The Undercover Adventist

   Lessons of Faith from Joshua - Sabbath School Lesson 7 - Wednesday: Written on Stones Written on Stones: Engraved in the Heart Read: Joshua 8:32–35 After Israel’s victory at Ai, Joshua did something surprising. Instead of immediately pressing forward militarily, he paused to build an altar and write the law of Moses upon stones for all to see. Then he gathered the entire nation—men, women, children, and foreigners—with him—to hear the blessings and the curses of the covenant read aloud. In the shadow of battle and conquest, God’s Word took center stage. Why was this public act so important? Joshua understood that victory didn’t come from swords or strategy—it came from God’s faithfulness and Israel’s obedience. Writing the covenant on stones made the relationship permanent, visible, and unforgettable. Israel needed a tangible reminder that their success was rooted in God’s promises and their faithfulness to His ways. Scripture often warns us about forgetfulness: “Take car...

  Lessons of Faith from Joshua - Sabbath School Lesson 7 - Monday: Passover Remembering the Lamb Read Joshua 5:10 As the Israelites stood ready to conquer Canaan, Joshua could have rushed into battle, seizing the land while their enemies were weakened. Yet he made a remarkable decision: he paused to celebrate the Passover (Joshua 5:10). This was not mere tradition or ritual; it was a profound act of obedience and remembrance. Even amid pressing tasks, God’s covenant and redemption took precedence over immediate gain. The Passover had been instituted decades earlier as a memorial of God’s deliverance from Egypt: each family was to sacrifice the lamb at twilight (Exodus 12:6), and the festival was to be observed annually as a holy assembly (Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 28:16). Through this act, God’s people remembered that salvation comes from His power and mercy, not their strength. By keeping the Passover, Joshua was teaching Israel that God’s past faithfulness must guide their present...

  Lessons of Faith from Joshua - Sabbath School Lesson 3 -  Wednesday “Never Forget What the Lord Has Done” Scripture Reading: Joshua 4:20–24 After the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, Joshua took the twelve stones from the riverbed and set them up at Gilgal as a memorial. He said, “He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God” (Joshua 4:24). The purpose of those stones was remembrance — to make sure that future generations never forgot what God had done. In Joshua 4:23 , Joshua uses the words “us” and “we.” He didn’t distance himself from the miracle but included himself among those who had been delivered: “For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what He had done to the Red Sea when He dried it up before us until we had crossed over.” This collective language emphasizes that remembering...

  Lessons of Faith from Joshua - Sabbath School Lesson 3 -  Tuesday “Remembering God’s Faithfulness” Scripture Reading: Joshua 4 After the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, God commanded Joshua to have twelve men, one from each tribe, take a stone from the riverbed and set it up as a memorial. The Lord said, “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord” (Joshua 4:6–7). The memorial was not just a monument—it was a testimony. It reminded Israel of the power and presence of the living God who brought them safely into the Promised Land. God knew how easily His people could forget. Just as the Israelites needed tangible reminders of His mighty acts, we too need memorials in our spiritual journey. These are not always made of stone—they may be moments, places, or symbols that mark God’s faithfulness in our lives. It could be a journal entry about a pra...

  “Between the Miracle and the Red Sea: Trusting God in the In-Between” Introduction: Have you ever found yourself standing in the “in-between”? You’ve seen God move. You’ve tasted His goodness. You know His power. And yet—here you are—facing a new challenge, and suddenly your faith feels weak. Why is that? This was exactly where the children of Israel found themselves— after the miracle of deliverance from Egypt, before the parting of the Red Sea. One would expect rejoicing and unwavering faith, but instead we hear fear, doubt, and even accusations against Moses and God. Let’s look at their story and reflect on ours. Why do we, too, so often falter between the miracle and the next challenge? 1. God's Past Faithfulness Is Not Always Our Present Focus “And they said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?’” — Exodus 14:11 After all they had seen—the plagues, the Passover, the release from slavery—they panicked at...

  "The Firstborn, the Cross, and the Call to Remember" Text: Exodus 13:1–16 Introduction In Exodus 13:1–16, God gives Moses a powerful command: “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine.” This comes right after the final plague in Egypt—the death of all Egyptian firstborns—and the miraculous sparing of Israelite homes marked by the blood of the lamb. Why this command? Why did God require that all firstborn be consecrated to Him? And what does that ancient command have to do with us today? Let’s dig into this passage to uncover a timeless truth about grace, ownership, and redemption. A Call to Remember God's Grace The consecration of the firstborn was meant to be a living memorial. It reminded each generation that God spared their lives —not because of their goodness, but because of His grace. Every time a firstborn was presented or redeemed, it was a moment of remembering that the ...

  Tell the Children: Passing Down the Story of Salvation Text: Exodus 12:24–28 In Exodus 12:24–28, we find God giving His people a crucial command—not just to keep the Passover as a memorial, but to teach it . This was not a private ceremony to be kept in silence or secrecy. It was a divine appointment for storytelling , for legacy , for instruction . It was about remembrance—but even more than that—it was about transmission . Let’s read the passage: “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ Then the people bowed down and worshiped. The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.” (Ex. 12:24–28, NI...

  "Marked by the Blood: God's Instructions for Deliverance" Text: Exodus 12:1–20, 13–14 Imagine standing at the edge of freedom after generations of slavery. The air is tense. The night is thick with anticipation—and fear. Then, the voice of the Lord speaks—not with chaos, but with clarity. That’s what we see in Exodus 12. Before Israel leaves Egypt, God doesn’t just send them out—He gives them instructions. Detailed, specific, spiritual instructions. Not about what to pack, or how to escape. But about how to remember . Let’s explore what God said, why it mattered, and what it all points to. God’s Instructions Before the Exodus (Exodus 12:1–20) God gives Moses and Aaron a precise plan—not for escape logistics, but for a sacred meal: the Passover . He tells them: Take a lamb, one per household, without blemish (v. 3–5). Kill it at twilight on the 14th day of the month (v. 6). Apply its blood to the doorposts of their homes (v. 7). Roast it whole—no break...