longsuffering shepherd of Israel. No advantage that human
training or culture could bestow, could be a substitute for this experience"
(Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 247, 248).
In Midian, God directed Moses to find a home with Jethro, the priest
and prince of Midian, who was a worshiper of the true God. Jethro had several
daughters and after a time Moses married one of them. Her name was Zipporah.
So it was that in the service of his father-in-law he spent the next
forty years as keeper of his flocks. It was there in Midian that God prepared
Moses for the greatest undertaking of his lifeone that would involve the
third forty-year period of his life.
In Midian, shut in by the mountains, alone with God and nature, Moses
came into close contact with the God of heaven. It was there that Moses' pride
and self sufficiency were swept away. He became patient, reverent, and humble.
It was there in Midian, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that he wrote
the book of Genesis, and, it is believed, the book of Job. In fact, the first
five books of the Bible are attributed to Moses, as well as the moving and
beautiful ninetieth Psalm.
The Third Forty Years
At the end of the second forty-year period, Moses received his call
directly from God at the burning bush. He was to go back to Egypt and lead
God's people out of bondage. The time for God to act had come. History was
about to be changed by the voice of prophecy.
Moses hesitated at the call of God. He felt he was neither qualified nor
ready for such an undertaking. This is evidence of the fact that indeed he had
learned his lessons well in Midian. There was no self sufficiency within him;
total dependence upon God would be necessary for a successful outcome of the
plan.
Relying entirely upon God, Moses went back to Egypt and appeared before
Pharaoh, requesting that the Israelites be freed from slavery. As Pharaoh
mocked him for such an outrageous demand, Moses held out his rod and it became
a serpent, a symbol of God's power over all of the might and so-called power of
the false gods of Egypt.
Pharaoh would give his word to let the people go, then renege on his
promise, making life even harder for the Hebrews. God sent plague after plague,
but each time Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let the people go.
But finally, death stalked the land of Egypt. The last devastating
plaguethe death of all the first-born, from the palace to the hovel, from
the richest to the poorestwas poured out. In every household where the
Egyptians dwelt there was the cry of death. At last Pharaoh agreed to let the
Israelite slaves go. Numbering more than a million strong, they left the land
of Egypt with joy and thanksgiving for their deliverance by the mighty God of
heaven.
By the time the Israelites reached the Red Sea, Pharaoh had changed his
mind, and he and the Egyptian armies came after them in full pursuit. Because
of God's command, the Israelites had changed their route from south-easterly to
south-westerly, from the shorter route to the longer one toward the Red Sea.
But Pharaoh had mistaken this, thinking they were lost, and he was in fast
pursuit, sure he would overtake them.
The fleeing Israelites were surrounded by the mountains, and with the
Red Sea before them they were caught in a tight place. When they saw the
pursuing host of the Egyptians, they were afraid. They turned on Moses and
began to berate him, asking, "Why did you bring us out here to die?" How short
is human memory! They had already forgotten their bondage, their hard life and
cries to God for mercy and deliverance. Moses now understood why he had to go
through the Midian experience. He now understood that blame would be laid at
his feet. He now understood that leadership is hardship. Moses had no one to
turn to but God. And God answered.
Moses said to the people, "Stand still and see the salvation of the
Lord." And the Lord said to Moses, "Speak unto the children of Israel that they
go forward." And what fantastic miracles took place right before their eyes in
a grand display of God's mighty power (Ex. 14:13- 41)!
Fantastic Miracles
Again God instructed Moses to use that shepherd's rod, to hold it over
the waters of the Red Sea. As he did so, the waters parted, standing as a wall,
holding back the surging sea, and a great wide highway appeared before their
eyes. The host of Israel marched across on dry land while the waters stood as a
dam on both sides of their highway.
Pharaoh and his host plunged in behind them, still certain that they
would capture the Hebrews and return them to Egypt. By the time the last human
beings and animals of Israel set foot on the other side on dry ground, the
Egyptian host had progressed to the middle of the sea. Again, under God's
command, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and with the roar of a thousand
hurricanes the waters came roiling back together again. The Egyptian army,
including Pharaoh, along with all their horses and chariots, were trapped in
the middle of the raging sea and destroyed. The people of Israel broke forth
into mighty singingsongs of victory and deliverance.
It would seem that after seeing this marvelous display of God's power
and saving grace on their behalf, there would be no more murmuring or doubting
on the part of the Israelites. But this was not the case. Time and time again
the patience of Mosesand of God was tested to the limit. Moses
patiently filled the role of father to the people until one day, in total
exhaustion and exasperation, he was pushed so far that he was tempted into
disobeying God's command.
Once again, the water supply was exhausted, and the demands of the
people seemed especially grievous. The first time the people had complained of
thirst, God had told Moses to strike the rock, and pure, refreshing water
gushed out.
Moses Strikes the Rock
When a similar crisis arose a second time, God told Moses to "Speak to
the rock." But Moses had heard so much whining and complaining from these
people, so much ungrateful grumbling against God, that in anger toward them he
lost his temper and disobeyed God's command. He struck the rock instead of
speaking to it, thus spoiling the symbol and disobeying God.
Nevertheless, God honored Moses by letting the water cascade from the
stone. But He told him that because he had disobeyed His command, he would not
be able to go over into the land of Canaan. God knew how desperately Moses
wanted to enter the Promised Land, but He could not let his disobedience go
unnoticed. God is particular. "All who profess godliness are under the most
sacred obligation to guard the spirit, and to exercise self control under the
greatest provocation. The burdens placed upon Moses were very great; few men
will ever be so severely tried as he was; yet this was not allowed to excuse
his sin. God has made ample provision for His people; and if they rely upon His
strength they will never become the sport of circumstances. The strongest
temptation cannot excuse sin. However great the pressure brought to bear upon
the soul, transgression is our own act. It is not in the power of earth or hell
to compel anyone to do evil. Satan attacks us at our weak points, but we need
not be overcome. However severe or unexpected the assault, God has provided
help for us and in His strength we may conquer" (Patriarchs and
Prophets, p. 421).
Moses continued to lead the people of Israel during this third
forty-year period of his life right up to the borders of the land of
Canaanknowing that he would never have the privilege of entering that
land with them.
Moses' Last Cautions and Admonitions
After serving God and his people so faithfully Moses, now 120 years old,
was near the end of his life. He pleaded with God to let him go over into the
Promised Land, but God said to him, "Don't even talk to me about it. You will
not go over." God had forgiven Moses that one sin, but His judgment was that
Moses could not be permitted to go over into the Promised Land.
So Moses gathered all the children of Israel together and reviewed God's
leadership. He rehearsed the history of Israel's deliverance from Egypt until
that moment (Deut. 4-6; Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 462-468). He
reminded the Israelites that they were not chosen because of their number or
because they were better than other people (Deut. 7:7-9). He closed his
admonitions with these words, "I am now giving you the choice between life and
death, between God's blessing and God's curse, and I call heaven and earth to
witness the choice you make. Choose life. Love the Lord your God, obey him and
be faithful to him, and then you and your descendants will live long in the
land that he promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (Deut.
30:19, 20).
Prophetic Fulfillment
In spite of all the warnings and admonitions that Moses had left with
them, still Israel's obedience was fitful and wavering. Even so, God continued
to work marvelously for them under the continued leadership of Joshua, the
judges, and the kings that followed. Many were the repeated admonitions for
them to serve God, change their rebellious spirit and forget not the
commandments and the statutes and the teachings that they had received in the
past. Whenever they repented, God blessed them. When they strayed away, He
allowed them to become victims of the oppressors. God's prophets brought them
messages of reproof and rebuke and encouragement. Sometimes they listened, but
most times they did not.
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, summed up the situation in these
words: "Ye stiffed- necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always
resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets
have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before
of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and
murderers: who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not
kept it" (Acts 7:51-53). This is a harsh, blunt assessment of the situation for
which Stephen gave his life as the reaction of the crowd became violent at his
words.
Israel rejected the Messiah when He came to them (Matt. 27:25). They
expected Him to come as a mighty prince to break the power of the Romans, as a
great conqueror like the lion of the tribe of Judah. They expected Him to reign
as a mighty world king and to make Judea an earthly paradise. The Messiah who
came did not fit their preconceived notions.
But while the Jewish people as a nation rejected the Messiah, yet a
remnant will be saved from out of the Jewish nation (The Acts of the
Apostles, p. 380; John 1:12, Rom. 11:5, 6). Today salvation is open for
both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 18:5, 6; 13:46, 47), so that all can become the
children of God, the Israel of God (Gal. 3:26-29).
Warnings of Moses
The warnings of Moses apply to God's people today. Just as God chose
Moses to be His prophetic leader of the Exodus movement from Egypt to Canaan,
so we believe that the Advent movement has been called out by God to lead a
people from spiritual Egypt to heavenly Canaan. Our Fundamental Belief Number
17, on the gift of prophecy, states: "One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is
prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was
manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. As the Lord's messenger, her
writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for
the church comfort, guidance, instruction and correction. They also make clear
that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be
tested . (Joel 2:28, 29, Acts 2:14-21, Heb.1:1-3, Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)"
The Gift of Prophecy
The gift of prophecy was extant in the New Testament church, for our
Lord had promised it (Matt. 23:34, Luke 11:49). God had promised to pour out
His Spirit upon all flesh. The apostles accepted this (Acts 2:17, 18), and
Peter declared it to be so in his sermon on the day of Pentecost.
There were prophets in the early church. Acts 11:27 says, "And in these
days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch." Also, Acts 13:1 states, "There
were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers," and it
lists some of them. And again in Acts 15:32 we are told that "Judas and Silas,
being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and
confirmed them."
So the presence of prophets in the New Testament church was an
established fact. This gift was to remain in the church until the coming of
Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:6-8, "Even as the testimony of Christ was
confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be
blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." So it is a mark of identity in
the remnant church and is a gift associated with God's commandment-keeping
people. (Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)
In the book 101 Questions, Robert W. Olson makes the
following points: "In Revelation 19:10 the angel is quoted as saying to John ,
'I am . . . of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus.' This phrase is
parallel to, 'I am . . . of thy brethren the prophets' in Rev. 22:9. In other
words, one who had the testimony of Jesus had the prophetic gift. The term
'spirit of prophecy,' as used in Rev. 19:10, must then apply to anyone who had
the prophetic gift, including the angel, John, and John's brethren.
"Adventists believe that Ellen White had the 'spirit of prophecy' and
commonly use the term as a title, applying to her writings. In the strictest
Biblical sense, however , the phrase 'spirit of prophecy' applies to the
ministry and teachings of all the prophets, both ancient and modern.
"According to Rev. 12:17, the remnant church was to have 'the testimony
of Jesus Christ.' This phrase, in English as in Greek, can mean either
testimony about Christ or testimony from Christ. Since all
Christian groups talk about Christ this could hardly be a distinguishing
feature of God's true church in the last days. However, to have divine
communications from Christa renewal of the prophetic
giftwould quite easily identify the true remnant from other church
groups.
"Seventh-day Adventists hold that the phrase 'the testimony of Jesus' in
Rev. 12:17 is a reference to the gift of prophecy as seen in the ministry of
Ellen G. White. This interpretation is in harmony with the meaning of the
phrase in Rev. 1:2 and 1:9" (101 Questions on the Sanctuary and on Ellen
White, pp. 36, 37).
This gift therefore also acts as a test of truth (Isaiah 8:20).
The Blessings of the Spirit of Prophecy
a. It gives spiritual eyesight, thus preventing spiritual blindness (1
Sam. 3:1, 2; 28:6; Prov. 29:18).
b. When heeded it brings prosperity (2 Chron. 20:20). It gives practical
counsels for Christian living (Deut. 1-33, and E. G. White books on Biblical
themes).
How did Ellen White see her role? Here is what she says. "I have had no
claims to make, only that I am instructed that I am the Lord's
messenger; that He called me in my youth to be His messenger, to receive
His word, and to give a clear and decided message in the name of the Lord
Jesus.
"Early in my youth I was asked several times, Are you a prophet? I have
ever responded, I am the Lord's messenger. I know that many have called me a
prophet, but I have made no claim to this title. My Saviour declared me to be
His messenger. 'Your work,' He instructed me, 'is to bear My word. Strange
things will arise, and in your youth I set you apart to bear the message to the
erring ones, to carry the word before unbelievers, and with pen and voice to
reprove from the Word actions that are not right. Exhort from the Word. I will
make My Word open to you. It shall not be as a strange language. In the true
eloquence of simplicity, with voice and pen, the messages that I give shall be
heard from one who has never learned in the schools. My Spirit and My power
shall be with you.
"'Be not afraid of man, for My shield shall protect you. It is not you
that speaketh. It is the Lord that giveth the messages of warning and reproof.
Never deviate from the truth under any circumstances. Give the light I
shall give you. The messages for these last days shall be written in books, and
shall stand immortalized, to testify against those who have once rejoiced in
the light, but who have been led to give it up because of the seductive
influences of evil.'
"Why have I not claimed to be a prophet? Because in these days many who
boldly claim that they are prophets are a reproach to the cause of Christ; and
because my work includes much more than the word 'prophet' signifies"
(Selected Messages,book 1, p. 32, italics supplied).
For seventy long years God used Ellen G. White as His messenger to the
Advent Movement as He had used Moses as His messenger to the Exodus Movement.
In the final analysis, the Israelites failed to heed the warnings. Let us not
do the same.
LEST WE FORGET
"By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet
was he preserved" (Hosea 12:13). What would have happened to the Seventh-day
Adventist church without the guidance of Ellen G. White? It is safe to say that
without her guidance as the messenger from the Lord to the remnant church, the
Seventh-day Adventist church, as we know it now, would not exist.
In his book, Messenger of the Lord, Herbert E. Douglass quotes
Dr. Jack Provonsha as saying that "Without Ellen White there would be no
Seventh-day Adventist church today." In reviewing the Adventist movement from
its beginning, Provonsha asserted, "They had their Bible. But they had in large
measure that other ingredient for a religious movement's vitalitythe
sense that they had been called by God and that He was in their movement! Had
He not vouchsafed His presence with the gift of prophetic guidance? That made
all the difference. Without such a sense at the beginning, there would not now
even be a Seventh-day Adventist church, at least one that made a great deal of
difference to the world. The obvious corollary to this is that if that sense is
ever lost, the church, even if it continues to exist institutionally, may no
longer count where and in the way that it is supposed to count" (Messenger
of the Lord, p. 538).
Dr. Provonsha then wrote, "I have quoted liberally from Ellen G. White.
I make no apology for this. She is my 'spiritual mother.' She has also been
absolutely central to the life and thought of Adventism" (ibid.).
Douglass continues: "Telling the story of the birth of Israel as a
nation is impossible without reviewing the work of Moses, its prophet. How
would one explain the Exodus without Moses? Or Mount Sinai? Or why Israel had
to wander in the wilderness for forty years? So it is impossible to tell the
story of the Seventh-day Adventist movement without interweaving Ellen White's
ministry in the affirmation of Biblical doctrine, in the building of a church
organization strong enough to support a world church, and in the Moses-like
messages of reproof and courage that helped to shape the character of the
church. Without her today it is probable that the Adventist Church would be
only a footnote in some history book of various religious groups in the
nineteenth century" (ibid.).
CONCLUSION
As Moses pleaded with the children of Israel to heed the counsels and
admonitions of the Lord, so we plead with our peoplechurch members,
institutional leaders, denominational leaders on all levelsto pay heed to
the Word of God and to the counsels that God has been pleased to give us
through the writings of Ellen G. White, His messenger. We thank God for this
gift that seeks to get us ready for the coming of the Lord, for "We have
nothing to fear for the future except as we shall forget the way the Lord has
led us, and His teaching in our past history" (Life Sketches, p. 196;
Testimonies to Ministers, p. 31).
Elder G. Ralph Thompson currently serves as Field
Representative for the Ellen G. White Estate. He has served in a variety of
positions in the church, including the last 20 years as secretary of the
General Conference.
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