Sabbath School Lesson 7 Summary – Now Hear This! | Q4 2026

Speaker A 00:00:01 - 00:01:02 Hello, I'm your host, Kaysie Vokurka. Welcome to Let God Speak. Some people insist on speaking their truth. Yet when that personal truth collides with the truth found in Jesus Christ and his written word, a choice must be made. Biblical prophets often delivered messages no one wanted to hear, and many paid a heavy price for their faithfulness. Stay with us as we discover why these ancient accounts were written for our instruction in these last days. On our panel today, we have Rosemary Malkiewycz and John Kosmeier. Welcome to the program. Speaker B 00:01:02 - 00:01:03 Thank you. Speaker A 00:01:03 - 00:01:25 Before we begin, especially to read God's Word, let us pray. Bow with us. Gracious Father in heaven, we give thanks to you for the opportunity to study your Word once more, and we invite your Holy Spirit to come now and be our teacher that we might apply this correctly to our lives. We thank you for hearing our prayer in Jesus' name. Amen. Speaker B 00:01:25 - 00:01:26 Amen. Speaker A 00:01:27 - 00:03:30 Well, from the wilderness of Sinai to the courts of Judah, and even the days of Jesus himself, God's messengers have faced anger, rejection, and violence. These accounts were not recorded merely as history; they were written for our admonition. As we open the scriptures, we will see the danger of resisting God's voice and the urgent call to respond with humility and faith. We're going to look at some events from the Old Testament that demonstrate what true faith can cost. So our first story is actually dealing with the 12 spies, and we can find it in Numbers chapter 13 and verse 26 to 30. So we're going to have a read of this passage first just to get the context, to refresh our minds. So from verse 26, it says Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him and said, we went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit. Nevertheless, the people who dwell in the land are strong. The cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan. Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it. So this is the context. The spies have come back and given their report of the land of Canaan. And Rosemary, how did the Israelites respond to this report of the spies? And how did Caleb try to encourage them? Speaker C 00:03:30 - 00:04:59 Well, Numbers 14 describes their reaction, and they really were showing extreme disappointment. They were in despair. They were distressed with great weeping and wailing over what the spies told them. And especially when they heard about the strength of the Canaanites and the giants in the land. Hmm. And so, they allowed the fear of these people to overrule their faith in God. Hmm. But then we get Joshua and Caleb who held on to their faith because they were 2 of the spies. And they said, we are well able to take this land. God is, God is with us. And they stood firm. So, let's just look at Numbers 14:8-9. And it says, if the Lord delights in us, this is, Caleb and Joshua. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. So that was their message. Hmm. When the people feared. Speaker A 00:04:59 - 00:05:22 Right, so that was an interesting reaction and then response, wasn't it, from Caleb? And so Numbers 14:10, the very next verse, actually says the people got so angry with Caleb and Joshua that they wanted to stone them. So John, tell us a bit more about this. Against who was this anger ultimately directed and why? Speaker B 00:05:22 - 00:05:50 You read verse 10. But go back to verse 9. And there you find that their rebellion was not just against Moses and Aaron and Joshua and Caleb. And I love Caleb. But that verse said that their rebellion was actually against God. And this is where Caleb said to them, he said, don't you rebel against God. Speaker A 00:05:50 - 00:05:50 Yes. Speaker B 00:05:51 - 00:06:32 Because that creates all kinds of difficulties and, and it's more than what, what you can handle. And 1 Corinthians, Paul's writing in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 11, Paul explains that now all these things happened to them as examples. And they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages, the world, have come. And I was reading from the New King James Version. And this is where it's examples that we can learn from. Speaker A 00:06:32 - 00:06:32 Yes. Speaker B 00:06:32 - 00:06:38 Why should we make the same mistake as what they did? And so let's never rebel against God. Hmm. Speaker A 00:06:39 - 00:06:53 Yeah. Powerful take-home lesson, isn't it, for us today? Yeah. So, Rosemary, how does this story So the story of Israel's rebellion, which we've just been discussing in the wilderness, how does it warn us about the danger of yielding to unbelief? Speaker C 00:06:53 - 00:07:56 Well, one of the things that the Canaanites— I mean, the Israelites were doing, that in the section we looked at before, they said, we'd rather have died in Egypt or die in this wilderness, you know, because they had such unbelief in what God had told them to do. Hmm. And the spies came back with their bad report. But it meant they couldn't move forward because they couldn't go forward in faith. And instead, they yielded to temptation and gave themselves over to the control of Satan. And Paul, using them as an example, wrote this in Hebrews 3:12. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, because the Israelites had done that. And he's warning us today, don't do that. Don't let Satan cause you to fear and depart from God. Hmm. Speaker A 00:07:57 - 00:08:21 Yeah, it really drives home the point that, or the illustration in the New Testament, which talks about faith being like a shield. They would have been shielded from these temptations if they had clung to faith. So yeah, that's a real lesson for us. Now, John, it's easy to trust God when things go well, but what about when things don't go well? How do we respond, or how can we respond to trust Him? Speaker B 00:08:21 - 00:08:33 Well, that's where true faith shines. Anybody can be faithful while everything's right, but when it's not, That is when we are called upon in a special way. Speaker C 00:08:33 - 00:08:34 That's right. Speaker B 00:08:34 - 00:09:03 And there were people who were faithful. And in the Old Testament, we have a tiny little book, Habakkuk. And he's a minor prophet, but he picked up on this when he wrote in Habakkuk chapter 3, starting from verse 17, though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, though the labor of the olive may fall, Hearing, even in translation, it sounds like a poem, doesn't it? Speaker A 00:09:03 - 00:09:04 Yes. Speaker B 00:09:04 - 00:09:37 And all the fields yield no food, though the flock may be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls. And here we come. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength. He will make my feet like deer's feet. And He will make me walk on the high hills. We are called upon to fix our gaze and our faith on God who guides us and directs us. Speaker A 00:09:37 - 00:11:49 Yeah, absolutely. And especially in challenging times where all things look very dismal, we are called to have faith in God. So it's a key lesson, isn't it? Now, our second event that we're gonna look at, we're moving along in the Bible a bit here to, and also in time to about 800 BC. around the time of Jeremiah. And we're gonna get a bit of context here before we discuss. So Jeremiah 36:20-26, and it says this: And they went to the king into the court, but they stored the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe and told all the words in the hearing of the king. So the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll, and he took it from Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king, and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king. Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the 9th month with a fire burning on the hearth before him. And it happened when Jehudi had read 3 or 4 columns that the king cut it with the scribe's knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet when they were not afraid— yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments. the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. Hmm. Nevertheless, Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll, but he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jeremiel the king's son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdiel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet But the Lord hid them. Wow, that's quite a dramatic scene, isn't it? It is. You imagine all of that going on and just, oh wow, to see the king throw this into the fire, you know, that's quite something. So tell us, Rosemary, a bit more about this response of the king. What does it reveal about where his heart was at? Speaker C 00:11:49 - 00:12:41 Well, the interesting thing is that he didn't just throw it into the fire. He took the scribe's knife and he cut it through pieces and threw the pieces in the fire. Must have been a cold time of year, but he burnt it until there was none of it. It said there was none of it left. It was consumed in the fire. He didn't want to hear the message. Hmm. He didn't want to find out what God had to say. And so, in rejecting it, he was in open defiance of God. And it's amazing that so many of his other servants there did the same. They did not say anything against him except for 3 people said not to burn it. But he didn't want to hear the message. And it shows how far people will go when they don't like what God has to say. Speaker A 00:12:41 - 00:12:41 Yeah. Speaker C 00:12:41 - 00:13:27 Let's look at Jeremiah 36:27-28, just beyond what you've just read. It says, now, after the king had turned— burned the scroll with the words which Baruch had written in at the instruction of Jeremiah, the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah saying, take yet another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, has burned. So what's God's response. He tells Jeremiah, get Baruch to write it all over again. I'll give you the words to speak. But I'm— He actually says to Jeremiah, I'll give you more to say than what was in the last one. Speaker A 00:13:27 - 00:13:36 That's interesting, isn't it? So, John, tell us, how did God answer Jehoiakim's attempt to destroy the prophetic message? Speaker B 00:13:36 - 00:13:45 This was version 2. The Lord declared that Jehoiakim would have no one to sit on the throne of David. Speaker A 00:13:45 - 00:13:45 Wow. Speaker B 00:13:45 - 00:14:11 So he'd lost his heritage and his dead body would be cast out. Oh dear. Destroying the written word never erases the message. All it does is intensify the judgment. And if only he had followed the Bible of his day. He had the writings. Speaker A 00:14:11 - 00:14:11 Yes. Speaker B 00:14:11 - 00:15:08 Of King Solomon and David, who were the kings before him. And here in one of those books, Proverbs, which is the book of wisdom. And it's in Proverbs chapter 13, verse 13, that he should have followed what he should have read. in God's Word. Verse 13. He who despises the Word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded. Hmm. Now, being destroyed, of course, was a reward. But the second part is, just like God rewards evil, He also rewards, rewards good doing and following His Word and so on. So it could have been a totally different story if only that king had listened to what the Word of God had to say. Speaker A 00:15:08 - 00:15:16 Absolutely. So Rosemary, what does this tell us about God and His character, how He persisted in appealing to the king? Speaker C 00:15:16 - 00:15:47 Well, see, that's the point. God loves us so much He wants to save us. And so He does persist. Even when people refuse to listen, He keeps on pleading, keeps on working. And His warnings are an expression of His wonderful redeeming love that He has for all mankind, not just for those who listen to Him, but even those who don't. And He's full of compassion. He's not a despot who threatens. Speaker A 00:15:47 - 00:15:48 Yeah. Speaker C 00:15:48 - 00:16:23 He's a loving God who pleads. Hmm. And there's a wonderful verse in 2 Peter 3:9 that I really love this verse. And it's one that I say quite often. And it's this one. It says, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should choose a relationship with Him. Speaker A 00:16:23 - 00:17:11 Yeah, thank you for sharing that. And going right along with that idea of God's character, we read in 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, this is about, still with Jeremiah, but the last days of Judah. It says, and the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers rising up Early and sending them because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his words, scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy. So that's almost a snapshot of the behavior we've been considering. John, how did Judah respond to the, to the messengers God sent? What was the result ultimately to Speaker B 00:17:12 - 00:17:17 Well, you've just read that they rejected both the messenger and also the message. Speaker A 00:17:17 - 00:17:18 Yeah. Speaker B 00:17:18 - 00:17:34 And this is a tragic pattern that is so often followed. And eventually it brings God to the stage where He can no longer help the people. Speaker A 00:17:34 - 00:17:34 Yeah. Speaker B 00:17:34 - 00:17:55 Because they don't want to listen. They don't want to do. And they destroy the messenger. And the ultimate messenger that was destroyed was Christ. And so when that happens, God has to leave the people to be on their own, and then they have no protection at Speaker A 00:17:55 - 00:18:10 all. Yes. Yeah, very interesting, sobering to consider. Jeremiah is described as speaking from the mouth of the Lord. So, Rosemary, what does this teach us about the authority of the prophetic message? Speaker C 00:18:10 - 00:18:59 Okay, let's, let me read 2 Chronicles 36:12, and it says, he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, that's the king, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. So, when a true prophet speaks, and there are false ones, he speaks what God Himself reveals to him to speak. And so it's God who is actually speaking through the prophet. So when you reject the message of God, it's a serious message, a serious situation, because you're actually rejecting God. Hmm. It's not just the person who's giving the message. You're rejecting the one who sent the messenger. Speaker A 00:18:59 - 00:19:11 Yeah, that's very important to remember that, isn't it? So John, tell us, why is the history of Israel and Judah's rejection of the prophets, why is that actually especially relevant for us today? Speaker B 00:19:11 - 00:19:32 Unfortunately, the heart of that time is exactly as the heart is today. And so we have the same choices to make. We have the same decisions to make toward God and the message. And if we won't listen, then we're not immune from the judgments. Speaker A 00:19:32 - 00:20:45 Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, well, that is important, isn't it, for us to consider? Okay, moving along now, we're going to the New Testament, to the time of Jesus, and Jesus was addressing the religious leaders in this passage. We're going to have a little look at Matthew chapter 23. And we'll start at verse 30, and it said, And say, if we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up then the measure of your fathers' guilt. Serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape the condemnation of hell? Therefore indeed I sent you prophets, Wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, and that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. They're pretty strong words. So, um, what painful point is Jesus making here, Rosemary? Speaker C 00:20:45 - 00:21:27 Well, these religious leaders claimed that they would never have killed the prophets as their fathers did. And yet at the exact same time, they're plotting to kill God Himself in human form. And so that's even worse than what their fathers did in killing the prophets. And they're plotting His death. And Jesus, you know, He exposes The hypocrisy without really debasing them in amongst the people, you know, in front of the people. But they honored the tombs of the prophets, and yet they're wanting to kill God Himself, the living Word of God. Speaker A 00:21:27 - 00:21:35 Wow. Yeah. So, John, how can we make sure that we don't fall into the same trap of hypocrisy? Speaker B 00:21:37 - 00:22:43 When you go, I'm taking you back to the Old Testament. Hahaha. Okay. 1 Samuel, chapter 16 and verse 7. But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance. But the Lord looks at the heart. And when He When Jesus was dealing with these New Testament men that you read about just a minute ago, He called them whitewashed tombs full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. That's what God sees. Yeah. In the hearts of, of evil and wicked men. And We have to look at our own hearts and see where we fit into this so that we don't make the same mistakes and choices as what the wicked people did back there. And there's no reason for us to make wicked choices, just make good ones. Speaker A 00:22:43 - 00:22:47 Yeah, sounds simple. Do you have anything to add to that, Rosemary? Speaker C 00:22:47 - 00:23:01 The whited sepulchres always reminds me of the tombs in New Zealand, in Rotorua, that are up above the ground and they're beautiful and whitewashed, but inside there are dead men's bones. And I always picture that when I think about that verse. Speaker A 00:23:01 - 00:23:03 Interesting, isn't it? Speaker C 00:23:03 - 00:23:04 That's a very good illustration. Speaker A 00:23:04 - 00:23:32 Yeah, yeah. Alright, we're going to come across now and have a little look at what 1 Corinthians 10:6 says. And we'll just read it there. It says, now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, As they also lusted. And so I guess the question is, why did God inspire the prophets to record the details of Israel's failures, John? Speaker B 00:23:32 - 00:23:43 The reason why He did it was so that we don't make the same mistake and that we can learn from them. And wise people do learn from them. Speaker A 00:23:43 - 00:23:44 Absolutely. Speaker B 00:23:44 - 00:23:45 God help us. Speaker A 00:23:45 - 00:24:00 Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And a little bit further in Corinthians, in verse, 1 Corinthians 10:11, again it says these are examples for our admonition. What does Paul mean by that, Rosemary? Speaker C 00:24:00 - 00:24:09 We are to learn from the things that they've done in the past that have been wrong. And we can also learn from those who did what was right. Speaker A 00:24:09 - 00:24:09 Yes. Speaker C 00:24:09 - 00:24:48 And they should be our examples because we're living in the last days and there's a greater urgency for us today to make sure we are right with God and doing what God wants us to do. Hmm. Let me read Isaiah 40:8. And it says, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever. When God speaks, He speaks with the same authority to us today As He did to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and we should listen. He hasn't changed. Speaker A 00:24:48 - 00:25:01 Yeah. Now just staying with you, Rosemary, talking about modern-day situations, how did Ellen G. White describe her own experience as a messenger who often had to deliver unpopular counsel? Speaker C 00:25:01 - 00:25:57 Ellen White classed herself as a messenger of God because she delivered many different messages, including futuristic ones. But she had a really heavy burden on herself, just as the prophets of the Bible did. Hmm. Because she, she didn't choose the position. God chose her as He chose other prophets. And some would receive her messages and do whatever the reform was that they needed in their lives to be right with God. Hmm. Whereas others rejected and turned away. And that was the sad thing, because once again, when she'd warned, when she counseled, she rebuked, she encouraged as the Spirit told her. And those who rejected the Spirit's message were rejecting what God was trying to tell them for their salvation. Speaker A 00:25:57 - 00:26:16 Hmm. Yeah. Oh, lots of lessons for us today, aren't there, with all of these experiences. experiences and stories. Just to finish with you, John, what central appeal could you share with us from this week's study for every listener who, as we've been discussing this? Speaker B 00:26:16 - 00:26:31 Well, today we've learned about the way people are, good or bad, make good decisions, bad decisions, have faith in God, don't have. What we can learn from today is to make the correct choices. Speaker A 00:26:33 - 00:26:34 Yeah. Speaker B 00:26:34 - 00:26:43 Because God has promised that He will give us everything that eventually He will give to the world when it's renewed. And we could be part of that. Speaker A 00:26:43 - 00:26:44 Yes. Speaker B 00:26:44 - 00:26:48 And if you're not, we've heard today where you could be. Speaker C 00:26:48 - 00:26:50 It's up to us, isn't it? Speaker B 00:26:50 - 00:26:50 Yes. Speaker C 00:26:50 - 00:27:00 And the choices— God has given us all free will to make the choice. And the choice is ours, but He gives us what we Yeah, and that's important. Speaker B 00:27:00 - 00:27:06 See, the prophetic word is the word that was given to us for our admonition. Speaker A 00:27:06 - 00:27:07 Yes. Speaker B 00:27:07 - 00:27:08 It's to help, not to hinder. Speaker A 00:27:08 - 00:27:59 Yes, absolutely. Well, thank you so much for sharing on this program today. And yes, take heed for all of us lest we fall. Isn't that the answer for us? So from the rebellion in the wilderness to the burning of Jeremiah's scroll from the hippos, hypocrisy of the Pharisees to the rejection of later messages, scripture shows us the results of resisting God's voice by ignoring his messenger. These accounts are preserved for us so that we can learn, repent, and stand firm in this time of Earth's history. God, who sent these prophets, still speaks to us through his word. May we have ears to hear, hearts to obey, and lives to reflect the truth. Thank you for joining us. All past programs are— and teachers' notes are on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au. You can email us as well and tell your friends. Until next time, may God bless you. Speaker D 00:27:59 - 00:28:36 You have been listening to Let God Speak, a production of 3ABN Australia Television. To catch up on past programs, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456 or email [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you. Thank you.