L esson 9 *February 24–March 1

Blessed Is He Who Comes

in the Name of the Lord

Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Psalm 23, John 10:11–15,
Psalm 22, Ps. 89:27–32, Col. 1:16, Psalm 2, Heb. 7:20–28.

Memory Text: “The stone which the builders rejected has become
the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in
our eyes” (Psalm 118:22, 23, NKJV).

T
he Psalms testify about Christ’s person and ministry. Almost
all aspects of His work in the plan of salvation are seen in the
Psalms. In various ways, Christ’s life and work are prefigured
and predicted in them, often with remarkable accuracy.
The topics revealed in the Psalms include Christ’s deity, His Sonship,
His obedience, His zeal for God’s temple, His identity as the Good
Shepherd, His betrayal, His suffering, His bones not being broken, His
death, resurrection, ascension, priesthood, and kingship. It’s all there, as
predicted many centuries before Jesus came in the flesh.
No wonder, for example, when talking about His ministry, Jesus
pointed back to the Psalms when speaking to the disciples on the road
to Emmaus (Luke 24:44). He wanted them to find in the Psalms evi-
dence for who He was.
Some of the psalms that have a typological fulfillment in Christ
include Psalms 24, 45, 72, and 101 (the ideal King and Judge), as well
as Psalms 88 and 102 (prayers of the suffering servant of God).
In all the Psalms, through the psalmists’ laments, thanksgivings,
praises, and cries for justice and deliverance, we can hear the echoes of
Christ’s prayer for the salvation of the world.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 2.

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 S unday February 25

Divine Self-Sacrificing Shepherd

Read Psalm 23; Psalm 28:9; Psalm 80:1; Psalm 78:52, 53; Psalm
79:13; and Psalm 100:3. How is the relationship between the Lord
and His people portrayed in these texts?
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The image of the Lord as Shepherd and God’s people as the sheep of His
pasture highlights God’s guidance and sustaining care of His people and the
people’s dependence on God to meet all their needs. The image conveys the
notion of closeness between God and His people because shepherds lived
with their flocks and cared for each sheep individually. The pastoral imagery
also underlines God’s ownership of His flock, guaranteed by two strong
bonds: creation (Ps. 95:6, 7; Ps. 100:3) and covenant (Ps. 28:9, Heb. 13:20).
The image of the divine Shepherd who leads Joseph like a flock (Ps. 80:1)
perhaps alludes to Jacob’s benediction of Joseph, which pictures God as the
Shepherd of Israel, and so, appeals to this great promise and blessing (Gen.
49:24).
Kings were considered shepherds of their people (2 Sam. 5:2). Yet, only
God truly deserves this title because most human kings did not live up to
such a calling. Only Jesus did, which is why He is called the Good Shepherd.

Read John 10:11–15. What does Jesus say about Himself as the Good
Shepherd?
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The intimate bond between the divine Shepherd and His flock is seen
in the flock’s unmistakably knowing the Shepherd’s voice (John 10:4, 27).
To the current day, Middle Eastern shepherds can divide their flocks that
have mingled simply by calling their sheep, who recognize and follow their
shepherd’s voice.
At times, God’s flock suffers various afflictions that the people under-
stand as the sign of God’s discontent and abandonment. Yet, the Good
Shepherd never forsakes His strayed sheep but searches to save them. This
is a powerful image of God’s relationship with His people. He is willing to
die for His sheep (John 10:11, 15) and paradoxically become a sacrificial
lamb on their behalf (John 1:29). Also, Jesus confirmed that He would call
His sheep in other folds and unite them into one flock (John 10:16).
What are ways that you can on a daily and practical level take
advantage of what is promised to us in having Jesus as our Good
Shepherd?
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 M onday February 26

The Suffering Messiah

Read Psalm 22 and Psalm 118:22. How was the Messiah treated by
those He had come to save?
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Many psalms express the agonizing feelings of utmost forsakenness

of the suffering Messiah (e.g. Psalm 42, Psalm 88, and Psalm 102).
Psalm 22 is a direct Messianic prophecy because many details in this
psalm cannot be historically connected to King David but perfectly
fit the circumstances of Christ’s death. Jesus prayed with the words of
Psalm 22:1 on the cross (Matt. 27:46).
The torment of Christ’s separation from His Father, caused by Christ
carry­ing the entire world’s sins, can be measured only by the extent of their
closeness, namely, their unparalleled oneness (John 1:1, 2; John 10:30). Yet,
even the depths of inexplicable suffering could not break the unity between
the Father and the Son. In His utter forsakenness, Christ unconditionally
entrusts Himself to the Father, despite the utter depths of despair He faced.
“Upon Christ as our substitute and surety was laid the iniquity of us
all. He was counted a transgressor, that He might redeem us from the
condemnation of the law. The guilt of every descendant of Adam was
pressing upon His heart. The wrath of God against sin, the terrible mani­
festation of His displeasure because of iniquity, filled the soul of His
Son with consternation.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 753.
The threatening animal imagery of strong bulls, roaring lions, and dogs
highlights the people’s cruelty and animosity that Christ, who is compared to
a harmless and helpless worm, met in His final hours. With amazing accu-
racy, Psalm 22 conveys the venomous remarks of the crowd that mocked
Jesus with His own words to the Father (Ps. 22:1, 8; Matt. 27:43) and the
soldiers dividing Jesus’ garments (Ps. 22:18, Matt. 27:35). Little did the
people understand then that the “worm” they sought to crush would become
the chief “cornerstone” of the Temple and secure its foundation (Ps. 118:22).
However, the rejected Messiah became the Source of salvation for
God’s people after His resurrection from the dead (Matt. 21:42, Acts
4:10–12). Christ suffered the rejection of humanity, but God glorified
His Son by making Him the living “chief cornerstone” of God’s spiri-
tual Temple (Eph. 2:20−22, 1 Pet. 2:4−8). For those who reject this
Stone, namely, God’s means of salvation, it will become the agent of
judgment (Isa. 8:14, Matt. 21:44).
Jesus on the cross paid in Himself the penalty for every sin you
have ever committed. How should the fact that He suffered on
your behalf impact how you live now, that is, why you should find
sin so abhorrent?
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 T uesday February 27

Forever Faithful to His Covenant

Read Psalm 89:27–32, 38–46 and Psalm 132:10–12. What is the
Davidic covenant about? What seems to have endangered it?
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The Davidic covenant contains God’s promise of everlasting sup-

port of David’s line and prosperity of God’s people (1 Sam. 7:5–16;
Ps. 89:1–4, 19–37; Ps. 132:12–18). The permanence of the covenant
was established on God’s solemn oath and the king’s faithfulness to
God. However, even the devoted kings, such as King David, were not
always faithful to the Lord. Psalm 89 laments over the harsh real-
ity that seems to indicate that the glorious promises of the Davidic
covenant have been lost. Is Israel hopelessly deserted by God? The
answer, of course, is—no!
God’s wrath is, yes, an expression of divine judgment (Ps. 38:1,
Ps. 74:1). Yet, it does not last forever because God’s everlasting love
forgives people’s sins when people repent. However, while it lasts,
God’s discontent with His erring people is serious. The people feel
the bitter consequences of their disobedience and realize the gravity
of their sins (Ps. 89:38–46). Yet, they ask, “How long?” appealing
to the passing character of God’s wrath (Ps. 89:46). Renewed hope
springs from new assurance in God’s faithfulness to “remember” His
grace (Ps. 89:47, 50).
In short, although the human component of the covenant failed, the
people could rest in the promise of God’s unchanging purposes through
the Messiah, who embodies all righteousness and salvation of Israel
and of the whole world. That is, in the end, God will prevail, and His
eternal kingdom will be established forever—but only because of Jesus
and not because of God’s people.
Jesus Christ is the Son of David and the Messiah (Matt. 1:1, Heb.
1:8). He is called “the firstborn over all creation” (Col. 1:15, NKJV),
alluding to Psalm 89:27, which calls David, who was a type of Christ,
God’s firstborn. “Also I will make him My firstborn, / The highest of
the kings of the earth” (NKJV).
Clearly the title “firstborn” does not express David’s biological sta-
tus, because David was the eighth child of his parents (1 Sam. 16:10,
11). It’s the same with Jesus. This title signifies His special honor and
authority (Col. 1:16, 20−22). God made Jesus the supreme King over
the whole world when He raised Jesus from the dead (Acts 2:30, 31).
Read Colossians 1:16, 20–22. What do these verses teach us about
who Jesus was and what He has done for us? What promise can
you take away from this for yourself?
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 W ednesday February 28

Eternal King of Unrivaled Power

Read Psalm 2; Psalm 110:1–3; Psalm 89:4, 13–17; and Psalm 110:1, 2,
5, 6. What do these texts teach us about Christ as King?
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The portrayal of God as the Messiah’s Father points to the coro-

nation of the king when the king was adopted into God’s covenant
(Ps. 2:7, Ps. 89:26–28). Psalm 2:7 foresees Christ’s resurrection
and exaltation as the dawn of the new everlasting covenant and
Christ’s royal priesthood (Acts 13:33–39, Heb. 1:5, Heb. 5:5). The
Messiah sits at God’s right hand as Someone who has unprecedented
honor and authority (Ps. 110:1; Acts 7:55, 56). “Moreover, the
interplay between the Lord and the ‘anointed’ (Messiah) even sug-
gests an intention to identify this Davidic Messiah with the Lord
Himself. . . . If the one who sits at the right is the Lord, then, the
Lord is the Messiah, since the latter is also seen at the right [see Ps.
110:1, 5].”—Jacques Doukhan, On the Way to Emmaus (Clarksville,
MD: Lederer Books, 2012), pp. 26, 27.
In the end, Christ will have absolute victory over His enemies. To
make the enemies a “footstool” is an image that reflects the custom
of the ancient Near Eastern kings to place their feet on the necks of
their defeated enemies to demonstrate total dominance over them. Yet,
Christ’s rod here is not a tool of terror (Ps. 2:9, Ps. 110:2).
The rod (“staff ”) was originally held by tribal leaders as the symbol
of the tribe (Num. 17:2−10). Christ’s rod comes from Zion because He
represents the people of Zion. His rod is a symbol of divine judgment,
which ends the rule of evil and depicts Christ’s unrivaled reign (Rev.
2:27, Rev. 12:5). Even the wicked kings are given a chance to repent
and submit to the Messiah (Ps. 2:10–12).
One graphic depiction of Christ’s ultimate victory is found in the
pre-Advent scene in Daniel 7, which shows that, after judgment is
given “ ‘in favor of the saints of the Most High’ ” (Dan. 7:22, NKJV),
His kingdom is established, and “ ‘His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom’ ” (Dan. 7:27, NKJV). Because of the Cross, the promise of
the kingdom is assured.
A blessing is promised to all who trust in the King, and the people
rejoice in the Messiah’s sovereign and righteous reign (Ps. 2:12, Ps.
89:15–17).
How nice it is to know that, yes, in the end, good will triumph
over evil, justice will be done, and pain and suffering will forever
be vanquished. How should this truth give us comfort now when,
from a human perspective, evil seems to prosper?
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 T hursday February 29

Eternal Priest in the Order of Melchizedek

Read Psalm 110:4–7. How is Christ’s priesthood unique, and what
great hope can we find in Christ’s heavenly priesthood?
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God endows the Messiah with an everlasting kingship (Ps. 110:1–3) and
a priesthood of a superior rank, the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4–7).
The Lord seals His word with a solemn promise (Heb. 6:18). God’s oath
not to relent from giving us a perfect Priest is a sign of His grace. People’s
sins and open rebellions constantly provoke God to abandon His people,
but God’s oath is unchangeable and guarantees God’s grace in revoking His
judgment over the repentant people (Exod. 32:14, Ps. 106:45).
The divine oath introduces a novel element to the Davidic covenant
by declaring that the Messiah King is also a Priest (Ps. 110:4). Israel’s
kings could never function as Levitical priests (Num. 8:19, 2 Chron.
26:16−21). When Scripture mentions kings or people offering sacri-
fices, it implies their bringing sacrifices to the priests, who actually
offered them. Psalm 110 sets the Messiah King apart from other of
Israel’s kings and priests. Christ’s eternal priesthood derives from
Melchizedek, who was both the king of Salem (Jerusalem) and the
priest of “the most high God” (Gen. 14:18−20). The Old Testament
never speaks of King David or any other Israelite king as possessing the
priesthood in the order of Melchizedek, except for Psalm 110. Clearly,
the psalm speaks about a distinctive king-priest in Israel’s history.

Read Hebrews 7:20–28. What are some of the implications of Christ’s

superior priesthood?
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Being both Divine King and everlasting Priest, Christ has unprecedented
superiority over human priests and kings; so, we may take hope. Christ
upholds a superior covenant that is based on God’s oath, not human prom-
ises. He serves in the heavenly sanctuary. His priesthood is not affected by
sin or death, like that of human priests, and thus, He can intercede for and
save His people forever. The reconciling work of Christ as the perfect and
compassionate Priest gives His people a lasting assurance of abiding in God’s
very presence (Heb. 6:19, 20). Christ’s royal priesthood will abolish the rule
of evil, not only in people’s hearts but also in the world. He will keep the
promise of Psalm 2 that every nation and ruler will be subject to the royal
judgment of Christ Jesus (Ps. 2:6–9; Ps. 110:1, 2, 5, 6). Jesus’ wonderful
royal priesthood makes an absolute claim on our obedience and trust.
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 F riday March 1

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “God With Us,” pp. 19–26,
in The Desire of Ages.

Being both Christ’s prayers and prayers about Christ, the Psalms
provide a unique revelation of Christ’s person and redeeming ministry
as the One who is “God with us” (Matt. 1:23). Jesus is “God with
us” in the battling prayers of forsakenness and suffering. He is “God
with us” in the cries for justice and deliverance. Jesus is “God with
us” by not abandoning us to our lostness and despair but showing us
the way of faith victorious. He became for us the eternal Priest and
King to save us from the everlasting doom of sin. In Christ, the per-
fect Davidic King, all God’s solemn promises of salvation find their
fulfillment (2 Cor. 1:20).
Ellen G. White insightfully describes Christ’s unity with human-
ity: “By His humanity, Christ touched humanity; by His divinity, He
lays hold upon the throne of God. As the Son of man, He gave us an
example of obedience; as the Son of God, He gives us power to obey.
It was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses
saying, ‘I AM THAT I AM. . . . Thus shalt thou say unto the children
of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.’ Ex. 3:14. This was the pledge
of Israel’s deliverance. So when He came ‘in the likeness of men,’ He
declared Himself the I AM. The Child of Bethlehem, the meek and
lowly Saviour, is God ‘manifest in the flesh.’ 1 Tim. 3:16. And to us He
says: ‘I AM the Good Shepherd.’ ‘I AM the living Bread.’ ‘I AM the
Way, the Truth, and the Life.’ ‘All power is given unto Me in heaven and
in earth.’ John 10:11; 6:51; 14:6; Matt. 28:18. I AM the assurance of
every promise. I AM; be not afraid.”—The Desire of Ages, pp. 24, 25.

Discussion Questions:
Ê How has God demonstrated His unwavering faithfulness to His
covenant despite the people’s unfaithfulness? What reassurance
does that bring to God’s struggling children today?

Ë How does Christ’s unique and superior priesthood according

to the order of Melchizedek strengthen the certainty of salvation
for God’s people?

Ì The Gospels show that many Messianic promises in the Psalms

were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. How does this demonstrate the
veracity of God’s Word? Why must we resist any and every senti-
ment that tends to weaken our trust in God’s Word?

Í What great consolation can we get from Christ’s words, “ ‘All

power is given unto me in heaven and in earth’ ” (Matt. 28:18)?
How do we apply this promise to our own experience?

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 i n s i d e
Story
Faithfulness Goes Far: Part 5
By Andrew McChesney
During his first few weeks in the military, Sekule was sent with a com-
pany of soldiers to work on a mountain in the former Yugoslavia. On a
Friday afternoon, he received orders to shovel coal into the Sabbath hours.
“You have to shovel for 15 minutes, take a 10-minute rest, and then shovel
again for 15 minutes,” the commanding officer said.
“I will shovel for 2.5 hours without stopping until the sun goes down, but
then I will stop,” Sekule said.
“No one can shovel for two hours,” the officer said.
“I can,” Sekule said.
Sekule, who had learned to work hard while growing up in Montenegro,
shoveled as quickly as he could. Other soldiers cautioned him to slow down.
“Why are you working so quickly?” they asked.
“I’m trying to do as much as I can to leave less work for the rest of you,”
he replied. “I don’t care about myself. I just want to do the most that I can.”
His words built respect among the other soldiers. They saw that he wanted
to help them. To everyone’s surprise, Sekule succeeded in shoveling the
required amount of coal by sunset.
But the commanding officer didn’t seem to grasp his desire to keep the
Sabbath. On another Sabbath, the officer read a list of duties to the soldiers
and declared, “You will work today.”
Sekule stood tall. “Today is my Sabbath, and I can’t do any work,” he
said. He knew that he might face prison if he said, “I won’t do any work,” so
instead, he chose his words carefully and said, “I can’t do any work.”
“What do you mean ‘can’t’?” the officer asked.
“I’m a Seventh-day Adventist, and I can’t work on Sabbath,” Sekule said.
The officer stood tall and glared at Sekule. “Soldier, who will work in
your place then?” he said.
All the other soldiers stood tall. “We will work in his place then,” they
said in unison.
Sekule realized at that moment that it was important not only to be faith-
ful to God but also to be faithful to people. Jesus said, “And you shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second,
like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other
commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30, 31; NKJV). Sekule saw that
if he treated others fairly, they also would treat him fairly.
Sekule Sekulić is an affluent entrepreneur and faithful Seventh-day Adventist in
Montenegro. Read more of his story next week. Thank you for your Sabbath School mis-
sion offerings that help spread the good news of Jesus’ soon coming in Montenegro and
around the world.

Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School
mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at AdventistMission.org. 75