Reward for Faith

“The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.” (Ru 2:12 AV)

God does not take lightly our steps of faith!  What Ruth did was far and beyond what most of us would do.  She was a Moabite.  Yet, she married into a Jewish family.  While in her own land, her Jewish husband dies.  Her mother-in-law offers her an out to return to her father’s house.  An out that her sister took.  Not Ruth.  Ruth decides to return with her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi, to help her in life.  There were no guarantees.  She was among a different people.  Yet this amazing woman took care of her Jewish widowed mother-in-law.  She worked the fields to feed them both.  What Ruth did was choose to trust a God she barely knew for the sake of caring for someone in desperate need.

Boaz’ words here are precious.  They reflect the heart of our God would values faith above all else.  It is the foundation of our relationship.  To trust the LORD is the ultimate compliment.  To say that He is able to do above all that we ask or think is something that we will never completely understand.  For the LORD to see Ruth make the choices she did with faith and integrity is something He must bless beyond her wildest imagination.

What is equally special is the way in which Boaz noticed.  It would be hard not to.  In fact, the whole village was well aware of Ruth’s sacrifice, purity, faith, and integrity.  Something which is hard to ignore.  But here is the point.  We have a lot of requests for assistance.  People who are in financial need.  What sets apart some and makes it easier to help is when we see those who are willing to trust the LORD and do all they can do.  The application is simple.  We expect the LORD to answer all our prayers for no other reason than we have a need.  But the LORD appreciates those who are willing to show their faith by their actions.

Shocking!

“And when the men of Israel turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed: for they saw that evil was come upon them.” (Jud 20:41 AV)

One has to ask why the tribe of Benjamin was amazed they were losing the battle!  They were outnumbered.  The rest of the nation had learned from their mistakes and made adjustments.  Surely, given time and opportunity, the nation would eventually succeed against a wicked tribe in Benjamin.  Why would they be amazed?  Furthermore, why would they be amazed at the evil?  After all, it was the men of Gibeah who had abused the concubine of a priest to the point of death.  When asked by the rest of the nation to bring justice on the city, Benjamin decided to side with family rather than side with the LORD.  So, what were they thinking?  Did they really expect continued success in deep rebellion?  What did they think was going to happen?

I have this heart throb of a granddaughter!  She is the only granddaughter and had Papa wrapped securely around her finger.  She knows it, too.  However, for the longest time she knew where her limits were as she pressed our relationship.  She probed how far she could get away with something before Papa might swat her.  She was going along fine, listening and obeying, even with a slight delay.  Then it happened.  One morning, Papa gave her an instruction.  She looked at me sideways and began to deliberately disobey.  The act of disobedience was not complete, so I warned her.  She was probing again.  I could tell she got to the point that she had decided to ignore the command had disobey, so I gave her a little swat on the bottom.  It wasn’t enough to cause any discomfort, but the look of shock on her face was priceless.  She could not believe Papa would actually punish her!

This is what rebellion does.  It gives the perception of self-determination without consequence.  Don’t be fooled.  We are foolish to think the LORD would allow us to continue in disobedience without consequences.  They will come.  Count on it.  The longer God permits us to continue in our disobedience with the perception of measured success, the more amazed we will be when the hammer comes down!

With a Plan Comes a Future

“But his wife said unto him, If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.” (Jud 13:23 AV)

Sometimes our obituary is written way too early! Samson’s father assumed that because they had seen God, or more correctly an angel of God, they would soon perish.  His wife, being the more logical one points out the obvious.  Why show them future plans if God was going to kill them?  Why accept an offering at their hands if they were going to drop dead?  The greatest promise of life is a plan for it.  Samson’s mom is not worried.  They have a plan and the LORD is in that plan.  As Mark Twain said, “reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”

 I have seen many folks think their lives were over.  For various reasons.  Some believe they are under the judgment of God and will never amount to anything useful.  Others who are racked with disease believe there is nothing left of life and waste away in the privacy of their own trial.  Still others see diminished ability and see that as an indication that purpose of life is no longer important.  Still others see a dead end in their present purpose of life and assume it is time to simply keep the ground one has gained and run out the clock.  Whatever reason for thinking one’s life and purpose are over are false.  As long as the LORD had planned for tomorrow, there is a reason to continue.

One of my heroes of life went on the be with the LORD just last year.  She was a widow for decades and passed just before her 100^th birthday.  This lady was faithful to all services.  She never missed one.  She had to walk to church with a cane.  She volunteered to work in our AWANA program and the store keeper.  Always in Sunday school.  Always in church.  Always serving with every ounce of strength she had until the day God called her home.  What kept her going?  She had a deep sense of purpose.  A plan for the next day.  There was something the LORD wanted her to accomplish every moment of every day.  Our lives are not over until God says they are!  So, find God’s plan and pursue it!

The Futile Cry

“Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” (Jud 10:13-16 AV)

The futile cry comes when we hang on to what got us in the mess to begin with, yet expect the LORD to get us out of the mess.  This is what the children of Israel are doing here.  They are in another situation of persecution.  Yet, they are hanging on to the idols of their captors.  How foolish to ask the LORD for release when they will not let go of the very thing that got them there.

There really are three things the people did to garner the mercy of the LORD.  First, they accepted whatever the LORD would choose to, or not to, do.  Whatever seemed good for the LORD to do with the exclusion of rescuing them.  Which means, if the LORD chose to add to their affliction is some other way, they were good with that.  Second, the put away the wickedness which got them there in the first place.  Third, they served God even in the midst of their self-inflicted trouble.  This cry was productive because they fixed what they could in the mean time!

Several years back, there was this fella we knew who needed help.  He was at the end of his rope.  He was a habitual drunk.  The LORD allowed me to lead him to a saving knowledge of Christ, but he struggled with the booze for the remainder of his life.  I spent several visits at his place trying to help him out of one fix after another.  He was getting a handle on it, but that we always that one little bottle stuck away somewhere.  There was always a relative who would slip him a twenty for food, but he would turn around and buy a pint.  God could not help him until he did all three.  He was willing to do the first – accept consequences.  He was willing to do the third – come to church.  It was the second he could not do.  His cries went unheeded and he died from a horrible cancer.

Futile cries are the worst.  The LORD sees our pain but can do nothing about it because we want to hang on to that which is causing it.  A futile cry is a sad cry.  A futile cry can become a productive cry if we are willing to take action before the answer comes.

God Moves When We Cry

“And when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.” (Jud 3:9 AV)

 “But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.” (Jud 3:15 AV)

There are times when someone like a child needs help because he is stuck and you immediately assist the troubled child.  There are other times when you let him sit in the mess he is made until he is so sick of it he cries out for help.  The LORD often allows us to suffer in the consequences of our own choices so that we learn no to do that again.  Such is the case above.  God did not help until they got sick of their situation and were willing to take full blame for their predicament.

The alarming thing is the first time they cried, it was after seven years.  The next generation let their troubles go for eighteen years.  The third generation let it go for twenty.  The last time the phrase is used, it was eighteen years of hardship before they cried unto the LORD.  It seems as though it often takes on average, half a generation for that generation to learn that God is in control!  But I digress.

We had this toy activity table for the grandkids to play with.  My grandson, being a boy, discovered new and interesting ways to play with this small furniture for which it was not designed.  We warned him not to turn it over and climb in and out of it because he could get trapped.  Low and behold, guess what happened.  The first time we released him rather quickly when it was evident he was becoming frustrated.  Warning him not to do that again, we set him free.  Thinking he had it all figured out, over went the table for round two.  Again, the yelps of frustration arose, but we let him stay in it for a bit longer.  Once again, trapped a third time, we watched him carefully so that he would not cause harm, but let him stay there until he had worked up a holler!  He had a come apart.  This time, we let him cry unto the Pawpaw.

What we often learn the hard way is that God often does not move until we do.  The father did not chase down the prodigal.  The prodigal had to come to the end of himself before the father moved.  The question is, how big of a mess are we going to get into until we learn that God is in control?

Different Lessons for Different Generations

“And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.” (Jud 2:10 AV)

One wonders how that could be.  The generation that passed away saw what happened with their parents and grandparents because they followed not the LORD.  That generation passed away in the wilderness.  That generation forsook the LORD and rebelled time and again while wondering.  Their children saw this and when opportunity arose, trusted the LORD and entered Canaan.  Now, it is their children.  This generation rose and never knew the LORD, nor did they know what the LORD had done for Israel.

One might think the former generation failed their children because the Bible says they knew not the LORD nor what He had done.  However, with the celebration of the Passover, the establishment of the sacrificial system of worship, and the memorials established by Joshua, surely there was enough information to know who the LORD was and what the LORD had done.  The problem wasn’t knowing for a fact.  The problem was knowing by experience.  That is what the word ‘…knew…’ means here.  It means to perceive something.  It must dawn on the mind that it is not mere fact, but reality experienced by other senses.  In other words, even with all the information which the present generation was exposed to, they did not experience the relationship with the LORD that their parents did.  Which brings us to our point.

Each generation comes to an experiential realization of the truth.  My wife is a fifth generation Christian.  I am a first.  My sons are sixth generation.  We all process our relationship with the LORD slightly differently.  For me, everything is a wonder.  I never saw the LORD work as He does.  Others who grew up around it, see the miracles I see as the norm.  Truth doesn’t change. But the way we internalize it does.  Mathematical systems can be processed different ways but the results are always the same.  So, too, is our separate walks with God.  My children will not come into an intimate knowledge of the LORD is the exact manner in which I did and do.  The generation above had to learn who the LORD was by experiencing hardship for disobedience.  They had to learn it over and over.  Their parents learned it by watching their parents suffer for disobedience and decided it wasn’t worth it.  The bottom line is this.  No matter what generation one lives in, God is not beyond reaching that generation.  It will simply have to be slightly different way.

The Atlar of Ed

“Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice: But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.” (Jos 22:26-27 AV)

Another altar which comes to mind is the one Jacob and Laban built in Mizpah.  It was not an altar upon which sacrifices were made.  It was an altar of witness.  Another such altar or monument was the one Joshua built upon which the names of the tribes and the law was etched.  Not his altar upon which the one-time sacrifice of offered.  The memorial pillars erected soon after crossing Jordan were intended to be a reminder to the nation of their origins and purpose.  This altar, Ed, was built as a witness between the two and a half tribes and the rest of the nation not to forget one another.  This witness, Ed, was a monument to unity because the natural division of a river might cause the nation to forget they are one.

There are natural divisions between the people of God.  Conflicting schedules, difference in interests, even family identities can all work to keep us separated and distant.  These are not wrong.  They are just natural.  Unless there is an effort to remind the local church that we are one body, it is easy to ignore those who have needs outside of our own little group of natural divisions.  Pastoring a small country church, the body seems to organize itself around families.  Again, this is only natural.  There is nothing wrong with being acclimated towards one’s family.  The problem with failing to keep a balance is those who do not have family in the church in which they are attending can feel left out and not a real part of the greater whole.  This was the concern of the two and a half tribes.  They were in the minority and were afraid that after a time, Jordan would give cause for the majority to forge the minority. 

Yet, there is another application here.  It was the minority that reminded the majority.  Therefore, if one finds himself or herself that you are in the minority, it is for you to make that effort.  The majority will naturally neglect it.  If we are in the majority, we are to recognize that effort and appreciate it, responding in kind to never forget the minority!  Small family-oriented churches sometimes stay small because families are close knit and often forget those small minorities that have no family in the church.  Let us all build an altar of Ed that we not forget one another!

Geriatrics for the Soul

“As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.” (Jos 14:11 AV)

What an amazing man!  I think this is more than just physical strength.  I think Caleb’s strength is also spiritual and emotional!  The question is, how did he keep himself in peak condition?  What did he do to keep himself healthy?  I’m not so interested in the physical strength as I am the spiritual and emotional.  The body will eventually fail.  No doubt, Caleb probably lost a step or two.  He is 85 when he said this and would life a few more decades.  But even in middle age, one can lose a step or two.  I am sure that he couldn’t keep up with the 30 years old’s.  Probably worked smarter than harder.  You find a way to adjust and accomplish the same.  So, it is the emotional and spiritual that I am interested in.

Caleb would have experienced everything the nation experienced.  When he went into Canaan and conquered the mountain, he had no contemporaries with him.  Joshua and Caleb were the only two their age.  They had buried all their family and friends.  They were it.  When they had a class reunion, it was just the two of them.  So, how did he keep his spirits as the day he followed Moses 40 years ago?  The congregation he would lead would be a completely different one that the one he came of from Egypt with.  He may have outlived his own children.  How did he stay encouraged?  As I age, I find myself losing a step or two both physically and emotionally.  Spiritually, the older I get the better it is!   Praise the LORD.  But having to minister to folks through their toughest times and bury on the average of 1-2 people a year, it takes and emotional toll on one’s heart.  Every time we lay a loved one to rest, it takes just that much more out of our spirit.

I think it might be a matter of the will.  Calen knew what God called him to do.  He willed his body and mind to walk in obedience and God recharged the heart.  We can choose to give up, or we can choose to continue.  We can choose to merely survive, or we can choose to advance.  Whether we feel like it at the moment is inconsequential.  We submit to the will of God and He will strengthen our hearts.  Caleb never lost the vision God gave him 40 years ago.  It was still there and it was still fresh!  That is where we need to be!

Neglect of the Holy Ground

“And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.” (Jos 5:15 AV)

The place here is unspecified.  It is somewhere outside of the city of Jericho.  We don’t know exactly the conversation that transpired here.  Other than the instruction above, there is little more that is known of this event.  This it the event wherein the leader Joshua was introduced to the captain of the LORD’s army.  Many concur this Captain of the LORD’s host to be none other than the LORD Jesus Christ.  The point being simple:  wherever we encounter the LORD Jesus Christ should be considered holy ground.

I know that it has been written before, but it bears repeating.  We have lost the sacredness of certain places and activities associated with the LORD.  A church is now a multifunctional building.  Prayer is offered without bowing the knee.  Bibles are treated as text books used once or twice a week.  Church is seen as nothing more than a mere appointment like all others.  The sanctity of that which surrounds the LORD is lost.  There used to be a time when this wasn’t so.

There used to be a time we came to church in our Sunday best because it was the LORD’s house and He deserved that respect.  There was a time when we didn’t run in the house of God.  There was a time when we held family altars or at the very least, prayed together.  There were times when our prayer life wasn’t so common that we forget who it was to whom we were praying.  There was a time when men would come to the altar and pray for the service, the preacher, and for souls to be saved.  There was a time when preachers had daily devotions and journaled.  There were times when we hung bible verses in our homes.  There is little to no consecration over what we do as Christians.  And we wonder why the world sees no difference.

GOD

“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (De 32:4 AV)

Pretty much sums it up!  Those verses which succinctly sum up the God whom we love and worship are beautiful to me.  Only the LORD could describe Himself in perfect terms.  This is one of them.

There was a teacher in our Bible Institute that was know for being difficult.  He would do things that would challenge us.  Which we needed.  But then there were things he did that went beyond this.  One of the classes he taught was theology proper.  Theology proper is the study of God.  The Godhead.  Nothing but God.  It was an entire semester of the attributes and sovereignty of God.  Nothing but God.  Theology was the study of everything else.  Salvation, mankind, the church, things to come; that sort of thing.  Theology proper was that class where one tried to determine the nature of our triune God.  How God could be three persons yet one.  Or, whether God is in or out of time.  Things that can keep on up at night.  Anyway, I was not fortunate (or should I say unfortunate) enough to have him as my teacher for theology proper.  And I was overjoyed!  The reason being was the scuttle butt on what his final exam turned out to be.  It was two pages.  The first was instructions.  The student was allowed a Bible and concordance.  They were not allowed to look at the second page until the teacher said ‘go’.  To do so was an automatic zero.  When the teacher said ‘begin’, the flipped the page over an saw only one question. “Define God”.  Ouch!  They had two hours to define and undefinable God.  I always hoped I would never pull that teacher for theology proper.  And praise the LORD, He saved me from it.

Yet, this professor’s question, and the struggle which I am sure each student faced, only goes to prove a point.  Only God can adequately define Himself.  And, this He does in our verse this morning.  God is perfection!  In all aspects, there is no imperfection.  There are no words that can be added.  No commentary that can further explain!  God is Deut 32:4!  That is who and what He is!

You Cannot Outrun God

“Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:” (De 28:45 AV)

There is no escaping the hand of God.  What the Spirit spoke of this morning was the idea the hand of God will pursue.  It doesn’t matter if we try to out run the hand of God.  He will find us and will continue to correct, no matter how hard we run.  He will pursue!

If we learn anything from Jonah’s life is that we cannot outrun God.  He had a great position where he was called.  Called to preach the word of God under the government of Jeroboam II, he enjoyed relatively peaceful ministry.  Jeroboam II was a secular king.  He was neither supportive of, nor adverse against, the prophets of God.  He was more concerned with the financial prosperity of the kingdom that he was the spiritual condition of his people.  This lent to rather easy ministry for the men of God.  They had an average ministry.  They suffered neither persecution, not overwhelming prosperity.  That is a wonderful place to be.  No trouble from the rebellious, but not trouble from success.  The perfect scenario.  Then God came along and called Jonah to Nineveh.  The capital city of the Assyrians.  Those who constantly raided, robbed, and abused the eastern flank of the kingdom.  There was a natural bias in the heart of Jonah.  He wanted all those Ninevites dead!  Now, the LORD is sending him to preach to them.  So, he did what only would seem natural to do.  He ran.  The LORD pursued him.  God met Jonah on a boat.  He stirred the seas to the point of terror.  Jonah hid in the hold.  God prepared a fish.  Jonah jumped into the sea thinking he cold drown, but was swallowed whole by the fish.  Finally, Jonah was free from God.  Yet, God pursued him to the belly of the whale.  The whale spat him on the ground.  God met him on the shore.  Jonah preached, yet desired their destruction.  They repented and God’s hand met Jonah in the heat of the day.  Every time Jonah thought he had escaped the hand of God, God was there!

We cannot outrun the hand of God.  He will find us.  It is better to repent and submit to the hand of God than to try to outrun Him.  It simply will not work!

Keep The Line Taut

“When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.” (De 23:21 AV)

This means immediately!  If there is a vow unto the LORD, it is to be paid immediately after the vow!  No delay!  No putting it off.  Not second guessing.  In fact, the verse that follows this one states it is not a sin to refrain from a vow. Only a sin to make a vow and not perform that vow.

This is a good principle to remember on those tough days of ministry.  Days when we wish we could be doing something else.  Days that we wish we had never surrendered.  Days when we wish we had stayed in the factor, making disposable plates!  It is those days when the vow becomes less a drive and more an obligation.  But it is in those days that we must remember we made a vow and we cannot renege.

But there is a stronger application here as well.  The word ‘…slack…’ indicated the vow is still in place.  Circumstances have made it less important.  Like a line tied to a boat that is moving upon the water, there are times the rope is taut, and other times it is slack.  The ups and downs of the environment make the rope slack or taut.  Slack means loose, yet secure.  Taut means tight and close by; always secure.  In other words, if there is a vow, there should be just at much unction regardless of circumstances or need.  In prosperous times or in times of stress, the vow should not change.  Dedication to the vow should never be more or less.  In times of prosperity and calmness, dedication to the vow may slacken.  In times of duress when the sheep need their shepherd the most, then the line is taut again.  This cannot be.  It shouldn’t be.  Keep the rope taut at all time!

Not By Intimidation

“And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” (De 18:17-18 AV)

One of the many reasons Jesus Christ came as a man was mankind can not endure the glory of God the Father.  Let me explain.  The context of verse 17 is comparing Israel’s reaction to the voice of God on Mount Horeb with the necessity of God coming in human form.  When God desired to give the law engraved on the tablets of stone, He initially invited the entire nation to ascend Mount Horeb.  However, seeing the mountain on fire and hearing the voice of God, they were terrified and declined the offer.  Moses and Joshua ascended on their behalf.  The same principle here applies.  The people have well spoken in that if they were exposed to the full glory of God, they could not endure it.  Therefore, the LORD sent His Son in the form of a man so that mankind could approach a holy God!

We often see the LORD Jesus Christ as merely the sacrifice offered for our sins.  Yet, He is much more than that.  He is our eldest brother.  He is our friend.  He knows what it is like to feel pain, be hungry or thirsty, and to deal with the loss of someone close.  He did all this so that we would not be overly intimidated by a holy God!

When one stops to think upon this, it is a wonder.  Like a huge adult meeting a strange child for the first time, we can be very intimidating.  We can over power those whom we wish to help.  Getting down to their level is the only way to open a door of ministry.  The LORD could have simply said, “To bad!  Deal with my glory and submit!”  But the LORD is not interested in submission and faith by intimidation.  He is interested in faith and submission by a wholly surrendered will.  Christ came because God did not wish to intimidate man into submission.  The person of Jesus Christ is the personification of grace, patience, and love!

Remember the Poor

“For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” (De 15:11 AV)

There is a down side to the government taking care of all those in need.  The people that make up the government tend to lose their compassion for the less fortunate.  We pass it off as the government’s responsibility.  Food stamps, the WIC program, disability, etc.  All are for the needs of those who cannot do for themselves.  In the Old Testament, each individual with means was to help another with means.  The farmer was to allow the corners of his fields to lay unharvested so the poor of the land could gather so food.  There were designated poor boxes at the temple where people could contribute to the needs of the poor.  The nations saw it as their responsibility to help those who needed it.  But each individual was the means to provide that charity.  In the New Testament, the church is instructed to help widows indeed.  They are to see to their needs.  They did not leave it up to the government to help those who were in the family of God.

We have this fella in our church whom I admire for this very thing.  He is always looking for opportunity to help anyone in dire need.  If he sees a transient on the side of the road in need of a lift, or with a sign that reads, “Need food”, he will roll down his window and give him a few dollars.  Recently, he helped a missionary buy a new tire for his car.  This is the kind of heart we should all have.  Not that we should give every beggar on the side of the road the means to continue his or her drug habit.  But there are those individuals or families that are trying as hard as they can, or who are victims of abuse, or are truly physically disabled who could use some charity.

If we do not care for the need which we can easily see, one wonders if we can care for the real need we have a hard time seeing.  If we ignore a hungry man begging for bread, how easy is it to ignore a lost man who needs Christ?  If we turn our eyes away from that family whose father works several jobs but still cannot keep the lights on, how easy is it to be blind to another’s need of salvation?  How we treat those who are in genuine need speaks a lot to our heart for the spiritual needs of those around us!

Blessed Hills and Valleys

“For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs: But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.” (De 11:10-12 AV)

The Lord took the nation of Israel from a land which was always well watered and fertile to a land with hills and valleys.  The Nile delta is rather flat and because it is, there as a constant source of water that kept the area fertile.  Water came from deep inside the African continent and empties into the Mediterranean Sea in the nation of Egypt.  As long as there was rain somewhere on the central or eastern portion of Africa, then Egypt had nothing to worry about.  Now, the LORD takes them to a land with hills and valleys.  This land drinks the water.  The land soaks up the water.  This land runs the water off.  Not as fertile as the Egyptian Nile Delta, this land would depend upon timely rainfall far more urgently.  Why?  Why not give the people of God a land that would take minimal work and faith to farm?  Therein is the reason.  It would take minimal work and faith!

We may not like the hills and valleys of life.  We may wish we had it better than we do and not have to worry about a thing.  We may wish our lives were nothing but prosperity each and every day.  But these hills and valleys are meant for our good.  In the passage above, God cares for the land.  He will send the rain as needed.  This provision would, in part, depend on Israel’s obedience and faith.  The experience they share is designed to motivate to obedience and faith.  Let me illustrate.  I often wonder what it would be like to win the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes.  It is not a lottery and takes no expense on my part.  I wonder what it would be like or how it would change my life if I won 2.5 Million dollars and $5,000 a week for life.  (that’s $260,000 a year).  I may go on a real vacation.  I may take a year’s furlough.  Who knows.  But one thing I know.  I wouldn’t have to trust the LORD for my supper table ever again.  I wouldn’t have to trust the LORD for any material need.  That may not be a good thing.  That’s not stopping me from trying!!!  But, it may not be a good thing.

The point is, life is purposely imperfect.  God gave us an inheritance of hills and valleys so that life would not be easy.  We would have to trust the LORD and walk according to His word.  As David writes in Psalm 119:71 “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.”

Our Faithful God

“Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” (De 7:9 AV)

A generation can be 40, 70, or 100 years depending on the passage of scripture.  Seventy, being the mean length of a generation makes this promise’s length 70,000 years.  That is an awfully long time.  And, it would more than span the entire history of man’s pilgrimage upon this old earth.  It would span from Adam to well beyond the millennial reign of Christ.  In short, when God makes an unconditional covenant with His people, time itself cannot undo that promise!

What struck me in particular this morning is the phrase, “…the faithful God…”.  That phrase has such beauty abounding in its words.  The faithful God.  The faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy!  Think about it.  There would be no way to keep a covenant without mercy.  After all that Israel had done and failed to do, yet the LORD will still honor those covenants He made with Abraham and David, takes tremendous mercy!  Then, think about you and I.  We have failed the LORD more times than any one other than the LORD can comprehend.  Yet, our relationship and eternal life with the Father is still secure!  That has to take an eternal amount of mercy! Why?  Because He is faithful!

The story of the prodigal son illustrates somewhat the mercy and faithfulness of God.  When that son returned, the father never ever gave any indication there would be no mercy.  What makes that parable fall slightly short is the prodigal was the prodigal only once.  We, and Israel, are repeatedly the prodigal.  Yet, there He stands, waiting for our return.  Words fail to adequately describe the faithfulness and mercy of God!  He is a truly precious God who loves us more than we could truly understand!

There Remains No Discipline in Discipleship

“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;” (De 4:9 AV)

This piece of advice is perhaps one of the most profound.  When reading this passage, one might assume the Spirit is speaking of all the plagues and Red Sea crossing.  One might think He is referring to all the miracles which they saw in the wilderness or the judgments that come as a result of disobedience.  Further reading in the chapter will reveal the LORD is referring to their experience at the foot of mount Horeb (Sinai).  The LORD specifically stated not forget the voice they heard from the mount as it was on fire.  Do not forget the ten commandments which they heard.  Do not forget there was no similitude in which they can later fashion and idol.  Do not forget the law that we given on than mountain by the very voice of God.  Do not forget the mountain was on fire, yet unconsumed, and that Moses and Joshua descended unharmed!

The LORD is not going to do everything for us.  Through Moses, He instructs the people to do two things.  Take heed to yourself and keep their soul diligently.  These things are our responsibility.  The Spirit does the work, but it is our responsibility to yield to His hand.  To take heed means to critically exam ourselves and seek to shore up our shortcomings.  Keeping our soul diligently is a discipline.  Telling ourselves no.  Keeping our passions and desires under control.  This, again, is a ministry of the Holy Spirit, but it is our responsibility to seek that help.

Disciple is in discipline!  Walking with God is a discipline.  Not just an experience.  This is where we have made a grave error in our churches today.  We have gone down the road of defining what it means to be a believer solely on the foundation of an experience.  There is little or no discipline.  Israel forget the law.  This cost them dearly.  We are too afraid of the label of legalism to have law.  Therefore, we are losing what the LORD has blessed us with.  We are losing our families to the world, the church to leisure and entertainment, and ourselves to a warped idea of Christian liberty.  Like the verse above, if we do not teach the law to our children after we have seen it, they will be the biggest losers of God’s blessings.

Cleanse the Land!

“So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.” (Nu 35:33 AV)

One has to wonder how the United States still believes God can bless her!  With innocent blood being spilled and no justice which follows, the land is polluted and the wrath of God eminent.  One might argue that our legal system satisfies the requirement of justice upon those who claim the life of another.  That would certainly be the case.  Yet, there is a group of people whose lives are ended who have no voice and whom the nation has decided it is legal to kill.  The unborn!

Arguments abound for and against abortion.  Yet they are all mute.  God is the creator of life and He is the only opinion that matters.  According to the scriptures, life begins at conception.  One might argue they do not believe the bible to be the word of God and that absolves them from accepting the truth that life begins at conception.  That individual is free to believe what he or she wishes. But, they are not free to escape the consequences of that belief.  A nation may have rejected the Bible as the final authority of truth, but that will not change God’s hand upon it.   As long as murdering the unborn and legalizing sodomy is our nation moral norm, the judgment of God is only a matter of time.

The land is polluted.  It is polluted by our own selfishness and perversion.  What is really sad is when surveyed, the majority of people would do away with abortion on demand.  Yet, these same people keep re-electing politicians who have no heart to do it.  The people know better, yet our leaders have no spine!  When it comes to sodomy, the majority of our nation accept it.  This is disturbing!  We call ourselves a Christian nation, yet we tolerate perversion and a legal right!  Amazing and disturbing at the same time.  Our land is polluted and if we do not clean it up, the LORD will do it for us!

A Last Horrah

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.” (Nu 31:1-2 AV)

What a blessing to be able to go out with a bang and not a whimper!  The LORD was not required to allow Moses one last hurrah.  He could have simply allowed him to pass in the same manner his generation passed.  Without that much of anything to do.  Simply exist and then die.  But not Moses!  He was granted one last battle.  He was asked to do one more task.  He went out on top!

I have resisted the urge to ever purchase a jersey of a famous athlete.  I was always disappointed when they signed with a new team.  But that changed two years ago.  My beloved Cubs finally won a World Series.  After a century, they finally made it all the way.  There were many stories of glory to share but my favorite is the story of David Ross.  Born is 1977, he played baseball for about 20 years.  Prior to the start of the 2016 season, Ross announced he was going to retire after the season.  Win, loose, or draw, he was done.  Some say he played one of the best years of baseball in his career.  That fall, the Cubs went to the world series.  On Ross’ third time up to bat, and what would be his last at bat as a professional, in game seven of the world series, he because the oldest player to hit a home run in a world series.  This player went out with a bang!  This hit would be the best of his entire career.  He went out the best possible way he could.  So, when my wife asked if I wanted a Cubs jersey for Christmas, I naturally choose Ross as the player to remember.  Not that I idolize the person.  Rather, the example he set at the last chance he got!  I wear it from time to time to remind me never to go out with a whimper!

Which brings us back to Moses.  Some people call it a mid-life crisis.  I prefer to call it an attempt to atone for wasted opportunity.  We look back at all those things we failed to do and wish the LORD to give us one last opportunity to do something for His sake.  Maybe there is a little ego involved.  The belief that we have to do something so that our lives mattered.  But maybe there is a little energy left to.  We don’t want to sit in a chair, rocking our lives away.  We want to do something, even if it won’t matter a whole lot.  At least we are doing something.

The Purpose of God's Dead Ends

“Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border: wherefore Israel turned away from him.” (Nu 20:21 AV)

A question arose in my mind.  If the LORD was leading them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of cloud by evening, why lead them to a dead end?  If Edom was not going to allow them passage, there was one of two ways it could go.  Either then conquer Edom and force their way through, or turn aside and go another way.  Edom was their half-brother.  Descendants from Isaac’s son Esau, they had a partial blessing from the fact they were of the seed from Abraham and Isaac.  Destroying them was not an option.  In fact, later in David’s reign, they governed Edom, but never destroyed them.  So, the only real option was to go another way.  The question remains.  If the LORD was leading them (and He was), why lead them in a direction that ended in a dead end?  What was it they learned?  Why did they need to learn it?

There were times when my father absolutely forbade me to hang with certain friends, and other times when he warned me, but allowed the relationship to continue.  He wanted me to learn that certain types of people are to be avoided.  That even though they say they are your friend, they really are not.  Keeping a watchful eye, he allowed me the liberty to learn by experience that his wisdom could be trusted.  The same is true of other choices I made.  Even though they were not in my best interest, my Dad still allowed me to make them so that I could learn by experience that it wasn’t the best of choices.  So, to, it is with the LORD.  I remember times when I tried to pursue other career choices.  In my early Christian life when there were no doors that seemed to be opened, I tried several times to go a different direction.  There was the time I felt the LORD might have called me to start a church in Toronto.  That never happened.  Then there was the time I felt the LORD might want me to go back to school and get an accredited degree.  My church payed the expenses to go out to a Midwest school only to realize I would have to start my academic career from scratch.  Then there was a time when I looked into joining the Air Force, but I was too old.  It reminds me of a mouse, running the obstacle course of a maze looking for the cheese at the end.

Why would the LORD allow a dead end?  Probably because there was something to learn that we could not learn any other way.  Israel quickly learned who their friends were and were not by wandering about for 40 years.  Just because something turns out to be a dead end doesn’t mean it wasn’t useful!  God has a plan and a dead end could be part of it.