Praying After Disobedience - Deuteronomy 7-9

 Deuteronomy 9:25-29 (ESV)

“So I lay prostrate before the LORD for these forty days and forty nights, because the LORD had said he would destroy you. And I prayed to the LORD, ‘O Lord GOD, do not destroy your people and your heritage, whom you have redeemed through your greatness, whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Do not regard the stubbornness of this people, or their wickedness or their sin, lest the land from which you brought us say, “Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them, and because he hated them, he has brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.” For they are your people and your heritage, whom you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.’

How do you pray when you, or someone you love has disobeyed God?   The answer may be in the above passage of Moses recounting how he prayed when Israel sin.  Note:

1. He, himself, took it personal and fasted for a length of time over their sin.  When Moses was told by God that God would destroy them, Moses took action to put himself in a posture humble toward God. 

2. He reminded God about His purpose for redeeming the nation of Israel.   In his prayer he brought to God’s attention the entire reason for God’s redemptive plan that would use Israel to save mankind.   (That was the reason for Israel’s redemption from Egypt.)

3. He asked God to remember the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel).   Moses knew that God had made promises to the patriarchs and that God would keep His promises. 

4. He appealed to God’s reputation among the nations that would see all this.  Moses saw the nation of Israel for what they were, a light to the nations.   If God destroyed them, Moses would pray, the nations would have no light of who God was.  In fact, they would mock that God was “unable” to carry out His plan. 

5.  He reminded God of that these where God’s people and that He has redeemed them in power.    

Remembering these types of things when praying for ourselves and others is a great way to pray.   We are to bring back to God His covenant plan for us and remember and recite back to God His great work that He has already accomplished through us for His great plan.  

Don’t Blame God If You Swallow the Bait - James 1-3

James 1:13-15 (ESV)

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

We like to blame people for our mistakes.  We like to find a reason for our failures that allows us to have a clear conscious.  But, in truth, what James is telling us in the above passage is that the reason for our sinning is completely centered in our own lust and passions.   When we remember the record of Adam’s sin we can read that he blamed God by saying:

Genesis 3:12 (ESV)

The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

So, it was God’s fault that He gave Adam such a weak woman.  We are the best at deflecting.   In the above passage we read three reasons that we should not blame God:

1.  God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one.   God does not deal in the evil of the world.   God is in complete control but does not create, engage or use evil.   As one commentator said, He is like the sunshine that shines on a trash dump.  He has no connection with it, other than revealing its stench.   God does create calamity by allowing evil when He removes His grace.  But, He does not do evil (see Isaiah 45:7 and Job 1 & 2).  

2. Man is tempted because he has an in born bent to sin.   We have inward desires that do not leave us.  When we are regenerated by the Spirit we are freed from the penalty of those desires as we act on them.  When we are given the Spirit we are given power to overcome those desires.   When we yield to the Spirit.  But, we will not be free from the presence of those desires until we are glorified in heaven.   We are “lured” (like a worm on a hook to a fish) away.  The evil one knows the exact bait to use.  

3. Our inward desire gives birth to sin like a mother gives birth to children.   Our desires want to produce evil children.   If we do not stop our desires from producing these evil brats, it will eventually, unchecked, bring a child of death.   

Our sins are a product of our own inward filth.  We are to allow Christ to redeem us from their penalty and the Spirit of God to equip us to defeat their power.   We are not to blame God.  God does not lead us to temptation.    When we are instructed to pray , “Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” Jesus is telling us that God has the ability to deliver us from situations that might “lure” us to sin, but if we do sin, it is because we allowed the situation and/or circumstance to bait us into feeding our desires.  

Antagonist Becomes Apologist - Acts 9-10

 Acts 9:23-26 (ESV)

When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

Saul in Jerusalem

And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.

The conversion of Paul has many turns and twist in the subplot of the story.  The basic story is that God can take the major antagonist against us and make that person the standard barrier for us.   That is an amazing act of God’s grace.   Instead of crushing the adversary with His wrath, God converts him by His grace.   He then starts to preach God’s Word.  Then, after many days, he, too, begins to be persecuted.  The persecutor is now the persecuted.   We have no idea about the length of the “many days” comment.   In the previous verses (20-21) we are told that after his conversion, Paul stayed in Damascus “some days.”   There are many theories as to how long this was, but we do know that during those days He “increased” in more strength (spiritually) and “confounded” the Jews (those he once worked for).   This was so much power that these very Jews who commissioned him to destroy the church now wanted to kill him.   So, “his disciples” rescued him by putting him in a basket to allow him to escape.  But, note, when he escaped by the hands of “his disciples” we read that upon arriving in Jerusalem“the disciples” did not trust that he was a believer.  Here we have one of the first examples of Satan trying to destroy the church on the inside.   We see that God went to great lengths to convert the antagonist, only to turn the disciples in Jerusalem to reject God’s marvelous act of grace.   Fortunately Barnabas will come along and introduce and vouch for Paul.  But, on the surface God’s grace in the life of Paul was initially rejected by the eyes and hearts of believers.   That is how Satan wants to destroy our churches.  God can convert someone by His marvelous grace, but we hold back our grace to form a “wait and see” mentality.   God is trying to convert the world and we are suspicious of the work He does.   Let that be a change in our hearts and minds about those who arriving in our fellowships and want to embrace our Lord, as we do.  

Work - Temporal or Eternal? Ecclesiastes 1-2

Ecclesiastes 2:20-21 (ESV)

So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

Remember, you can’t read Ecclesiastes without first reading the last verses (the conclusion) of Solomon’s quest.  In the book, Solomon (the richest man who ever lived) is taking a serous look at life to see what matters.  His conclusion:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

All that matters, in the end, is that we fear God and keep his commandments.  With that lens we can better understand the above statements of Solomon that as he looked at all his labor under the sun he fell into a feeling of despair.     Most of the older generation in the country lived to work.   The generation coming on the scene currently don’t seem to think that way.  They tend to work to live.   They tend to enjoy the comforts and wealth that were already created by others.   That is a very general statement because there are obviously members of the older generation who live off others and there are members of the younger generation that are full of toil that others live from and by.    But, what Solomon has learned is that, in the end, all we toil for is soon delivered to others.   Solomon is at the end of his life and he is reflecting on all that has been accomplished for him.  He is about to turn his kingdom over to his son, Absalom.   Absalom will end up making bad decisions and the kingdom will be split into then tribes and two tribes.   Perhaps, in the above passage, God is giving Solomon some revelation about the future.   The principle we should learn from this passage is that all the toil we do in life is not eternal, it is temporal.   Paul said it this way in writing to young pastor Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:7 (ESV)

for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

When we live to work and we trust in that toil it is vain and useless and full of despair.   It is only when we realize the eternal matters that the temporal can be enjoyed for His glory.  

Where Does Your Help Come From? Psalms 122-124

 Psalms 124:8 (ESV Strong's)

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

Where Does Your Help Come From? 

In 2010 I wrote this about this verse:  Where does your help come from? How sure of your help?  If we turn to our families, jobs, savings or talent for help in time of trouble we can be let down.  Not because those can't help but they can't help to the extent that we may need help.  In Psalm 124 we see that our help is from God …. who made heaven and earth.  To trust in help that has the creative power of the universe is to be sure of the help we can and will get.  We need to remember that who we pray to created all this.  We are to make sure we have full faith in the one who can help.

In 2019 I would not change a thing.   When we “need” family and friends to make us “whole” we miss entirely what God desires from us.    Here is what Jesus told us when asked to sum up all of what the Bible says:

Matthew 22:37 (ESV Strong's)

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

When we look to our mothers, fathers, children and others to give us peace, pleasure, safety and security, we fail to realize the truth of these principles.   God wants out complete devotion.   He does not want us to turn to mankind for companionship, camaraderie, or  comfort.   When we do, we give him half our heart.  He does not want half our heart.  He wants all of our heart.  Mankind will always fail.  We can use them as a crutch to hold us up.   Psychologist have long said that until we can live alone, we can’t really live with in harmony with others.   I would change that.  I would say until we can live alone with God as our ONLY friend, companion and champion, we will always be leaning on the mistrusted and misguided notion that others can fill His spot in our lives. If we attempt to all them to fill the hole in our heart instead of God we will never really be completely whole.  

Now in 2022 I would not change anything, as well.   Since I last wrote on these two verses we have had a world-wide pandemic that killed millions.   God made the heavens.  God made the earth.  It is His to do with it has He pleases.   Our help comes from Him, no matter the situation in the world around us.   

God Uses Evil Men to Correct Bad Behavior - 2 Chronicles 25-28

 2 Chronicles 25:20 (ESV)

But Amaziah would not listen, for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought the gods of Edom.

In the above verse we enter a section about the King of Judah, Amaziah.  At the beginning of Amaziah’s reign, here is what the composer of this book wrote about him:

2 Chronicles 25:2 (ESV)

And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.

The problem with Amaziah is that he had one foot in God’s kingdom and one foot in man’s kingdom.   Because of his duplicity, God sent an enemy into his world to humble him and defeat him.    This is the most amazing thought process.  Amaziah was sent into a bad situation by the sovereignty of God.   God used the wickedness of the King of Israel (Joash) to defeat Amaziah.  So, God used on evil king (King Joash of Israel) to defeat other evil king (King Amaziah of Judah).   This might be one of the best examples of what we read from the prophet Isaiah, who was prophesying at this time to both kings:

Isaiah 45:5-7 (ESV)

I am the LORD, and there is no other,

besides me there is no God;

I equip you, though you do not know me,

that people may know, from the rising of the sun

and from the west, that there is none besides me;

I am the LORD, and there is no other.

I form light and create darkness;

I make well-being and create calamity;

I am the LORD, who does all these things.

To correct His leaders, God sends calamity.  We don’t think about that and often simply believe that calamity or something catastrophic simple comes from the evil of this world.  That would actually be true.  But God, in His sovereignty, uses that evil for His divine purpose, as above.   We read in the above passage that King Joash said to Amaziah, don’t come up against me.  But, he did not listen.  Why?  The writer of this chronicle states, “... for it was of God ...”.    So, we see that when someone does not listen to sound council, that might be from a sovereign God.   We must just sit and marvel at how God uses His sovereignty to accomplish His divine will, even incorporating man’s stubborn and evil heart in the process.  

He Is In Our Midst - Deuteronomy 4-6

 Deuteronomy 6:13-15 (ESV)

It is the LORD your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

God, in our midst, changes our behavior in the midst of the world.   God in us changes us in them.   The fact that God is omnipresent changes (or, should change us) how we interact with the world.   The above text is taken from the section about the giving of the Law through the mouth of Moses.  Moses is instructing them about how to live before God AND before the nations they are about to conquer.   The giving of the Law was to establish for the nation of Israel the path to God.   But, it was also given to have them live differently than the world around them.   Not only are they to serve God by obeying the Law, but they were also to show forth God’s glory to the world around them via obedience.    The fact that God was in the midst of them, as stated in this passage, is the motivating factor for them.   In other god-worshipping approaches to life, the god does not live in their “midst.”    That was unheard of.  The gods of this world are presented as unapproachable.   But, our God is not only approachable, He is also approaching us and engaging with us.   Let us not forget that God is in the midst of our lives and invites us to walk in obedience toward Him.  That makes us, in turn, a someone who is walking in front of the world around us.   He is in our midst so that we can walk in their midst.   As we obey God, we show forth His glory to this world.  

Spiritual Gymnasium - Hebrews 11-13

 Hebrews 12:11 (ESV)

11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

In this section of Hebrews the writer is trying, once again, to motivates his readers to endure through their suffering and perseverance in their faith.  During the letter the author gives six warning passages addressing those who might be tempted to fall away from the faith.  He tells them if they reject Christ there is nothing else by which they can be saved.  The above passage is about to launch the sixth and final warning to the readers.   The author wants them to realize that God loves us and the demonstration of that love can, at times, be discipline.  He tells them that God disciplines all His children in love, like a father who disciplines his children in love:

Hebrews 12:7 (ESV)

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

In verse eleven the writer tells them that discipline, of course, does not feel pleasant when it is inflicted upon us; not at the present time.  It can even feel painful.  But, it is afterward that it can produce peaceful fruits of righteousness.  But, that only happens when we allow it to “train” us.   The Greek word for “train” here is: gymnazō.   If that word looks familiar, it should.  It is the word we get out English word, gymnastics or gymnasium, from.  The author is saying to us, if we allow God’s discipline to work in our hearts it will feel like we are going to the gym and working out.  That is painful, at first.  But afterward we see the muscles and physical strength we are deriving from the “gym” workout.   If we allow God’s discipline to “work us out,” we can persevere and avoid the dangers that will be stated in the next and last warning section to these readers.  The author of Hebrews wants us to allow the discipline of God to motivates us into obedience and spiritual training to produce the peaceful fruit of righteousness.  Many Christians like to work out and go to the gym, but not all of them like to go to God’s gym of discipline.   That is where godliness is developed.  

Don’t be Surprised if the World Hates You - Acts 7-8

 Acts 7:51-53 (ESV)

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”

Stephen is speaking the above verses.  He is not an apostle but was chosen by the apostles to serve in the brand new church start up ministry.   He was chosen to wait on the tables of the widows.   But, while doing so, he began to grow in his faith and in his influence in the church community and the Jewish community.   Notice what the Holy Spirit says about him right after he began to wait on tables:

Acts 6:8 (ESV)

Stephen Is Seized

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

He was not chosen by the Apostles to do these “great wonders and signs among the people.”   But, apparently God chose him to do so.   However, as he was doing all these things the Jewish religious leaders ceased him and brought them before the people to stop his words and works.   After giving a long dissertation on the history of the Jewish nation, Stephen comes to the above lines in his sermon.   After showing how much the Jewish nation has resisted God’s message, his point is to show these Pharisees that their rejection of Christ followed a long line of resisting the leaders and rulers God sent over them.  This is what the natural man does.  They resist the authority and messengers of God.    

It is amazing in our country today how many Christians are shocked by what goes on in our country.    Yet, the natural man is going to do what the natural man does.  They reject God’s word.   This is what is so confusing about what is happening in our schools.   Our schools are a place where the natural man can teach their thoughts to younger people. Believers, for some odd reason, are shocked that the natural man (in a system designed to teach the natural man’s philosophy) would dare teach natural man’s version of the truth.  This is what Stephen is up against.  God sends messengers of truth.  But, the natural man (no matter their ethnic heritage) will reject truth.   Stephen points this out in his day and losses his life.  They will, as a result of him standing up to their rejection of truth, be stoned to death.  

Today we think if we stand up to the untruth of the world’s system we should be honored.  Don’t be surprised that the world hates us for standing up to their lies and telling them the truth of God, as His messenger.   They rejected Moses and the prophets.  They will reject you and I as well.  Don’t let that surprise you:

1 Peter 4:12 (ESV)

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

Bad Leaders Can’t Hide - Nahum

Nahum 3:17 (ESV)

Your princes are like grasshoppers,

your scribes like clouds of locusts

settling on the fences

in a day of cold—

when the sun rises, they fly away;

no one knows where they are.

Nahum is prophesying agains the great city of Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria.   One-hundred years earlier Jonah had reluctantly traveled to Nineveh (via a big fish) to preach the good news of God’s grace.  Back then they repented.  Under Nahum’s preaching they will be destroyed.   Even their great leaders, a stated above, will be removed.   

In the British national museum there is a tribute to Nineveh.   Some of the exhibits memorialize the leadership of the Ninevites’ leadership.   They are lifted up and exalted by the exhibit.   However, when God brought His wrath on the people of Nineveh, the leaders, as stated above, were absence.   They were like grasshoppers, ready to fly away instantly.   

This is not unlike our leadership today.  They are often present before the storm hits, but no where to be found when the storm actually does hit.  They always seem to have their golden parachutes to land some place safely and peacefully.   Yet, God’s wrath is complete.   Nineveh (modern day Bagdad) would be destroyed.  God’s wrath would be all encompassing.   These leaders would be unseen by the people of the city, but God would still bring utter destruction and chaos to them.   Even though the King of Nineveh proclaimed a fast in the days of Jonah (Jonah 3), these kings and leadership looked to hide and flee away.   In the days of Jonah God offered the grace.  In the days of Nahum He brought them wrath.  Leadership can hide, but God’s wrath is complete in the end.   

You Children Are a Gift - From God/To God - Proverbs 31

 Proverbs 31:2

What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb?

What are you doing, son of my vows?

It is assumed most of us, who have had children, have had to remind them at one time or another about their heritage and about "who they are."   I remember my mom saying to me on many occasions when I left the house in my teens.   "Don't forget 'who' you are!" she would say.    She wasn't wanting me to remember my name, but that I was her son.  Here we have King Lemuel telling us his mothers words too, in similar manner.  Lemuel (possibly a code name for Solomon ... although no one knows for sure) needs instruction from his mother (31:1) just like others.  Like other moms, to get his attention she uses gripping questions.   She is saying to him, "Do you know where you come from, son? Don't forget, I gave birth to you!  I carried you in my womb for nine months!"  Who has not heard those words before?  But, she goes on to explain he is not just a "package" she carried, but something "precious" she was given by God.  He is her "vow" back to God.   If you have ever given your child to God it is important for you to remember that and for the child.  Lemuel was some mother's vow to God.   God takes vows very seriously.  So seriously, we are told by Solomon, not to vow if we aren't going to carry the vow out (Ecclesiastes 5:4, 5).   Before she gives him any instruction, Lemuel's mom wants him to know he is alive because she birthed him and he is where he is because she made a vow to God about him.   All children should be given back to God and they should be reminded repeatedly of what we have vowed to God about them.  I believe I am in the ministry (right or wrong) because my mom constantly told me that she had vowed to God that I would preach.  How could I do anything else?   Make a vow about your kids.  Teach them according to that vow.

Where Does Our Help Come? - Psalms 120-121

 Psalms 121:2 (ESV)

My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

The above response is from the question posed in the first verse of this song.  The writer asks, “Where does my help come from?”   The rest of the poem answers that question.  We are not told the exact context of the writer’s dilemma, but apparently he is in a tight spot.   He is looking for help and refuge.    Recently there was a hurricane in Florida.  Our boat and car were there. The boat survived, the car didn’t.  Prior to the hurricane hitting shore, our prayers were over all the people and the property ... especially our beloved WayMaker.   I don’t recall praying once for the car.   So, it was declared total.  My first call was to the insurance company.   I now sit and wonder if I had included the car in the prayer to save the boat, WayMaker, what would have happened?   Both were insured.  But, in truth, my help does not come from an insurance company.   They can help in the aftermath, but it is from the LORD we receive true, powerful, long lasting and unmitigated help.  We ought to remember that when we need help, real help, nothing mankind has created, maintain or invented can substitute the help that comes from God, who just happened to make haven and earth.  The writer almost causally writes those words.  He tells us that his help comes from the LORD and, then, to qualify it, he adds who made heaven and earth.  In his day, as in ours, there were many other gods people worshipped.  They were more outward with their fake gods than today, but never-the-less both then and now there are many false and weak and lame gods that people worship.  Some of those gods are possessions (like boats and vacation homes in Florida).   Others make gods of their children or their jobs or their riches.   But, we serve a God, THE God, who made heaven and earth.   That is where our help comes from.   Note the writer Hebrews words:

Hebrews 1:2-3 (ESV)

but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

That writer opens the great book of Hebrews up with the declaration that God, through His Son, not only made the world, He upholds it with the power of His marvelous Words.   That is the God who gives us help.  

Legacy of Leadership - 2 Chronicles 21-24

 2 Chronicles 24:17-19 (ESV)

Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs. Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.

When we have a great leader that not only leads but also keeps us in check from evil, there is a great hole to fill when they die.   Jehoiada was one of those type of leaders.  He not only gave them great direction, but he was also a force for good that kept back the evil.   When he dies there is no one to takes his place.   As a result we read the above passage.  We read that those under him had power on their mind and not holiness on their mind.  They wanted their own prestige rather than a desire to promote God’s Word.   Jehoiada was a priest who followed after God.   The king (Joash) was a mere boy and Jehoiada kept him safe to become king and serve God.  But, apparently Jehoiada never internalized these commitments and truths himself.   Once Jehoiada was gone, Joash was led astray by weaker men and evil men.   If we want staying power we have to train others to take our place (something Jehoiada did not do).  If we want the rest of the time to be like the current time we have to develop other leaders who can take our place.  Jehoiada did not have a replacement.  He probably assumed that Joash would step up and be that type of leader.   That assumption would be a mistake.  Legacy only happens if you invest in others to take your place and fill your shoes.  

Defeat Sin - Conquer the Land - Deuteronomy 1-3

 Deuteronomy 3:1-3 (ESV)

The Defeat of King Og

“Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. But the LORD said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.’ So the LORD our God gave into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people, and we struck him down until he had no survivor left.

In the book of Deuteronomy (which means the second giving of the law), Moses is recalling for the nation of Israel, all that God did for them as they came out of Egypt and reminding them of all that God wants for them as they enter the promise land.   Moses, in the above text, tells them to take the lands and cities of the King of Og.    Moses will end up giving this land to 2 1/2 of the tribes.   

The key to this is that the people obey him and go in and take the land.  They plunder the property and destroy the people.   The writer of Hebrews will use this type of even to describe what it means to enter in God’s rest.  The “promise land” was to be the “rest” for the nation of Israel.  They were to go in and by the strength of God, possess the land and enjoy it.   They started to in the above passage.  But, they will ultimate fail.  They will refuse to destroy those in the land (who represent sin in our lives).  They will, instead, dwell those in the land and become comfortable with them (as we do with sin).   Instead of conquering the land, they befriend it.   In the above text we read that God promises the land to them and to subdue it for them.   The above even is an example of God’s power to do just that.  But, as we read through Joshua and Judges and more of the historical books, we find that the above story is not the normative.  The above story is the exception.    So, too, are we with sin.  We can overcome it for awhile, but then we befriend it and even enjoy it.   To sustain a victorious Christian life the fighting of sin is an ongoing battle.  It cannot be fought in our own strength, but we must allow God to conquer sin for us.  It is only by His power and strength can be subdue the land before us.   We are not to fear.   He can hand it into our hands.   Only He can.  

Persevere in Faith - Hebrews 8-10

 Hebrews 10:39 - 11:1 (ESV)

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

The entire book of Hebrews is written to assure the above text is true for the readers of the book.   The early church (like the church of today) had many people who believed and then began to doubt, drift and or shrink (as the above text states).   There are six warning passages in the book to alert the readers to the dangers of drifting from there faith.  They are severe warning passages.   They might be some of the toughest passages in God’s Word to interpret.   The above verses (10:39 and 11:1) give us some guidance as to how to handle the warning passage in chapter ten and how to embrace the message of the author.   We really can’t read 10:39 without the context of 11:1.   Even though the thoughts are separated by a chapter heading, the two of them should be seen together.   It is by faith (11:1) that we accomplish the perseverance of the soul (10:39).   Our faith in Christ’s finish work is what motivates us, sustains us, and allows us to have the assurances we need to persevere.   We are to persevere by faith.   The “assurance of our hope” is that we know that Jesus has gone before us and established an anchor for our souls:

Hebrews 6:19-20 (ESV)

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Because Jesus has set us an anchor in heaven, we know we have assurance and will not shrink back into unbelief.  It is only those who continue to believe and have faith in Christ’s finished work that can have full assurance of faith.  Our flesh would like to give up.  But, it is in the power of the Holy Spirit we believe in the finished work of Christ to endure and sustain in faith.   

Complaining in Church - Acts 5-6

Acts 6:1 (ESV)

Seven Chosen to Serve

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

Satan does not want the Church (the Body of Christ) to flourish.  Jesus told the disciples that he would fight against them, but they would prevail:

Matthew 16:18 (ESV)

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The “gates of hell” may not prevail, but that does not mean they won’t try.   Up until now Satan had used persecution on the leadership (Acts 3 & 4) and corruption in the membership (Acts 5) to stop church growth. In the above verses we see he uses genuine needs and structural disorder, or lack of systems, to produce logistical complaining.  The word used in the text for “complaint” is used four times in the New Testament:

Vine:  gongusmos (γογγυσμός, 1112), “a murmuring, muttering” (akin to A, No. 1), is used (a) in the sense of secret debate among people, John 7:12 (as with the verb in v. 32); (b) of displeasure or complaining (more privately than in public), said of Grecian Jewish converts against Hebrews, Acts 6:1; in general admonitions, Phil. 2:14; 1 Pet. 4:9, RV, “murmuring” (KJV“grudging”).  

Notice how Peter and Paul warns against it:

1 Peter 4:9 (ESV)

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Philippians 2:14 (ESV)

Do all things without grumbling or disputing,

Think about how this played out during the world wide pandemic of 2020-2022.   People grumbled and complained to church leaders about how the church was open or closed, or masks or no masks.   The system was, at best, erratic.   Satan used the disease in an attempt to destroy the church.   It was people grumbling.  Not about their widows not being provided for, but their own personal needs. 

Think about the political structure how it has filtered into the Body of Christ and divided the church. It has caused people to grumble about priorities and about allegiance to a particular party, cause or symbol.    

Satan can often cause more trouble in the church over church-splits internally than he can ever do by outside persecution.   Grumbling and complaining and murmuring has done more damage to the church of Christ than men and women being burnt by fire for their beliefs.   When we grumble and murmur we quench the Spirit of God.  That will do more damage than government prevention of faith.   

Wait on the LORD - Micah

 Micah 7:2-7 (ESV)

2 The godly has perished from the earth,

and there is no one upright among mankind;

they all lie in wait for blood,

and each hunts the other with a net.

3 Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well;

the prince and the judge ask for a bribe,

and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul;

thus they weave it together.

4 The best of them is like a brier,

the most upright of them a thorn hedge.

The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come;

now their confusion is at hand.

5 Put no trust in a neighbor;

have no confidence in a friend;

guard the doors of your mouth

from her who lies in your arms;

6 for the son treats the father with contempt,

the daughter rises up against her mother,

the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

a man's enemies are the men of his own house.

7 But as for me, I will look to the LORD;

I will wait for the God of my salvation;

my God will hear me.

The book of Micah was written about 700 BC.   So, that would be almost 3,000 years ago.   However, if you read the above passage you might think you were listening to the nightly news.   Notice the parallels between the above and what we are hearing about and reading about today:

V, 2. There seems to be no one who has a Godly standard and each person is trying to harm the lives of another:

V. 3.  People are almost trying to prefect evilness and leadership is corrupt. 

V. 4.  Even those who seem good end up being a pain to others.   Good seems to end up being bad. 

V. 5-6.  Even your family and children and relatives can’t be trusted.   Families seem to be turning on families.  

That was probably last weeks news reel.   Man, left to his/her own devices have little hope in this world.   What is Micah’s conclusion for himself, the spiritual minded person then and now?   He says he will “look to the LORD.”   He states that he will “wait” for the “God of my salvation.”   He believes and is encouraged because, “... my God will hear me.”    Our hope is not in mankind, government leadership, or even family.  Our hope is in God, through the work of Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  We simply must wait for Him to care for us.   

Wealth vs Poor - Proverbs 28-30

 Proverbs 28:3 (ESV)

A poor man who oppresses the poor

is a beating rain that leaves no food.

Proverbs 28:6 (ESV)

Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity

than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

Proverbs 28:8 (ESV)

Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit

gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.

Proverbs 28:11 (ESV)

A rich man is wise in his own eyes,

but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.

Proverbs 28:15 (ESV)

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

Proverbs 28:19 (ESV)

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

Proverbs 28:20 (ESV)

A faithful man will abound with blessings,

but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 28:22 (ESV)

A stingy man hastens after wealth

and does not know that poverty will come upon him.

Proverbs 28:25 (ESV)

A greedy man stirs up strife,

but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.

Proverbs 28:27 (ESV)

Whoever gives to the poor will not want,

but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

Chapter 28 of Proverbs has a lot to say about wealth and the poor.   Notice that God is concerned about wealth and poverty.   In the Law God actually designed a plan for those who had crops (wealthy) who were to leave some of their crop for the poor to self-provide or themselves.   The wealthy were not to simply “give” money to the poor.  But, they were to make an avenue for the poor to benefit themselves.  That is what we read in the above passage.   It does not mean we are not to give anything.  But we are to give them opportunities. The wealthy are not to hoard their wealth but find a way to use it to increase the quality of life for the poor.  

God’s Word - Guide to God’s Walk - Psalm 119

Psalms 119:9-16 (ESV)

BETH

9 How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.

10 With my whole heart I seek you;

let me not wander from your commandments!

11 I have stored up your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

12 Blessed are you, O LORD;

teach me your statutes!

13 With my lips I declare

all the rules of your mouth.

14 In the way of your testimonies I delight

as much as in all riches.

15 I will meditate on your precepts

and fix my eyes on your ways.

16 I will delight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

Psalms 119 is one collections of poems that stress that our walk with God out to be in alignment and obedience to the Word of God.   In the entire 176 verses God’s Word is referenced by 8 different synonyms:

(Understanding the Bible Commentary Series) Eight synonyms are used throughout: law (always sing., Hb. tôrâ), word (Hb. dābār), laws (always pl. in the NIV, Hb. mišpāṭîm), statutes (or better “testimonies,” Hb. ʿēdût, usually pl.), commands (Hb. miṣwâ, usually pl.), decrees (Hb. ḥuqqîm), precepts (Hb. peqûdîm), and promise (lit. “word,” Hb. ʾimrâ).   There are 22 sections of 8 verses with each section beginning with one of the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet.   

The above section, Beth, is focused (much like all 22 sections) on the value of God’s Word in our lives.   Note:

V. 9 = God’s Word is valuable because it can GUARD us in our path of life. 

V. 10 = God’s Word is valuable because it will keep us from WANDERING. 

V. 11 = God’s Word can keep us from sinning. 

V. 12 = God’s Word is the curriculum that God wants to teach us. 

V. 13 = God’s Word is the rule of law for us to follow. 

V. 14 = God’s Word is more valuable than all riches. 

V. 15 = God’s Word is our mediation and soul focus. 

V. 16 = God’s Word is the delight of our lives and the memory of our mind.  

God’s Word is the guide to our walking in God’s way!

A Life of Tranquility and Legacy - 2 Chronicles 17-20

 2 Chronicles 20:30-33 (ESV)

So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around.

Thus Jehoshaphat reigned over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. He walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. The high places, however, were not taken away; the people had not yet set their hearts upon the God of their fathers.

What an epitaph.  Would it not be great to have someone write about you as you are dying or have died that “God gave you rest all around?”    Wouldn’t it be great to hear that the final thing written about you was that you were, “... doing what was right in the sight of the LORD?”   The reason this was written about Jehoshaphat is because he sought God and allowed God to lead him.  He was obedient to God’s word and attempted to instill that in all of those he lead.   Obviously, according to the above verse, he did not get everyone to follow his lead.   We can relate to that when we read about Jesus.  He had eleven out of twelve follow Him faithfully.  But, one did not.  Jehoshaphat obeyed and commanded his people to obey.  But, some would not.   The key is that he did set the example and did set up the kingdom to promote God’s ways and God’s pathway to obedience.  When we are dying that is no time to think of our epitaph.   What they say about us at hour death is a culmination of our life.   We are writing the ending every day we live.   Each obedient act of faith toward God is a pen stroke on our tombstone.  Every decision to choose God over the world is a punctuation mark in the paragraphs of our lives.   When people talk about you after you are gone it will the content of your actions toward God that they remember.  

But there is more.   Jehoshaphat not only died in admiral way, during his life he had “quiet” and “rest” in his kingdom. Not only does obedience speak to your legacy in death, it also promotes you tranquility in life.   We can prepare for death by living right in life.   But, we can rejoice in life about peace and safety when we walk in obedience and faith toward God at the same time.  Jehoshaphat not only left a legacy, he lived a life full of tranquility.  That is what obedience to God can bring.  

God Determines Our Boundaries - Numbers 33-36

 Numbers 33:54 (ESV)

You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance. Wherever the lot falls for anyone, that shall be his. According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit.

When it comes to dividing up the inheritance of someone to the rest of the family there is potential for great harm.   Great, loving families have been torn apart by the dividing up of the left over property.   Imagine, however, if the inheritance of a deceased parent was divided as the above verses state.  Imagine you went to the lawyer’s office and instead of reading a will, he/she rolled dice.  Imagine you went before the court and the judge simply rolled dice to decide between the property in the Hampton’s and the collection of ceramic owls.    Most people would be furious.    But, God is instructing Moses (and Joshua) that when they get into the Promise land this is how they are to divide up the land.  This calls for great faith in God’s sovereign choice to have the dice come out the way God intends it to come out.   Notice how Solomon would say this years later:

Proverbs 16:33 (ESV)

The lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is from the LORD.

This is the essence and character of God’s person.  He is totally sovereign over all things and it is He who determines our boundaries and inheritance in this world.   Note this from Stephen’s sermon in Acts:

Acts 17:26 (ESV)

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

God determines all this.  We live within the boundaries of God sovereign care!!   

God Notices - Hebrews 5-7

 Hebrews 6:9-10 (ESV)

Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

God notices.   One of the most difficult things in life is to go through life and have people not notice you.   People who are not recognized for you they are and/or for what they contribute to the world around them, are often hurt in ways we simply cannot see.   One of the major roles of leadership is to recognize those they lead and demonstrate that they are valued.   In chapter six of Hebrews we have one of the most, if not the most, difficult passage in all the Bible to interpret.  It has to do with those who “fall away” (v. 6) and if they can be restored again after that falling away.  The writer of Hebrews give several illustrations and examples to explain to the readers that those who deny Christ cannot be restored again BECAUSE THEY HAVE DENIED CHRIST.  If you deny Christ there is no other way to be restored.  Christ’s purpose for coming to the earth was to restore man to the Father.   That is the message of the book and this hard chapter to interpret.   One of the reasons the writer does write this book, however, and this passage is the above verses.   After giving such a stern warning to encourage them to persevere in the faith is that he, the writer, knew better of them.  They are not like those who have denied Christ.  They are those who are doing good works by showing love for the saints.  This is something God notices.   God knows every act of love we do for others when that love is done through His power and His Spirit.  God notices us when we serve others.  Those we serve may take us for granted, but God notices the act of the heart.   He is not “unjust” to notice that love.   The implication is that it would be “unjust” of a “just” God to not notice our acts of love.  That is so reassuring.   God is just.  We don’t often think of His justice to include the passages of the above verse.   That is so amazing.   We can rest assured that even though the world passes us by and even our loved ones go on without a saying a word, God notices our acts of love for the saints.   

Formula to Navigate Cancel Culture - Acts 3-4

 Acts 4:18-20 (ESV)

So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

In the world we live in in 2022 we are learning and being conditioned to be careful what we see.  The “cancel culture” is in full swing and anyone who makes a statement that is deemed my a small, but very verbal, minority as inappropriate and/or not politically correct, will be canceled.   Imagine such a time like this being exercised and practiced in the beginning days of the early church.   In the above passage we have Peter’s guiding principle about what to speak and when to speak in front of the powers that be.  His conclusion was that what they had seen and heard about Christ must and will be proclaimed.  His conclusion to a difficult situation in front of the “powers” was easy:  We cannot but speak what we havre seen and heard!   They had seen and heard Jesus resurrected from the dead.  How much more would you need to do what they had done.  The reason Peter was in this situation of having to explain to the religious leaders of the day (the power brokers) was that he acted on Jesus’ teaching and power.  At the beginning of chapter three of Acts, Peter and John were headed to teach those who had come to Christ already. On their way they are confronted by a homeless man who could not walk.  Peter takes this occasion to speak to the man and tell him to raise up and walk.  The man does and here is where we are.  The religious leaders did not like that Peter and John had headed this man in the “name of Jesus,” who they say was raised from the dead.  The religious leaders did not care about this man at all.  He had been sitting along side the road of a long time.  They had done nothing for him.   Peter and John did.  But, this is the point.   They not only healed his body they brought him into a relationship with Christ.   This was going to be their mission until death.   How would they complete this mission?  By speaking what they had seen and heard from Christ.  That is a good formula to navigate the world of cancel culture and wokism.   

God Does Not Change - Jonah

 Jonah 3:10 (ESV)

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

The doctrine of the immutability of God states that God does not change in His essence.   God cannot change because that would mean we cannot trust His promises.   God cannot change because that would mean we cannot trust our salvation.  If he was fickle He could loves us one day and be angry at us the next.   That would not be a God we could love.   The glory of God is that He is immutable.   However, we read in the above passage that when the people of Nineveh began to repent after hearing Jonah’s message, that God “relented” of the promise to bring disaster on them.   At first blush this sounds like God changed His mind, which what the word “relent” can mean.   However, if we truly understand the situation we would understand that God is acting as the God He promises to be.  God in His divine essence is to be a gracious, loving and forgiving God.   He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance:

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

So, we ought not take from the above verse that God changed His essence, but rather fulfilled His promised that if someone repents and seeks Him, He will provide salvation to them.   God relented to the extent that He moved from one part of His essence (to punish evil with His wrath) to another part of His essence (to provide salvation to those who repent).  God did not change who He was in this passage.  God fulfilled who He is.  

Great Leadership is Better with Deep Follower-ship - Proverbs 28

 Proverbs 28:2 (ESV)

When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding and knowledge,

its stability will long continue.

Proverbs 28:5 (ESV)

Evil men do not understand justice,

but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.

Proverbs 28:10 (ESV)

Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way

will fall into his own pit,

but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.

Proverbs 28:12 (ESV)

When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,

but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.

Proverbs 28:15-16 (ESV)

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,

but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

Proverbs 28:28 (ESV)

When the wicked rise, people hide themselves,

but when they perish, the righteous increase.

After reading all these proverbs written by Solomon you would have to come to the conclusion that Solomon understood leadership.   What you would also read is that the thing that really sets one leader apart from another leader is righteousness.  Whether the proverb is telling us to be righteous or to act in a righteous manner in our dealings with those around us.  We wouldn’t read that in most leadership books.   If we want to lead and connect with others we must first follow and connect with God and His righteousness.  

Success - Psalms 117-118

Psalms 118:25 (ESV)

Save us, we pray, O LORD!

O LORD, we pray, give us success!

We put a lot of emphasis in our society today on the concept of success.   We are quick to deem something unsuccessful and have a variety of methods to determine what is success.  It is more often than not a moving target.   

The word for success is translated from the Hebrew as follows:

(Vine) - ṣaleaḥ; a primitive root; to push forward, in various senses (literal or figurative, transitive or intransitive): — break out, come (mightily), go over, be good, be meet, be profitable, (cause to, effect, make to, send) prosper(-ity, -ous, -ously).

It is often translated a variety of ways in the Hebrew Old Testament:

(Vine). AV (65) - prosper 44, come 6, prosperous 5, come mightily 2, effected 1, good 1, meet 1, break out 1, went over 1, misc 3;

Therefore, God often told us how to be successful in various places in His Word.  One of my personal favorites and a childhood memory verse is:

Joshua 1:8-9 (ESV)

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

God will grant us success.   As the writer of this psalm demonstrates, we are to pray for God’s success over us.  Success only comes from God.   We can only have success, however, if we are also walking in obedience to His Word.   In fact, that might be the best way to demonstrate success: Obedience to God by walking in step with His Word.     We often define success in such material forms.   We might define it in regard to relationships with those we love around us.  We might define it as internal tranquility.  But, God defines it as walking in obedience with Him and fully trusting Him.   Only God can grant success.   Only God can be the One who defines success.   We are the recipients of success.  We are not the ones who define it.   We can only achieve it and received by His grace and mercy on us.  

How NOT to Grow Old - 2 Chronicles 11-16

 2 Chronicles 15:8-13 (ESV)

As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.

As kings go, Asa was a good one.   Asa was confronted by the prophet Azariah and the above words are written about his response.   He was a great leader because he was willing to respond to God’s Word when spoken to him.   However, note what happens when he gets older in his life:

2 Chronicles 16:7-10 (ESV)

At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time.

Why, Asa, did you not respond to the prophet of God in your old age, but you did in your young age?   That is the puzzling question.  The more power he obtained, the more blessings God gave, the less Asa followed God.   We need to be careful when God blesses us for obedience, that in-turn, after those blessings are received that we don’t become self-reliant and self-actualizing.   Asa is a great example of how NOT to grow old.  Don’t let the blessings of God for obedience create a mindset of disobedience. 

Firm and Informed Decision Making - Numbers 29-32

 Numbers 32:1-7 (ESV)

Reuben and Gad Settle in Gilead

Now the people of Reuben and the people of Gad had a very great number of livestock. And they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, and behold, the place was a place for livestock. So the people of Gad and the people of Reuben came and said to Moses and to Eleazar the priest and to the chiefs of the congregation, “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, the land that the LORD struck down before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession. Do not take us across the Jordan.”

But Moses said to the people of Gad and to the people of Reuben, “Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here? Why will you discourage the heart of the people of Israel from going over into the land that the LORD has given them?

Decision making by leadership is one of the most important aspects of their lives.  How they make a decision, why they make a decision, and how that decision is carried out, all tell us the quality of leadership.   In the above passage we read about 2 1/2 tribes who come to Moses and do not want to go into the promise land, on the other side of Jordan.   This is a big deal.  God has brought the nation out of Egypt to bring them into the promise land.  When the leadership of the 2 1/2 tribes come to Moses he objects (vss 6-15).  He reminds these leaders that is exactly what happen with their fathers 40-years earlier.    Their fathers did not want to go into the promise land because of fear.   That fear discouraged the entire nation.  Moses was afraid these 2 1/2 tribe would do the same, just as they were ready to take them across the Jordon.    However, if we read farther on we see that the 2 1/2 tribes re more than willing to cross the Jordon to fight for the nation, but wanted to live where they were currently living.  These leaders would be willing to leave their children, wives and livestock unattended in a fortified city in order to complete their obligation to the nation.   When Moses hears their willingness to fight, here is his response:

Numbers 32:20-23 (ESV)

So Moses said to them, “If you will do this, if you will take up arms to go before the LORD for the war, and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the LORD, until he has driven out his enemies from before him and the land is subdued before the LORD; then after that you shall return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel, and this land shall be your possession before the LORD. But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.

Moses was a great leader.  He was not stuck in his mindset.  He was willing to hear the voices of those he led and change his mind.  Making a firm decision is important for leadership.  But, making an informed, firm decision is even more important.  Moses had jumped to a conclusion when first hearing their request.  Rather than be curious, he was overly critical of their plan.  But, once they gave him clarity he was able to pivot to make a more informed decision.  Leaders who want to make firm and informed decisions should be curious and seek clarity first.  

Enter Into His Spiritual Rest - Hebrews 1-4

Hebrews 3:19 - 4:2 (ESV)

So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.

When Jesus was on the earth He said the following to His disciples and those that were following Him and listening to His teaching:

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Apostle John, in the book of The Revelation, wrote the following as he heard it in his vision about heaven:

Revelation 14:13 (ESV)

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

The fact that Jesus came to give us rest is of no dispute.  Mankind tries to set up their life to find times of rest and times where they ceases from the labor.  But, they tend to focus that rest on physical well being.  There is no doubt that the physical well being part of rest is certainly implied in the above passages.  But, what Jesus actually came to give us was spiritual rest.  We are to rest from our labors to save ourselves and to make ourselves holy, because it is the High Priestly role of Jesus to do that for us. That is the theme of the book of Hebrews.   Jesus is the High Priest that sacrificed Himself for us that we might enter into His rest.  This rest is not one of activity, or of geographical change of location, and/or change of daily schedule.   This rest does not involve a pillow and a sleep machine.   This rest involves putting our faith in the work that Jesus did by sacrificing Himself and shedding His blood for our sins.  That allows us to enter into spiritual and physical rest.  We can rest assured that our sins have been forgiven and our lives declared righteous in His acts of obedience to the Father.   This “good news” came to the nation of Israel, but they failed to mix it with faith.    They heard the message but it did not benefit them because it was not mixed with a belief, a faith, that Jesus was the redeemer for their sins.   We can enter into that rest when we allow the finished work of Jesus to secure our rest.   He came to ease our burden and take care of the load of sin in our lives and to give us a righteousness that endures.   

God Makes Churches Grow - Acts 1-2

Acts 2:46-47 (ESV)

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Church growth is a fickle thing in today’s church circles.  So much of our growth is driven more by the personality of the preacher and/or the contemporary attraction of the style.   Those things are not necessarily a bad thing.  People are attracted to the Gospel, often, for misplaced reasons, only to find the true answer for their sins.   People often flock to a church for companionship of mankind and great fully, instead, friendship with Christ.   But, in the above passage we read how God designed the growth of the church.  The only thing attracting the group on this day is they saw the moving of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the 120 who committed themselves to wait for Christ to send the Spirit.  There was no glowing personality to attract them.  Fishermen, tax collectors and the common men of the disciples were not that inspiring.   There was no worship team to lead them in contemporary music.   There was no light show.  There was not pre-church “production” meeting.  This was just the Spirit of God moving in the midst of men committed by faith to follow Christ.   Only God can move a group of people like what happened in Acts 2.   It was not man’s energy, strategy, or ingenuity.  It was the Spirit of God moving in God’s people, the church.   When we wait, by faith, for God to move in the midst of the people of God, He multiples His people.  By the thousands.   By the ten thousands.   By the hundred of thousands.   By the ...