Sabbath School Summary

By Elder DR MASIMBA MAVAZA

The Covenant and the Blueprint Lesson 10

Memory Text: Exodus 24:3.

Memory Text: “So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments.

And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the Lord has said we will do’ ” (Exodus 24:3, NKJV).

Introduction

As their God, Creator, and Redeemer, the Lord desired to be with His people and to dwell in their midst.

He created us to be in close fellowship with Him.

Yet, if meaningful relationships with other people can be built only with time and effort, the same is true with our vertical relationship with God.

It can be an uplifting and growth-filled experience, but only if we spend time with Him. In practical terms, this means studying His Word (God speaking to us), praying (opening our hearts to God), and witnessing to others about Christ’s death, resurrection, and return (engaging in God’s mission).

As God blesses us, we will be a channel of blessings to others.

The focus should be on God, not on ourselves (Heb. 12:1, 2).

By connecting with Him, God can empower us to follow His teachings, which means obedience to His Word.

No wonder the end-time generation of Christ’s followers is described as people “who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Rev. 14:12, NKJV).

It’s simple, really: we love God, and, out of that love, we obey Him.

SABBATH: There can be no actual/real connection with God without studying His Word (God speaking to us), praying (opening our hearts to God), & sharing the news about His death, resurrection, & return to others (going on mission).

It takes time to forge a good relationship. We also need to spend time with God to know Him better.

As the Creator & our Redeemer, He desires to be close to us.

As He blesses us, we become a channel of blessings to others.

We should focus only on Him (Heb. 12:1, 2, Rev. 14:12).

The Book and the Blood

SUNDAY: All genuine believers will taste & see that the Lord is good. There can be no love without relationships. Since God is Love, He’s a God of relationships. In the covenant, the focus is on us. He wants to be close to man (John 12:32). He’s not just interested in good actions, but close relations with man. At Creation (Gen. 1, 2), there’s the Sabbath; vertical relation & marriage; horizontal relation. Israel failed to keep the agreement. The sprinkled blood meant only Christ can help us to follow God (Exod 24:1-8).

Seeing God

MONDAY: God revealed Himself to the Israelites in a special way, & more so to Moses (Exod. 24:9-18).

Moses, Aaron, Nadab, & Abihu, & 70 elders of Israel saw God & had a feast.

Eating together in biblical times in the Middle East held great value. It helped in bonding, asking forgiveness, & unity.

But to refuse to dine with others was a big insult. Jesus was rebuked for eating with sinners (Matt. 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 5:30, 1 Cor. 11:23-29).

Sadly, some of the elders sinned & died (Lev. 10:1, 2, 9).

Power to Obey

TUESDAY: The Bible declares that obedience to God is better than sacrifice. Practical & perfect obedience is from the Spirit of God alone.

We’re weak & sinful in nature, but we are called to obey by the power of God.

He alone performs the heart transplant to remove our heart of stone (Ezek. 36:24-30). He’s the “I” who gives us the power to obey. Israel cried three times to obey God, but they failed many times.

When we identify with God, we can do what He does (Exod. 19:8, 24:3, 7; 2 Cor. 12:10, see Phil. 2:13).

In the Midst of His People

WEDNESDAY: The heaven of heavens can’t contain God & He doesn’t dwell in temples built by man.

But to manifest Himself to His people & show them He hasn’t forsaken them even when they sinned, He directed Moses to build a sanctuary (Exod. 25:1-9, 40).

It was a figure of the heavenly one, the center of Christ’s work for man (PP, p. 343, Acts 7:47-50, 17:24, 1 Kings 8:27).

Freewill offerings were offered. Christ’s death ended the earthly sanctuary rites (Heb. 8:1, 2; 9:11, Matt. 27:51, Mark 15:38).

Filled With the Spirit of God

THURSDAY: Moses was given specific commands about the materials to be used, the plan, & services of the earthly sanctuary. God gave chosen men skills to build it.

All priests were consecrated & the altar of incense, bronze basin, anointing oil, & incense were carefully prepared (Exod. 28, 29, 30, 31:1-18).

For the first time, we find that God filled a person, Bezalel, with His Spirit to work for Him. The Sabbath was given as the sign of holiness (Ezek. 20:12, Gen. 2:2, 3, Deut. 5:15, 9:9-11; Mark 2:27, Exod. 25:21).

Further Thought

FRIDAY: The tabernacle was a sacred space where atonement was made for the sins of God’s people.

It revealed the entire plan of salvation to the Israelites. It told what’s justification, sanctification, & judgment.

Animal sacrifices pointed to Jesus’s death & the forgiveness of sins. God’s law, housed within the ark, stood for the standard of righteousness & judgment.

Above this law, the mercy seat, where God’s presence dwelled, gave pardon to the repentant sinner, to show God’s mercy & truth (Psa. 85:10).—Ellen G. White, “The Tabernacle and Its Services,” pp. 343–353, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

Keywords

The Elders who sinned & died- Tragically, some of the men who had gone up with Moses later fell into sin and lost their lives (see Lev. 10:1, 2, 9).

Even though they had such a deep experience with God there, they were not transformed or converted by that experience.

What a powerful lesson about how possession of truth and sacred privileges does not automatically mean conversion.

Having experienced what they did, these men should have been the last ones to have done what they would later tragically do.

Obedience- Obedience is God’s gift (not just our performance or achievement), just as justification and salvation are His gifts too (Phil. 2:13).

PP- Patriarchs and Prophets

The sanctuary- Moses had to build the tabernacle according to the pattern God showed him (Exod. 25:9, 40; Exod. 26:30), which was a reflection of the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 8:1, 2; Heb. 9:11).

The earthly sanctuary had served a crucial function until the death of Jesus and His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, which rendered the earthly sanctuary null and void, a truth symbolized by the rending of the curtain before the Most Holy Place at Christ’s death (Matt. 27:51, Mark 15:38).

Urim and Thummim- For a limited time in the Old Testament, God communicated with the people of Israel through the Urim and Thummim, two stones encrusted on the breastplate of the high priest (cf. Exodus 28:30).

God revealed His will through a “yes” or “no,” according to the way the stones would supernaturally shine.

Discussion Questions

📌 How many times have you said, “All that the Lord tells me to do, I will do”? How successful were you in your efforts?

📌 At the end of Moses’ 40-day stay with the Lord on Mount Sinai, God emphasized that the Israelites must observe His Sabbath, because it would be a sign between God and them that it was the Lord who would make them holy. What role do holiness and sanctification play in keeping the Sabbath?

📌 The Lord wanted them to make a sanctuary so that “I may dwell among them.” How fascinating that this place was the center of salvation for Israel.

It was here—in this sanctuary, where God dwelt among His people—that the plan of salvation was wrought out in types and shadows. What does this tell us about our total dependence upon God for salvation?

📌 What does it mean that through the blood all their sins were brought to the sanctuary, God’s house?

How does this amazing truth reflect, even if dimly, what Jesus did on the cross for us and what He is doing for us now in the heavenly sanctuary?For August 30–September 5, 2025. Happy Sabbath!