Randy Green's Blog, page 406
July 10, 2014
Karen? No, Cherem! - Part 2
Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed…And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones [Joshua 7:11-12, 25].
The Firstfruits always belonged to the Lord, but He cannot use it if it is unclean. What was to be done with it under that situation?
I got it. Let’s give it to the poor. Uh, that would be a no. The Lord’s people were not permitted to contact ritual uncleanness either, or they became unclean and out of fellowship with the Lord and His people. The long and short of the matter is this, dear friends. The Lord couldn’t use ritually unclean things and neither could His people. What’s more, the things which belonged to the Lord could not be used by others, even if those things were clean.
The solution was that all suchlike things were put under the “ban”, “devoted to destruction”, cherem. Since they belonged to the Lord and He could have nothing to do with them, they were utterly destroyed. That is what it meant to be under the ban or to be cherem. The items were literally “devoted to destruction”.
The Israelites crossed the Jordan River under Joshua’s leadership to conquer the Promised Land. The first city they attacked was Jericho, the city of palms. This made Jericho the Firstfruits of the Promised Land, so all its people and property belonged to the Lord.
Trouble was, Jericho was a heathen city, living under paganism and idolatry. Accordingly, Jericho was “ritually unclean”, making it unusable by the Lord. Ergo, Jericho was cherem, under the ban, devoted to destruction. The Israelites were commanded to utterly destroy every person and thing in Jericho.
One Israelite, a certain Achan ben Carmi, saw some valuables he liked in Jericho. He fixed his eyes on them and lusted after them, until sin won out and he stole them. He took them to his tent and hid them there. Here’s the list of crimes with which the Lord charged Achan:
1. sinned
2. transgressed the covenant
3. took things under the ban
4. stole
5. deceived
6. put banned things with his own possessions
You may read the verses quoted at the start of this study to confirm that Achan was charged with those six crimes.
Well, criminals must be tried and sentenced justly, so consequences followed Achan’s crime. We’ll assay them in our next study. Jesus calls us at this time. Let us arise and go to Him.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Firstfruits always belonged to the Lord, but He cannot use it if it is unclean. What was to be done with it under that situation?
I got it. Let’s give it to the poor. Uh, that would be a no. The Lord’s people were not permitted to contact ritual uncleanness either, or they became unclean and out of fellowship with the Lord and His people. The long and short of the matter is this, dear friends. The Lord couldn’t use ritually unclean things and neither could His people. What’s more, the things which belonged to the Lord could not be used by others, even if those things were clean.
The solution was that all suchlike things were put under the “ban”, “devoted to destruction”, cherem. Since they belonged to the Lord and He could have nothing to do with them, they were utterly destroyed. That is what it meant to be under the ban or to be cherem. The items were literally “devoted to destruction”.
The Israelites crossed the Jordan River under Joshua’s leadership to conquer the Promised Land. The first city they attacked was Jericho, the city of palms. This made Jericho the Firstfruits of the Promised Land, so all its people and property belonged to the Lord.
Trouble was, Jericho was a heathen city, living under paganism and idolatry. Accordingly, Jericho was “ritually unclean”, making it unusable by the Lord. Ergo, Jericho was cherem, under the ban, devoted to destruction. The Israelites were commanded to utterly destroy every person and thing in Jericho.
One Israelite, a certain Achan ben Carmi, saw some valuables he liked in Jericho. He fixed his eyes on them and lusted after them, until sin won out and he stole them. He took them to his tent and hid them there. Here’s the list of crimes with which the Lord charged Achan:
1. sinned
2. transgressed the covenant
3. took things under the ban
4. stole
5. deceived
6. put banned things with his own possessions
You may read the verses quoted at the start of this study to confirm that Achan was charged with those six crimes.
Well, criminals must be tried and sentenced justly, so consequences followed Achan’s crime. We’ll assay them in our next study. Jesus calls us at this time. Let us arise and go to Him.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 9, 2014
Karen? No, Cherem! - Part 1
Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed…And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones [Joshua 7:11-12, 25].
The Law of Moses was the legal code for the Israelites, during the time they inhabited the Promised Land. The Law had a stipulation known as cherem, a Hebrew word written with English letters (i.e., transliterated as contrasted with translated). This stipulation also went by the descriptions “things devoted to destruction”, “things under the ban”, and “the ban”.
Allow me the opportunity to explain this stipulation of the Law of Moses. To do so we need to understand a second stipulation, i.e., the Firstfruits. The first tenth of every Israelite’s crops, as typifying the best portion, automatically belonged to the Lord. The Lord was King in Israel, literally. He made their laws and He ruled their land.
In the other nations of the world the king charged his subjects taxes, just as we pay taxes today. This was the equivalent of the Firstfruits under the Law of Moses in Israel. Other kings wouldn’t accept whatever their subjects had left over, after they paid their bills and bought what they wanted. No! First came payment to the king, and what was left served as the people’s living expenses.
So the first, the best, portion went to King Yahweh in Israel. Here’s the thing. King Yahweh (i.e., the Lord) is holy. He cannot look upon sin and He cannot be a part of ritual uncleanness.
Huh? What in tarnation is “ritual uncleanness”? I know you wanted to ask that. Yes, you did! Well, under the Law of Moses the Lord employed visible physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths. He used everyday things of this world to teach about eternity.
One way He did this was to legislate regulations about “uncleanness”. He identified classes of animals and birds and fish and insects, labeling some of them “clean” and others “unclean”. When these regulations are properly understood, we learn truths about spiritual things. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with the physical visible realities themselves. The Lord labeled them “unclean” to teach spiritual truths.
The problem arose when some of the Firstfruits came from things which were “ritually unclean”. The Lord is holy and cannot have anything to do with “unclean” things. So what was to be done with such portions of the Firstfruits?
We will answer that question in our next study. For now let’s retire to the prayer closet and visit with Jesus a while.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Law of Moses was the legal code for the Israelites, during the time they inhabited the Promised Land. The Law had a stipulation known as cherem, a Hebrew word written with English letters (i.e., transliterated as contrasted with translated). This stipulation also went by the descriptions “things devoted to destruction”, “things under the ban”, and “the ban”.
Allow me the opportunity to explain this stipulation of the Law of Moses. To do so we need to understand a second stipulation, i.e., the Firstfruits. The first tenth of every Israelite’s crops, as typifying the best portion, automatically belonged to the Lord. The Lord was King in Israel, literally. He made their laws and He ruled their land.
In the other nations of the world the king charged his subjects taxes, just as we pay taxes today. This was the equivalent of the Firstfruits under the Law of Moses in Israel. Other kings wouldn’t accept whatever their subjects had left over, after they paid their bills and bought what they wanted. No! First came payment to the king, and what was left served as the people’s living expenses.
So the first, the best, portion went to King Yahweh in Israel. Here’s the thing. King Yahweh (i.e., the Lord) is holy. He cannot look upon sin and He cannot be a part of ritual uncleanness.
Huh? What in tarnation is “ritual uncleanness”? I know you wanted to ask that. Yes, you did! Well, under the Law of Moses the Lord employed visible physical realities to teach invisible spiritual truths. He used everyday things of this world to teach about eternity.
One way He did this was to legislate regulations about “uncleanness”. He identified classes of animals and birds and fish and insects, labeling some of them “clean” and others “unclean”. When these regulations are properly understood, we learn truths about spiritual things. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with the physical visible realities themselves. The Lord labeled them “unclean” to teach spiritual truths.
The problem arose when some of the Firstfruits came from things which were “ritually unclean”. The Lord is holy and cannot have anything to do with “unclean” things. So what was to be done with such portions of the Firstfruits?
We will answer that question in our next study. For now let’s retire to the prayer closet and visit with Jesus a while.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 8, 2014
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 4
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
Returning to Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians, we now understand the concept of “sanctification”. The Christian is to spiritually mature, so that every aspect of his life is surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will lead him according to the Bible, not simply utter directions in his ear out of the blue.
The opposite of this is the concept of “impurity”. How the saint lived before he was born again, that is what the word “impurity” has reference to in the context of Paul’s teaching.
Sometimes man’s “impurity” is gross and vulgar and unfit for expressing in words. At other times the “impurity” is moral and church-going and respectable. What makes it “impure” is that the old sinner does it, and sinners don’t obey the Word of God or love God. Sinners make their own decisions about right and wrong and do what seems right in their own eyes. Sinners make themselves God.
So we learn from Points #1 and #2 that Paul teaches the saints to cease from living their pre-salvation lives, and instead live their born again lives. The reason for doing so is that God calls us to salvation for that very purpose.
And this brings us to Point #3 of Paul’s teaching: the Bible carries the authority of God Himself. Paul actually had the audacity to assert to the Thessalonian saints that, should any of them not obey his teaching, they weren’t rejecting him and his words. Oh, no. They were rejecting God and His Word! The nerve of some people, huh?
Either Paul was a wicked liar for speaking that way, or else he was a lunatic for believing such stuff and nonsense. But wait! There is a third option. Perhaps, just maybe perhaps, Paul was telling the truth.
That was the position of the early church, and it continued to be so through all the centuries. But not so in contemporary USA. Today we prefer programs and activities and man’s words about the Bible. Give the Bible esteemed recognition as God’s very own Word? Put it on a pedestal far above every other book? As paying lip service, sometimes. In Spirit and truth, not so much.
Let us harken to the words spoken by the Apostle Paul, as the Holy Spirit inspired him to present God’s Word to us. Let us recognize the qualitative difference between the Bible and man’s books about the Bible. This difference is comparable to that between gold and fool’s gold. If you aren’t sure of how qualitatively different they are, try spending some fool’s gold at the bank. Prepare to be arrested!
A return to the Word of God—not in word only but in daily feeding alone with Jesus, dear people—the Holy Spirit calls us to this today. Nothing else we do or say will make any worthwhile difference. Apart from the Word of God, the whole Word of God, and nothing but the Word of God, no revival will occur, ever.
As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” May Jesus Christ be praised.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Returning to Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians, we now understand the concept of “sanctification”. The Christian is to spiritually mature, so that every aspect of his life is surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will lead him according to the Bible, not simply utter directions in his ear out of the blue.
The opposite of this is the concept of “impurity”. How the saint lived before he was born again, that is what the word “impurity” has reference to in the context of Paul’s teaching.
Sometimes man’s “impurity” is gross and vulgar and unfit for expressing in words. At other times the “impurity” is moral and church-going and respectable. What makes it “impure” is that the old sinner does it, and sinners don’t obey the Word of God or love God. Sinners make their own decisions about right and wrong and do what seems right in their own eyes. Sinners make themselves God.
So we learn from Points #1 and #2 that Paul teaches the saints to cease from living their pre-salvation lives, and instead live their born again lives. The reason for doing so is that God calls us to salvation for that very purpose.
And this brings us to Point #3 of Paul’s teaching: the Bible carries the authority of God Himself. Paul actually had the audacity to assert to the Thessalonian saints that, should any of them not obey his teaching, they weren’t rejecting him and his words. Oh, no. They were rejecting God and His Word! The nerve of some people, huh?
Either Paul was a wicked liar for speaking that way, or else he was a lunatic for believing such stuff and nonsense. But wait! There is a third option. Perhaps, just maybe perhaps, Paul was telling the truth.
That was the position of the early church, and it continued to be so through all the centuries. But not so in contemporary USA. Today we prefer programs and activities and man’s words about the Bible. Give the Bible esteemed recognition as God’s very own Word? Put it on a pedestal far above every other book? As paying lip service, sometimes. In Spirit and truth, not so much.
Let us harken to the words spoken by the Apostle Paul, as the Holy Spirit inspired him to present God’s Word to us. Let us recognize the qualitative difference between the Bible and man’s books about the Bible. This difference is comparable to that between gold and fool’s gold. If you aren’t sure of how qualitatively different they are, try spending some fool’s gold at the bank. Prepare to be arrested!
A return to the Word of God—not in word only but in daily feeding alone with Jesus, dear people—the Holy Spirit calls us to this today. Nothing else we do or say will make any worthwhile difference. Apart from the Word of God, the whole Word of God, and nothing but the Word of God, no revival will occur, ever.
As Rule #2 for Bible study teaches, “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” May Jesus Christ be praised.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 7, 2014
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 3
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
Point #1 of Paul’s teaching states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Since this truth is unknown to Christians today, how can this anomaly be rectified? Paul offers us the solution in Point #2: we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible. We must cease with the programs and activities mentality and return to the Word of God. That’s how to rectify the contemporary church malady.
God calls the Christian. Paul stated it rather bluntly. You can read it yourself and see it. God’s has a purpose in calling the Christian. Again, Paul stated that truth rather bluntly as well. God’s purpose in calling us is not for “impurity” but for “sanctification”.
Someone is scratching his head and musing, “Huh? That doesn’t help me much, teacher! What does it mean?”
Well, it’s like this. In the context of our Bible verses, “impurity” is contrasted with “sanctification”. This makes defining the concept of “impurity” a rather easy task because the concept of “sanctification” is employed extensively in the Bible.
There are three aspects to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ:
1. justification
2. sanctification
3. glorification
When a sinner comes to Savior Jesus by faith and asks Him to forgive his sins and be his Savior, he is born again. He becomes a saint, an adopted son of God by faith in Christ Jesus. At that moment he no longer has any sin. Judge God declares him “Not guilty!” He is justified. Justification is a legal term meaning “not guilty”.
When the saint is promoted to eternity, he receives his resurrection body. This is the same type of body as the resurrected Jesus now has, and will have through all eternity. This is known as “glorification”.
In the interim between being born again and being promoted to eternity—the time during which a Christian remains on earth—the saint is still clothed in his old body of sin. That body of sin (i.e., the sin nature) tempts him daily to live for self and do what seems right in his own eyes.
Unlike the time period before he was born again though, the saint also has a new nature living inside him. The Holy Spirit took up residence in him when he was born again. At that moment he was baptized in the Spirit, born into the Church as a member of the Body of Christ on earth.
The sin nature tempts the saint to live the old way, the way he did before he was saved. The Holy Spirit convicts him of suchlike living and empowers him to live the new way, the way the Lord Jesus lived while on this earth.
Jesus willingly laid aside his prerogatives as God and walked this earth in obedience to the Scriptures, while depending on the Holy Spirit for His success. While remaining on this earth after being born again, the saint is to go and do likewise. This daily process of surrender to the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit is known as sanctification. It lasts until glorification.
Wow! We’re out of time again. Let’s betake ourselves to prayer and meditation with Jesus now. We’ll meet back here tomorrow, same time, same channel.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Point #1 of Paul’s teaching states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Since this truth is unknown to Christians today, how can this anomaly be rectified? Paul offers us the solution in Point #2: we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible. We must cease with the programs and activities mentality and return to the Word of God. That’s how to rectify the contemporary church malady.
God calls the Christian. Paul stated it rather bluntly. You can read it yourself and see it. God’s has a purpose in calling the Christian. Again, Paul stated that truth rather bluntly as well. God’s purpose in calling us is not for “impurity” but for “sanctification”.
Someone is scratching his head and musing, “Huh? That doesn’t help me much, teacher! What does it mean?”
Well, it’s like this. In the context of our Bible verses, “impurity” is contrasted with “sanctification”. This makes defining the concept of “impurity” a rather easy task because the concept of “sanctification” is employed extensively in the Bible.
There are three aspects to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ:
1. justification
2. sanctification
3. glorification
When a sinner comes to Savior Jesus by faith and asks Him to forgive his sins and be his Savior, he is born again. He becomes a saint, an adopted son of God by faith in Christ Jesus. At that moment he no longer has any sin. Judge God declares him “Not guilty!” He is justified. Justification is a legal term meaning “not guilty”.
When the saint is promoted to eternity, he receives his resurrection body. This is the same type of body as the resurrected Jesus now has, and will have through all eternity. This is known as “glorification”.
In the interim between being born again and being promoted to eternity—the time during which a Christian remains on earth—the saint is still clothed in his old body of sin. That body of sin (i.e., the sin nature) tempts him daily to live for self and do what seems right in his own eyes.
Unlike the time period before he was born again though, the saint also has a new nature living inside him. The Holy Spirit took up residence in him when he was born again. At that moment he was baptized in the Spirit, born into the Church as a member of the Body of Christ on earth.
The sin nature tempts the saint to live the old way, the way he did before he was saved. The Holy Spirit convicts him of suchlike living and empowers him to live the new way, the way the Lord Jesus lived while on this earth.
Jesus willingly laid aside his prerogatives as God and walked this earth in obedience to the Scriptures, while depending on the Holy Spirit for His success. While remaining on this earth after being born again, the saint is to go and do likewise. This daily process of surrender to the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit is known as sanctification. It lasts until glorification.
Wow! We’re out of time again. Let’s betake ourselves to prayer and meditation with Jesus now. We’ll meet back here tomorrow, same time, same channel.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 6, 2014
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 2
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
The good ol’ USA mentality today is this: “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do!” Christians even adopt this mentality when it comes to the Bible. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about this. We concluded yesterday’s study by noting three points of emphasis in Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
Dear friends, it excites me to learn those three truths! Look around us at the good ol’ USA today. Visit some churches and pay close attention. Few folks know that God calls them, much less that He did so for His own specific purpose. Oh, you may well hear some words spouted which say otherwise. But points #2 and #3 in our list testify otherwise.
If I claim to be a Christian, then the Lord called me into His family. Apart from God’s call I wouldn’t have come. Sinners—and anyone born of Adam the First is a sinner—but sinners just don’t go seeking God on their own. The chief characteristic of sin is that it rebels against God and His Word. It doesn’t embrace God and His Word!
How do I know that? Well, it’s like this. God taught it to me…in the Bible. And that is the problem today. Folks don’t understand Rule #2 for Bible study: “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” Once we become distant and aloof from the Word of God, we perforce become distant and aloof from God. It cannot be avoided. Just ask those in the Church of Ephesus (cf., Revelation 2:1-7).
Churches today—and Christians comprise churches, so this means Christians today—but we’ve substituted programs and activities for the Bible. We’ve substituted doctrinal statements, Sunday School booklets, and other assorted varieties of man’s words about the Bible, for the Bible itself.
To build today’s church requires mega money for high tech toys, and the latest fad book on “effective” church programs and activities. But tell the old old story, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, train up the saints in the Word of God and promote daily quiet time alone with the Lord with Bible opened and man’s books closed? No one cares about that anymore, so why waste our time?
Waste our time, indeed! If we don’t build the church God’s way, we don’t build the church. It matters not how many pews are in the “sanctuary” or how many good folks fill the pews. What matters is how many sinners die and saints rise out of death. What matters is how much spiritual maturity God’s leaders in the church foster in these newborn lives.
Point #1 of our Bible verses states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Trouble is, folks in the churches today don’t know this truth, much less personally experience God’s call on them or His purpose for them. Sadly, but the church leaders often don’t even know this truth for themselves, so how can they teach it to those they are supposed to lead? They can’t.
Tomorrow we will proceed with our analysis. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your hearts now, as you chew the cud of today’s study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The good ol’ USA mentality today is this: “You Can’t Tell Me What To Do!” Christians even adopt this mentality when it comes to the Bible. The Apostle Paul had a thing or two to say about this. We concluded yesterday’s study by noting three points of emphasis in Paul’s words to the Thessalonian Christians:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
Dear friends, it excites me to learn those three truths! Look around us at the good ol’ USA today. Visit some churches and pay close attention. Few folks know that God calls them, much less that He did so for His own specific purpose. Oh, you may well hear some words spouted which say otherwise. But points #2 and #3 in our list testify otherwise.
If I claim to be a Christian, then the Lord called me into His family. Apart from God’s call I wouldn’t have come. Sinners—and anyone born of Adam the First is a sinner—but sinners just don’t go seeking God on their own. The chief characteristic of sin is that it rebels against God and His Word. It doesn’t embrace God and His Word!
How do I know that? Well, it’s like this. God taught it to me…in the Bible. And that is the problem today. Folks don’t understand Rule #2 for Bible study: “The Bible is our sole and final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” Once we become distant and aloof from the Word of God, we perforce become distant and aloof from God. It cannot be avoided. Just ask those in the Church of Ephesus (cf., Revelation 2:1-7).
Churches today—and Christians comprise churches, so this means Christians today—but we’ve substituted programs and activities for the Bible. We’ve substituted doctrinal statements, Sunday School booklets, and other assorted varieties of man’s words about the Bible, for the Bible itself.
To build today’s church requires mega money for high tech toys, and the latest fad book on “effective” church programs and activities. But tell the old old story, proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, train up the saints in the Word of God and promote daily quiet time alone with the Lord with Bible opened and man’s books closed? No one cares about that anymore, so why waste our time?
Waste our time, indeed! If we don’t build the church God’s way, we don’t build the church. It matters not how many pews are in the “sanctuary” or how many good folks fill the pews. What matters is how many sinners die and saints rise out of death. What matters is how much spiritual maturity God’s leaders in the church foster in these newborn lives.
Point #1 of our Bible verses states, “God calls the Christian for His purpose”. Trouble is, folks in the churches today don’t know this truth, much less personally experience God’s call on them or His purpose for them. Sadly, but the church leaders often don’t even know this truth for themselves, so how can they teach it to those they are supposed to lead? They can’t.
Tomorrow we will proceed with our analysis. Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your hearts now, as you chew the cud of today’s study.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 5, 2014
You Can't Tell Me What To Do! - Part 1
For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [1 Thessalonians 4:7-8].
When I was a wee tot, mom told me to take the garbage sack to the can. I responded, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to school, the teacher wanted me to turn in my homework. I challenged her, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to the job, the boss told me to bring him the report I was supposed to have finished. I told him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I opened my Bible to read it, the Lord instructed me… I told Him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
Okay. So I made all that up. Sadly, though, it’s all too common, with today’s affluent middle class morality reigning supreme. Even worse, most folks will look at my first three willful responses, and they will find them outrageous. But when it comes to the fourth willful response…well, no biggy.
The Word of God doesn’t hold much authority in the eyes of the people of today’s world. Truth be told, the Bible is contemned by nearly everyone. Oh, I know the word “Bible” is often bandied about in a reverent sense. That only makes it all the worse, when those doing the bandying don’t read it much.
It is a sign of the times—one which clearly spells out how far down the road of apostasy we have gone in the good ol’ USA—that even in churches which still claim allegiance to the Bible, the folks predominantly are Bible illiterate, or at best semi-literate. Perhaps, just perhaps, they can tell you that Noah built the ark and David slew Goliath. But pass a Bible competency exam. Fat chance! Don’t hold your breath.
The “good” churches with the “real” Christians have sunk so low, that the word “Bible” has replaced the actual Bible! I’ll leave it to your imagination what this means for the professed Christians in the more liberally inclined churches. Apart from a real Holy Spirit time of refreshing, methinks it is curtains for America. No government election will alter our course either, dear friends.
Personally, I love to read my Bible every day. I can’t get enough of it! Take, for instance, the Apostle Paul’s words in the two verses we quoted to begin this study. Read them attentively, musing on what he emphasized and what his underlying assumptions are. I note three points of emphasis. They are:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
We will continue this topic on the morrow. For today let’s hie off to the prayer closet alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
When I was a wee tot, mom told me to take the garbage sack to the can. I responded, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to school, the teacher wanted me to turn in my homework. I challenged her, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I went to the job, the boss told me to bring him the report I was supposed to have finished. I told him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
When I opened my Bible to read it, the Lord instructed me… I told Him, “No! You can’t tell me what to do!”
Okay. So I made all that up. Sadly, though, it’s all too common, with today’s affluent middle class morality reigning supreme. Even worse, most folks will look at my first three willful responses, and they will find them outrageous. But when it comes to the fourth willful response…well, no biggy.
The Word of God doesn’t hold much authority in the eyes of the people of today’s world. Truth be told, the Bible is contemned by nearly everyone. Oh, I know the word “Bible” is often bandied about in a reverent sense. That only makes it all the worse, when those doing the bandying don’t read it much.
It is a sign of the times—one which clearly spells out how far down the road of apostasy we have gone in the good ol’ USA—that even in churches which still claim allegiance to the Bible, the folks predominantly are Bible illiterate, or at best semi-literate. Perhaps, just perhaps, they can tell you that Noah built the ark and David slew Goliath. But pass a Bible competency exam. Fat chance! Don’t hold your breath.
The “good” churches with the “real” Christians have sunk so low, that the word “Bible” has replaced the actual Bible! I’ll leave it to your imagination what this means for the professed Christians in the more liberally inclined churches. Apart from a real Holy Spirit time of refreshing, methinks it is curtains for America. No government election will alter our course either, dear friends.
Personally, I love to read my Bible every day. I can’t get enough of it! Take, for instance, the Apostle Paul’s words in the two verses we quoted to begin this study. Read them attentively, musing on what he emphasized and what his underlying assumptions are. I note three points of emphasis. They are:
1. God calls the Christian for His purpose
2. we learn of His call and purpose from the Bible
3. the Bible carries the authority of God Himself
We will continue this topic on the morrow. For today let’s hie off to the prayer closet alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 4, 2014
My Third Birthday – Part 3
For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you [Deuteronomy 11:22-23].
The bottom line is this, dear friends. The Israelites—as is true of every son of Adam the First—were and are incapable of being perfect, especially as perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect (cf., Matthew 5:48). This is because Father Adam disobeyed the Word of God in the garden and ate fruit from the kogae tree. This turned Father Adam into a sinner.
In keeping with God’s laws of creation, each species reproduces after its own kind. So an apple tree bears more apples, not bananas. A monkey gives birth to monkeys, not humans. And sinners give birth to sinners, not saints. So every last human being (past, present, and future) is born a sinner. It is a fact of life that sinners by nature sin, they don’t obey the Word of God perfectly.
Ergo, no man alive (Jesus Christ the God-Man excepted) can perfectly live a holy life and thus rightly represent the Lord to the world. Every last human being is in the same boat. All are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. This was the end result which the Covenant of Law was meant to demonstrate to the Israelites, and vicariously through them to the world.
That being the case, every last human being is in need of a Savior, someone who can pay his penalty for sinning and then provide him with a new life which can perfectly represent the Lord to the world. Entrer the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!
The Law was given to Israel as their legal code while they inhabited the Promised Land. Their King was the Lord and He legislated the law of the land. The Law’s function was that of a pedagogue, a school marm to teach them that they were sinners and in need of a Savior.
As willful teenagers, the Israelites were intractable. They were problem children with disciplinary issues. They wouldn’t learn by means of polite and gentle words. They would rebel because they already knew it all! What they needed was precisely what the Lord gave them, i.e., the Law.
The Israelites brashly blurted out, “We will do everything the Lord tells us to do!” And they were sincere too. So the Lord gave them the Law, as if to say, “Put your money where your mouth is, O Israelites. Obey the Law perfectly 24/7/365 and prove you are good enough to represent me to the world in your own power.”
When they failed—and every last one surely did incessantly—then they could recognize their sinfulness and realize their need for a Savior. They could know not to depend on themselves and instead turn to the Lord in dependence on Him.
Such was the purpose of the Law. It was in effect until the fullness of the time arrived (cf., Galatians 4:4). That time did arrive when the eternal Son of God took upon real humanity, becoming one of us and dying for our sins. Then He rose out of death in new life, which He freely bestows upon us who turn to Him in faith and request it.
So what will it be for you? Will you put yourself under the Law and depend on yourself? Or will you forsake the self-made man mentality and place your trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation? I trust you will choose the second option. Good. Welcome to the family of God. You are now an adopted son of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The bottom line is this, dear friends. The Israelites—as is true of every son of Adam the First—were and are incapable of being perfect, especially as perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect (cf., Matthew 5:48). This is because Father Adam disobeyed the Word of God in the garden and ate fruit from the kogae tree. This turned Father Adam into a sinner.
In keeping with God’s laws of creation, each species reproduces after its own kind. So an apple tree bears more apples, not bananas. A monkey gives birth to monkeys, not humans. And sinners give birth to sinners, not saints. So every last human being (past, present, and future) is born a sinner. It is a fact of life that sinners by nature sin, they don’t obey the Word of God perfectly.
Ergo, no man alive (Jesus Christ the God-Man excepted) can perfectly live a holy life and thus rightly represent the Lord to the world. Every last human being is in the same boat. All are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. This was the end result which the Covenant of Law was meant to demonstrate to the Israelites, and vicariously through them to the world.
That being the case, every last human being is in need of a Savior, someone who can pay his penalty for sinning and then provide him with a new life which can perfectly represent the Lord to the world. Entrer the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!
The Law was given to Israel as their legal code while they inhabited the Promised Land. Their King was the Lord and He legislated the law of the land. The Law’s function was that of a pedagogue, a school marm to teach them that they were sinners and in need of a Savior.
As willful teenagers, the Israelites were intractable. They were problem children with disciplinary issues. They wouldn’t learn by means of polite and gentle words. They would rebel because they already knew it all! What they needed was precisely what the Lord gave them, i.e., the Law.
The Israelites brashly blurted out, “We will do everything the Lord tells us to do!” And they were sincere too. So the Lord gave them the Law, as if to say, “Put your money where your mouth is, O Israelites. Obey the Law perfectly 24/7/365 and prove you are good enough to represent me to the world in your own power.”
When they failed—and every last one surely did incessantly—then they could recognize their sinfulness and realize their need for a Savior. They could know not to depend on themselves and instead turn to the Lord in dependence on Him.
Such was the purpose of the Law. It was in effect until the fullness of the time arrived (cf., Galatians 4:4). That time did arrive when the eternal Son of God took upon real humanity, becoming one of us and dying for our sins. Then He rose out of death in new life, which He freely bestows upon us who turn to Him in faith and request it.
So what will it be for you? Will you put yourself under the Law and depend on yourself? Or will you forsake the self-made man mentality and place your trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation? I trust you will choose the second option. Good. Welcome to the family of God. You are now an adopted son of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 3, 2014
My Third Birthday – Part 2
For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you [Deuteronomy 11:22-23].
The Lord wanted to give them the land unconditionally. That’s what He covenanted with Abraham to do. We know this as the “Abrahamic Covenant”. But the Israelites didn’t want to know the Lord or learn His ways, so they could accurately represent Him to the world. They were full-fledged whippersnappers, you see, regular teenage know-it-alls in their prime.
They told Moses to keep the Lord away from them. Let Moses go visit with the Lord and bring His Word back to them. Then they would do everything the Lord told them. See! They already knew it all and didn’t want the Lord to come near them. Let Moses the priest do the church work. They were busy fellows. They had important business to attend to.
So the Lord said, “They claim they will do everything I say, huh? Their words are good. Would that their hearts were too!” The Israelites, you see, needed to recognize they were not good enough to be like the Lord, not even close! They could not live like His family until they were mature enough to know their own limitations. To borrow Clint Eastwood’s line, “A man needs to know his limitations.”
How to teach the facts of life to the Israelites? That was the million dollar question. The Lord answered it by creating another covenant with them. No, He didn’t annul the Abrahamic Covenant. But He did add an additional covenant to the mix to teach the facts of life to the puerile Israelites.
The goal of this new covenant was to make them realize their limitations and depend on the Lord, not on themselves. So at Mount Sinai the Lord established the “Covenant of Law” with the Israelites (aka the “Law of Moses” or “Torah”).
Basically the Abrahamic Covenant presented the Israelites with the Promised Land, all wrapped with decorative paper inside a rectangular box, with a pretty bow on top. Alas, but the Israelites were too young, too immature, to treat the Promised Land with the respect it was due. They were unable to behave in a godly manner in accordance with membership in the family of God.
So the Lord withheld the rectangular box, telling them they first had to live up to their family responsibilities, and that perfectly. Only when they did so would they be accounted worthy of receiving the rectangular box based on their own performance.
Yikes! Time is up again. Wow! Time flies when we’re having fun! Let’s continue the fun in our next lesson. Sounds like a plan. The Lord Jesus requests our presence now. See you there.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
The Lord wanted to give them the land unconditionally. That’s what He covenanted with Abraham to do. We know this as the “Abrahamic Covenant”. But the Israelites didn’t want to know the Lord or learn His ways, so they could accurately represent Him to the world. They were full-fledged whippersnappers, you see, regular teenage know-it-alls in their prime.
They told Moses to keep the Lord away from them. Let Moses go visit with the Lord and bring His Word back to them. Then they would do everything the Lord told them. See! They already knew it all and didn’t want the Lord to come near them. Let Moses the priest do the church work. They were busy fellows. They had important business to attend to.
So the Lord said, “They claim they will do everything I say, huh? Their words are good. Would that their hearts were too!” The Israelites, you see, needed to recognize they were not good enough to be like the Lord, not even close! They could not live like His family until they were mature enough to know their own limitations. To borrow Clint Eastwood’s line, “A man needs to know his limitations.”
How to teach the facts of life to the Israelites? That was the million dollar question. The Lord answered it by creating another covenant with them. No, He didn’t annul the Abrahamic Covenant. But He did add an additional covenant to the mix to teach the facts of life to the puerile Israelites.
The goal of this new covenant was to make them realize their limitations and depend on the Lord, not on themselves. So at Mount Sinai the Lord established the “Covenant of Law” with the Israelites (aka the “Law of Moses” or “Torah”).
Basically the Abrahamic Covenant presented the Israelites with the Promised Land, all wrapped with decorative paper inside a rectangular box, with a pretty bow on top. Alas, but the Israelites were too young, too immature, to treat the Promised Land with the respect it was due. They were unable to behave in a godly manner in accordance with membership in the family of God.
So the Lord withheld the rectangular box, telling them they first had to live up to their family responsibilities, and that perfectly. Only when they did so would they be accounted worthy of receiving the rectangular box based on their own performance.
Yikes! Time is up again. Wow! Time flies when we’re having fun! Let’s continue the fun in our next lesson. Sounds like a plan. The Lord Jesus requests our presence now. See you there.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 2, 2014
My Third Birthday – Part 1
For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you [Deuteronomy 11:22-23].
It was my third birthday. I remember it well. Dad and Mom were there, along with the several siblings. There was a pretty decorated cake with my name on it and three lit candles in the center. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of wrapping paper around a rectangular box. A decorative bow graced the top of the box.
My attention straightway went from the cake and siblings to Dad. He held the present, you see. My eyes were riveted on that box in wrapping paper and bow. Nothing else could compete. The world faded into the background, along with everything and everyone. All that existed in my mind was a rectangular box with wrapping paper and bow.
Alas for me, but Dad popped my bubble. The words he spoke went something like this:
Son, here is a list of your chores, itemized by hour and day. You are required to carry your weight, if you want to be a member of this family. Be sure you do every chore on this list and put a check mark next to the chore when you finish it.
If you perform your responsibilities perfectly and don’t fail even one time, then you will remain a part of this family. You will earn this reward which is wrapped in decorative paper with a bow on top. But should you fail even once, it’s curtains for you. You’ll have to hit the road and find someone else to put up with your failing ways.
Huh? I was only three. Was Dad kidding? Was he on drugs? What was wrong with that man?!
Okay. I confess. It didn’t really happen that way, not even close. But guess what. It did happen that way with the Israelites and the Lord. And no, the Lord wasn’t kidding…or on drugs either. The Israelites asked for it and the Lord accommodated them.
The Israelites were at their grand inauguration. They were to become the people of the Lord and represent Him to the world as His family. Trouble was, they were incompetent for the task at hand. Even worse, they didn’t know they were incapable of performing all their chores all the time without fail even once.
That was where the Law came in. Read the two Bible verses quoted at the start of this study. Do you see how the Lord laid a task on the Israelites, telling them that if they perfectly performed all their chores, then He would give them the rectangular box wrapped in decorative paper with a bow on top? Er, I mean He promised to give them the Promised Land as their own country, where they could represent Him to the world as His family.
Oops! We are out of time today. We will continue this subject on the morrow. For today enjoy some time alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
It was my third birthday. I remember it well. Dad and Mom were there, along with the several siblings. There was a pretty decorated cake with my name on it and three lit candles in the center. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of wrapping paper around a rectangular box. A decorative bow graced the top of the box.
My attention straightway went from the cake and siblings to Dad. He held the present, you see. My eyes were riveted on that box in wrapping paper and bow. Nothing else could compete. The world faded into the background, along with everything and everyone. All that existed in my mind was a rectangular box with wrapping paper and bow.
Alas for me, but Dad popped my bubble. The words he spoke went something like this:
Son, here is a list of your chores, itemized by hour and day. You are required to carry your weight, if you want to be a member of this family. Be sure you do every chore on this list and put a check mark next to the chore when you finish it.
If you perform your responsibilities perfectly and don’t fail even one time, then you will remain a part of this family. You will earn this reward which is wrapped in decorative paper with a bow on top. But should you fail even once, it’s curtains for you. You’ll have to hit the road and find someone else to put up with your failing ways.
Huh? I was only three. Was Dad kidding? Was he on drugs? What was wrong with that man?!
Okay. I confess. It didn’t really happen that way, not even close. But guess what. It did happen that way with the Israelites and the Lord. And no, the Lord wasn’t kidding…or on drugs either. The Israelites asked for it and the Lord accommodated them.
The Israelites were at their grand inauguration. They were to become the people of the Lord and represent Him to the world as His family. Trouble was, they were incompetent for the task at hand. Even worse, they didn’t know they were incapable of performing all their chores all the time without fail even once.
That was where the Law came in. Read the two Bible verses quoted at the start of this study. Do you see how the Lord laid a task on the Israelites, telling them that if they perfectly performed all their chores, then He would give them the rectangular box wrapped in decorative paper with a bow on top? Er, I mean He promised to give them the Promised Land as their own country, where they could represent Him to the world as His family.
Oops! We are out of time today. We will continue this subject on the morrow. For today enjoy some time alone with Jesus for a spell.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
July 1, 2014
What’s a “Mahanaim” - Part 2
“Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel [Numbers 14:9-10].
Incredible. Utterly incredible. Ten spies and all Israel witnessed the Lord bring the mighty Pharaoh to his knees. Egypt was the world power of the day, and the Canaanites cowered before Pharaoh. If the Lord made mincemeat of Pharaoh, how could the Israelites believe He was impotent against the Canaanites?! Sin makes us crazy, dear friends. Sin makes us wicked crazy.
The two faithful spies were Joshua bin Nun and Caleb ben Jephunneh. In the Bible verses quoted to kickoff this study, the words in quotation marks were spoken by them. Those words were their ticket into the Promised Land.
Standing opposite those two were the other ten spies, with all the Israelites on their side. Let me tell you, those guys were schoolyard bullies! As reported in the Bible verse, all the Israelites wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb. We might be inclined to ask them why.
I mean, they saw with their own eyes how the Lord put the lumber to the side of Pharaoh’s head and set him straight. It didn’t even require faith to trust the Lord for victory. Eyesight sufficed in their case! But no, they preferred to disobey the Word of God because there wasn’t a soupçon of true spirituality in them.
The Israelites looked at the enemy, then they gazed at themselves, and they drew their conclusions based upon what they saw at the time. This is known in Scripture as walking by sight. Trouble is, without faith it is impossible to please God. They needed to walk by faith in the Word of God. That is how we depend on God to solve the problem.
So there were Joshua and Caleb on one side, and over against them were the other 3½ million Israelites. Joshua and Caleb exhorted them to obey the Word of God. The 3½ million folks threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb to death. But the Lord…
Ah, throughout history those words have spelled the conclusion to the matter. They did so in Egypt. They did so at the Red Sea. They did so at Mount Sinai. And guess what? They did so at Kadesh-barnea too.
The Lord appeared in the tent of meeting as the Shekinah glory, and the matter was resolved pronto. The adult Israelites would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land and receive it as their inheritance because they hadn’t faith in the Word of God. Instead, they would walk the desert sands for another thirty-eight years, until the entire lot of them had died.
After they died, their grown children would be permitted the pleasure of entering the land, conquering it, and receiving it as their inheritance. Joshua and Caleb were the only adult Israelites at Kadesh-barnea who would enter with the younger generation thirty-eight years thence.
The picture painted by the two Bible verses we quoted is an exact replica of all human history. The world stage is composed of two camps:
1. the Lord
2. mankind
Mankind is made up of two camps (aka Mahanaim):
1. those with faith in the Word of God
2. those without faith in the Word of God
It has always been this way, it is this way now, and it will be this way until Jesus comes again and sets all things right. Every human being is permitted to choose whom he will serve. We can choose to believe the Word of God and act accordingly, or we can choose to believe self and act in kind.
So which camp are you in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Incredible. Utterly incredible. Ten spies and all Israel witnessed the Lord bring the mighty Pharaoh to his knees. Egypt was the world power of the day, and the Canaanites cowered before Pharaoh. If the Lord made mincemeat of Pharaoh, how could the Israelites believe He was impotent against the Canaanites?! Sin makes us crazy, dear friends. Sin makes us wicked crazy.
The two faithful spies were Joshua bin Nun and Caleb ben Jephunneh. In the Bible verses quoted to kickoff this study, the words in quotation marks were spoken by them. Those words were their ticket into the Promised Land.
Standing opposite those two were the other ten spies, with all the Israelites on their side. Let me tell you, those guys were schoolyard bullies! As reported in the Bible verse, all the Israelites wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb. We might be inclined to ask them why.
I mean, they saw with their own eyes how the Lord put the lumber to the side of Pharaoh’s head and set him straight. It didn’t even require faith to trust the Lord for victory. Eyesight sufficed in their case! But no, they preferred to disobey the Word of God because there wasn’t a soupçon of true spirituality in them.
The Israelites looked at the enemy, then they gazed at themselves, and they drew their conclusions based upon what they saw at the time. This is known in Scripture as walking by sight. Trouble is, without faith it is impossible to please God. They needed to walk by faith in the Word of God. That is how we depend on God to solve the problem.
So there were Joshua and Caleb on one side, and over against them were the other 3½ million Israelites. Joshua and Caleb exhorted them to obey the Word of God. The 3½ million folks threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb to death. But the Lord…
Ah, throughout history those words have spelled the conclusion to the matter. They did so in Egypt. They did so at the Red Sea. They did so at Mount Sinai. And guess what? They did so at Kadesh-barnea too.
The Lord appeared in the tent of meeting as the Shekinah glory, and the matter was resolved pronto. The adult Israelites would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land and receive it as their inheritance because they hadn’t faith in the Word of God. Instead, they would walk the desert sands for another thirty-eight years, until the entire lot of them had died.
After they died, their grown children would be permitted the pleasure of entering the land, conquering it, and receiving it as their inheritance. Joshua and Caleb were the only adult Israelites at Kadesh-barnea who would enter with the younger generation thirty-eight years thence.
The picture painted by the two Bible verses we quoted is an exact replica of all human history. The world stage is composed of two camps:
1. the Lord
2. mankind
Mankind is made up of two camps (aka Mahanaim):
1. those with faith in the Word of God
2. those without faith in the Word of God
It has always been this way, it is this way now, and it will be this way until Jesus comes again and sets all things right. Every human being is permitted to choose whom he will serve. We can choose to believe the Word of God and act accordingly, or we can choose to believe self and act in kind.
So which camp are you in?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
