Unbelief Produces God’s Wrath - Psalms 78-80

Unbelief Produces God’s Wrath

Psalms 78:21-22
Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
because they did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.

Psalms 78:32
In spite of all this, they still sinned;
despite his wonders, they did not believe.

Psalms 78:37
Their heart was not steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.

Psalms 78:56
Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God
and did not keep his testimonies,

It is obvious by these statements that the nation of Israel struggled to believe and obey God.   Despite everything God did for them, showed them, intervened for them on their behalf, they did not believe.  What they failed to see was that the wrath of God was stirred by their unbelief.   God is a God of love. That is no doubt.  But, when we refuse His love and refuse to follow Him in heart felt obedience, there remains nothing more than His wrath.   God provides for us to demonstrate that love. God gives to show His love.  Yet, when we refuse to believe and obey, we are no longer in a place of blessing and open our lives up to His wrath.   It is true that those who are believers no longer will have condemnation (Romans 8:1).  But, that promise is for those who walk in faithful obedience toward Him.  Note what the writer of Hebrews said about this nation:

Hebrews 3:16-19
For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

There is no rest for those who walk in disobedience toward Him ... only wrath.  

Blessings Proportionate to Faith - 2 Kings 1-5

Blessings Proportionate to Faith

2 Kings 4:1-7

Elisha and the Widow's Oil

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

This is such a simple story.  Yet, it is a story of God power in our lives through faith in that power.  The widow was in a bad spot.  But, Elisha gave her a way out of that problem.   Her faith was enough to get a number of vessels.   She apparently had enough oil to sell to pay both her debts and to live on after that.   But, she did run out of vessels.   When she went to collect the vessels she had no idea how much oil Elisha would provide.   We would like to think we would have found much more than she did.  That is an easy criticism of the widow.   She did get enough to pay debts and live on the rest.   But, the lesson is very clear for us to understand.  The blessings we experience in life are proportional to our faith in God.   Faith is a gift we get from God.  With just a small amount we can do great things:

Matthew 17:20

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

God is not asking us to do much. He simply wants us to gather empty vessels and have Him fill them.   They have to be empty.  We are empty vessels and God wants to fill us with oil, value.   He does that via faith.  

So, Can I Eat Shrimp? - Leviticus 10-12

So, Can I Eat Shrimp?

Leviticus 11:9-12
“These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. But anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you. You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

In this section of Leviticus we read about the foods the nation of Israel could eat.   There was a long list about the foods and it included those on the land, the sea and in the air.  The description of what they could eat and not eat begs the question, “Why is God concerned about their menu selections?”  This seems to be a little bit of “micro-management” on God’s part, doesn’t it?   Several things should be noted when reading this passage:

1. The main reason for the restritions and guidelines about food is given by God, via Moses, in this verse:    

Leviticus 11:44-45
For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

That should be enough to explain the “why.”   But, there is more to explain God’s directives in these chapters.  

2.   The nation of Israel did not have refrigeration while living in tents in the wilderness.   The 2-3 million people depended on both good sanitation and good nutrition to assure their physical safety.   Many of the foods that they were commanded to refrain from eating would be almost impossible to keep pure and without diseases.   God, by restricting them, was actually showing them grace to keep them healthy.   

3.  God did not intend these restrictions to continue throughout time.   Although the religious leaders of Jesus day thought that they should, God only meant these nutritional laws to be enforce until the New Testament time of grace.  Note:

Acts 10:9-15
Peter's Vision
The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

God has made things clean now.   He still wants us to be holy toward him, but the holiness toward him is now (and was then, as well) a matter of the heart.   The ceremonial law of Leviticus no longer applies, but the reasons behind it does.  God wants us to be holy toward Him and in the world and to be protected from things that could harm us.   That is God’s grace, not Him being unfair and withholding from us a plate of shrimp.   

Tough Decision? - Philippians 1-2

Tough Decision? 

Philippians 1:23-24

I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

Paul is writing to the Philippians to encourage them to continue to walk in faith and strive for the Gospel.  There were some in the church who were trying to prevent their walk.   Paul is writing from prison and wants them to know that he is caught between two wonderful thoughts.   He knows his life will soon be over (he will be put to death within the next 5-7 years).   He knows, upon death, that he shall see Christ.   That is a glorious thought to him.   But, he also wants to encourage the saints. Those at Philippi and those around the world.   Paul has a mission to declare the mystery of the Gospel to mankind.   Now he is caught between these two things he values.   If value is the weight of importance you put on something at a particular moment in life, Paul is saying he is caught between these two weighty values.   Departing to be with Christ is far better, he states.  But, to remain alive to encourage them is necessary.   He makes the obvious choice about what is more valuable, but that does not displace the necessary.   He writes this letter to fulfill the later, while preparing his life to embrace the former.   Paul is not tied to this world.  But, he is tied to his purpose in this world.   That is a key to successful decision making.   Make every decision as though you are going to be before Christ tomorrow.   But, make every decision as though you are serving the Body of Christ today.  

God Takes No Pleasure in Death - Luke 15-16

God Takes No Pleasure in Death

Luke 15:8-10
The Parable of the Lost Coin
“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Before saying something about the above passage, let’s look at another passage from the Old Testament that might give us insight into the mind of God:

Ezekiel 18:23
Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?

Ezekiel 18:32
For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

God takes no pleasure in death!  He is, on the other hand, rejoicing when a sinner repents and puts faith in what He has provided in the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.   God is in the business of giving good news to the lost world. But, make no mistake, the world is lost.  It is only those who admit they are lost and need to be found by Him that receive repentance that leads to forgiveness.   God wants to rejoice over those who come to Him.   He went to extreme lengths to provide a way for our lostness.   He goes to extreme celebration when we are found.  

Whitewashed as Peace - Ezekiel 13-18

Whitewashed as Peace

Ezekiel 13:8-16

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have uttered falsehood and seen lying visions, therefore behold, I am against you, declares the Lord GOD. My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD. Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the coating with which you smeared it?’ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the LORD. Thus will I spend my wrath upon the wall and upon those who have smeared it with whitewash, and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who smeared it, the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her, when there was no peace, declares the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel has a tough job.   In the midst of a culture that ignores truth and twists truth to mete their needs, he is called on by God to give truth.  Everything he says will be despised, dejected and defamed.   The current leadership of Israel was prophesying their own message.  They were crying out “peace” when there was no “peace.”   Ezekiel was telling Israel that as a result of their sin, God was going to punish them.  They false prophets were telling them that Ezekiel was a crazy man and was lying to them.  So, the nation is caught in between two different narratives.   This often becomes the same situation in our culture today.  We are constantly being bombarded with narratives that make claims as truth.  False teachers want to tell us that God is a God of love and therefore there is no wrath, no punishment for sin, no consequences for your actions.  Yet, the entire Bible speaks against that.   However, the world would prefer to hear about all love and no wrath.  That type of message fits their easy life style.  They continually paint the world with a whitewash of peace paint.   But, when the storms of life come by both the whitewash will be gone (being driven away by the rain), as will the wall (being demolished by the wind).  God’s truth is like rain and wind.  It comes in and destroys the lies and the false narratives of life.   It is said like this:

John 17:17
Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

2 Corinthians 4:2
But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

The world wants to tamper with the Word of God’s truth.  Yet, when we lean into it we are sanctified.   

Seductive Speech vs Spiritual Speech - Proverbs 7

Seductive Speech vs Spiritual Speech

Proverbs 7:21 (NASBStr)
With her many persuasions she entices him;
With her flattering lips she seduces him.

Proverbs 7:21 (AMP)
With much justifying and enticing argument she persuades him, with the allurements of her lips she leads him [to overcome his conscience and his fears] and forces him along.

The women in Proverbs 7 is a picture of folly, as has been stated in these observations, many times.   Her arguments for following hard after her are quite enticing and persuasive.   According to the above proverb she has a special sway on the simply one:  The naive one.   Those who have spiritual understanding have a way to fight off these persuasive messages.   Folly wishes to entice us to fall into her trap.  She uses her smell; her beauty (false as it might be); her comfort (brief as it may be), to seduce us and entice us.  Remember that God gives us warnings about how to avoid this enticement.   God speaks truth and allows us to know truth by following His Word.   If we are void of God's Word or not thinking of God's Word, we will fall into folly's enticement.  Notice how Solomon starts this chapter:

Proverbs 7:1-3
Warning Against the Adulteress
My son, keep my words
and treasure up my commandments with you;
keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.

The one who is naive has no guideposts in their lives to protect them from seeing these enticement and seduction.   Seduction is not meant to be seen or observed.  That is what makes it seducing.   The only way to avoid her sweet whispers and tasty words is to be understanding God's Word and trust it and follow it.