SSLS 2017-01-17
2017 1st Quarter
Lesson 3, January 14-20, The Divinity of the Holy Spirit
Tuesday, January 17
“But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name? That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.” KJV, Isaiah 63:10-14, emphasis added.
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary definition for Vex: “1a : to bring trouble, distress, or agitation to <the restaurant is vexed by slow service>b : to bring physical distress to <a headache vexed him all morning>c : to irritate or annoy by petty provocations….“
Strong’s #6087 atsab “worry, pain, or anger,–displease, grieve, hurt, make, be sorry, vex, worship, wrest.”
“And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” KJV, 1 Chronicles 4:10, emphasis added.
“How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!” KJV, Psalm 78:40, emphasis added.
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” KJV, Ephesians 4:29-32, emphasis added.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.” KJV, Numbers 14:11, 12, emphasis added.
“He would teach His people that disobedience and sin are exceedingly offensive to Him and are not to be lightly regarded. He shows us that when His people are found in sin they should at once take decided measures to put that sin from them, that His frown may not rest upon them all. But if the sins of the people are passed over by those in responsible positions, His frown will be upon them, and the people of God, as a body, will be held responsible for those sins. In His dealings with His people in the past the Lord shows the necessity of purifying the church from wrongs. One sinner may diffuse darkness that will exclude the light of God from the entire congregation. When the people realize that darkness is settling upon them, and they do not know the cause, they should seek God earnestly, in great humility and self-abasement, until the wrongs which grieve His Spirit are searched out and put away.” (Ellen White, Vol. 3, Testimonies for the Church, 265, emphasis added.)