Bury The Hatchet

“Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he [is] thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.” (De 23:7 AV)

Given the history between Israel and these two nations, that had to be difficult.  Edom is the descendant of Esau.  They abused Israel as they traveled through the wilderness.  They would not allow Israel to travel through their land while on the way to Canaan, nor would they sell water or pasture on a temporary basis.  Edom would often work with the enemies of Israel and open opportunities for those enemies to attack Israel.  Egypt, of course, enslaved Israel for 400 years.  Their bondage was cruel.  Egypt was a hard taskmaster who abused and even drove to untimely death those whom they enslaved.  The command not to abhor those who had treated them so badly had to be a tough pill to swallow.  I would certainly have a hard time with it.  How we feel doesn’t matter.  The LORD tells Israel not to detest those who have so badly abused them.

Who knew this biblical principle would appear thousands of years later?  World War Two saw the United States fighting Italy, Germany, and Japan.  When it came to cruelty, to the Americans, Japan was our worst tormentor.  For Israel, Germany obviously wins that award.  Following the great war Israel, and the United States, became allies to those nations that had tormented them so.  The United States, Germany, and Italy are in NATO.  Japan and Israel, both being western-style democracies, have an amiable relationship with the nations of NATO.  Where did we learn that?  Perhaps the example Israel set in their dealing with Edom and Egypt has something to do with it.  Perhaps nations figured out it is in their best interests to forgive and forget.  Those nations who cannot stop from hating others simply because they exist are forever embroiled in battles.  Unrest around the world is largely caused by feuds that have been going on for thousands of years.

Forgiveness is important.  Jesus tells us that if we do not forgive those who have mistreated us, then the Father is not inclined to forgive us.   If we hold on to grudges, then the LORD is not apt to walk with us in perfect communion.  The phrase ‘bury the hatchet’ comes from a custom of the Iroquois Nation of Native Americans. It was first witnessed by the English in 1644.  When the warring factions of native Americans concluded a battle or war, having determined conditions for peace, each faction would offer a war hatchet and bury them together.  It signified the war was over and terms of peace would rule.  That is a good picture of the above command.  Israel had to ‘bury the hatchet’ and live in peace with those who once abused them.  It is not easy.  But until the hatchet is buried, fighting will continue.  Much loss with no gain is the result.

The Best Qualified

“As in water face [answereth] to face, so the heart of man to man.” (Pr 27:19 AV)

There is one piece of information missing that causes confusion among our great authors.  Water acts as a mirror.  The man looks into the mirror of water to see his face.  He sees what he likes, or he fixes what he doesn’t.  More times than not, he looks at his reflection as an act of self-evaluation.  He is looking for flaws that can be corrected.  What is missing is the water, or means of reflection when the heart answers to man.  Is it another man?  Does another examine our hearts to reveal what lies within?  That is the most common understanding.  Or is it the man who reflects inward to discover the condition of his own heart?  That is the less favored understanding.  However, that is where I lean.  I believe a man examines himself in the water to discover flaws, and the same man reflects inward to discover his own heart.  The truth to be gleaned here is that the best authority outside of God regarding the condition of one’s own heart is Self.  What Solomon may be intimating is as common as examining our outward reflection in the mirror for correction, the same should be equally common in examining one’s inward health.

Every morning I get up and get myself ready.  A shower is the first thing.  I cannot function without a morning shower.  Before breakfast, before I take the dog out, before I do anything, I have to wake up in the shower.  Brushing my teeth is part of that routine.  Then I have to set my hair.  I have impossible hair.  It is finely stranded hair but a thick mat of it.  This means it likes to stand straight up and will not lay down.  After 59-years, I finally found the magic sauce.  Beard conditioner!  My shampoo and conditioner are super moisturizing blends.  But it is the beard conditioner that makes all the difference.  I prayed and fasted for this solution for decades.  And there it was, all along.  So, after I dry off, I stand in front of the mirror.  I apply two and a half squirts in the palm of my hand, rub my hands together, then apply to my hair.  I run my hands and fingers through my wet hair until all the conditioner is applied.  Then, I take beard oil on with a comb, apply that to my beard.  Without rinsing or wiping, I run the comb through my hair.  I have a part to one side and the larger hair I have to protrude a bit off my forehead.  But then it is set!  I let it air dry from there.  I do this every morning.  Unless I am deathly ill, that is my routine.  Then I sit on the edge of the bed and take my blood pressure three times.  I enter that data into my phone so my doctor can gaze.  I get dressed, take the dog out, brew coffee, and sit back to do my devotions.  But my day starts with self-examination in a mirror.  Everything has to be in order before I go downstairs to greet my wife and my dog.

This is what Solomon is trying to convey.  As natural as it is to examine oneself in the mirror, we are to examine our hearts.  As natural as it is to seek out flaws and fix them, we should seek out heart issues so that we can address them.  Although I can go to a barber and he can fix my hair, he has to learn how my hair lays.  I don’t.  I know it better than anyone.  So, too, is my heart.  I know it better than anyone.  Everyone else sees the heart I want them to see.  Only God and I know it as intimately as it can be known.  Therefore, alongside my routine to trim hair, shave, or set my hair every morning, there must be a time I reflect on the condition of my heart.  It is something I can do better for myself than relying on others to do.  As naturally as it is to examine the flaws in my physique, I should be equally disciplined to examine the flaws in my character or inner self.

Trust God As Much in Life as In Death

“For thou hast delivered my soul from death: [wilt] not [thou deliver] my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?” (Ps 56:13 AV)

Some believe David is referring to a fatal injury in battle or disease of unknown occurrence.  There is no record of any near fatal circumstances on the battlefield or the sick bed.  However, being a warrior and king, there would no doubt have been one or two.  David makes reference to the temptations afoot from his adversaries.  He is speaking not of the battlefield, but rather, life’s troubles themselves.  His conclusion to this psalm is if the LORD delivered him from serious adverse circumstances, including certain death, then He is surely capable of delivering him from the troubles at hand.

It’s those little pesky things that often give us the most worry.  It’s not serious disease, it is the potential for a serious disease that worries us.  It is not a broken down vehicle, but the potential of being without a vehicle that worries us.  We trust the LORD for the serious things, but we worry ourselves over the minor things.  We can trust the LORD for our souls, but trust the LORD for life is a different matter.  We can trust the LORD in death, but trusting Him in life seems to be a more difficult challenge.  This is the point David is making.  He trusted the LORD in the heat of the battle, but now that he has adversaries that are constantly troubling him, he seems to be faltering a bit.  Trusting God in death seems to be easier than trusting God in life.

I have seen many people pass away.  Those that are saved pass away very peacefully.  I am always amazed at the look on the face of those who have departed.  They have a presence of peace and contentment, free of trouble or fear.  If only we could live that way.  We can and will die that way.  But living that way isn’t always so easy.  Trusting the LORD with the little pests in life seems to be more than we can handle sometimes.  Trusting the LORD in the everyday troubles of life is a lifelong lesson.  Just when we have it all figured out, life throws us a curveball.  We have a whole new set of problems that creep up.  David struggles more over court meetings, judgment on his people, or meeting the temporal needs of the kingdom more than he does Goliath, the Philistines, or any other nation that might rear its ire.  David has a bigger struggle with Joab, Shemei, and Absalom than he does Edom, Moab, and Egypt.  I can identify with David.  Give me a huge battle and I am good.  However, all these minor issues that seem to pile up are the things that bother me the most.  Trust is the key.  Seeking God’s help and empowerment is the only answer we have.

Growing Strong Through Obedience

“Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, whither ye go to possess it;” (De 11:8 AV)

There is more than one reason to keep God’s commandments.  The ultimate motivation is that in obedience, we please the Creator.  Another motive which is not that far removed from the first is in obedience, we realize the purpose of our existence.  The Creator made us to walk in obedience to His law.  Thirdly, in obedience, we understand purpose and calling.  We accomplish that which we were designed for and live in accordance to the Creator’s master plan.  However, the motive stated above is more practical than those previously listed.  In obedience, we grow in strength.  Sometimes that strength is physical or emotional strength.  More times than not, the strength mentioned is spiritual.  By walking is the commandments of God, internally, we become a stronger person.  We learn humility, patience, faith, and a desire to please God more than self.  We learn maturity.  We learn more and more of God by obeying Him.  We learn why He gave His commandments and that in His commandments is abundance of life.  In short, complying to the commands of God makes us stronger people.

Strength is a funny thing.  Sometimes, the smallest of thorns can drain the body of all strength.  This winter has been a hard one.  The flu is ravaging through the population.  Even my care givers have noticed it is particularly robust.  This writer contracted the flu.  It wasn’t too bad in the sense it was mostly a fever and body aches.  Fatigue was also a factor.  However, once having come out of it, I got an ear infection.  I haven’t had one of those since I was a kid.  It feels like a sharp object is jammed into my ear.  No fever.  Coughing from the flu has all but ceased.  Yet this painful earache is taking more out of me than the flu ever did.  Swallowing is a bit of a problem.  But the worst is when the pain comes on like an icepick being thrust into my ear and down into my throat.  As things go, this problem would be considered a minor one.  Yet, I’d rather have the flu again.  This small little infection is sapping all my strength.  It is considered very minor.  The urgent care doctor, who was fantastic, wrote scripts for meds.  Yet, there was nothing to do but wait it out.  One little thorn in the flesh and I need a serious nap in the middle of the day.

When we suffer even the smallest of consequences of disobedience, it can suck the spiritual life right out of our souls.  We pray for encouragement.  But one has to wonder how much of our discouragement is caused by disobedience.  Moses tells us that obedience to the commands of God brings internal strength to face the battles we must face.  The context is conquering the land of Canaan.  The way in which they were to win the battle was to first learn obedience.  Submission to a higher commander was key to following instructions that won the war.  If we are weak of disposition, zeal, or spirit, maybe the answer is no more complicated than obedience.

It Really Is That Simple

“Know therefore this day, and consider [it] in thine heart, that the LORD he [is] God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: [there is] none else. Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong [thy] days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.” (De 4:39-40 AV)

Verse thirty-nine is often thought of and preached separate and apart from verse forty.  We look at verse thirty-nine as a proof text of God being only one God.  We correctly teach there is no other God but our God.  The singular nature of God and that fact there is none else is often a source of encouragement.  The fact there is only one God intimates security and predictability.  There are no other gods who might contradict one another.  There are no other gods who may have opposing wills.  Because there is one God means His ways are simple, singular, and discernable.  Because there is only one God, our relationship with Him is focused and personal.  We need not divide our devotion between multiple Gods.  This is a truth of great comfort.  But the context above refers to obedience.  Verse forty is clear.  Because there is one God and only one God, we are to obey His commandments.  It really is that simple.

There has been a trend of late.  I don’t know where or when it started, exactly.  But there is a trend to humanize the LORD.  The humanity of Christ is elevated above His divinity.  The Godhead is minimized for a less intimidating idea of who and what God is.  Truths like the fear of God and the wrath of God are seldom preached truths.  We want a friendlier and more relatable form of Creator who isn’t all that concerned with how we live our lives.  We have gone the way of the Gnostics who believe knowledge means spiritual maturity.  The more ‘nuggets’ we discover, the more mature we believe ourselves to be.  The definition of spiritual maturity is reduced to writing a book, hosting a video, or solving some obscure puzzle that the saints of God have been arguing for thousands of years.  God is reduced to a theological construct, no more to be feared than the textbook from which we are gleaning these concepts.  God has been neutralized.  He has been humanized.  God is no longer the Creator of all things, Owner of all things, and Controller of all things.  His creation believes it owes Him nothing, and that He is there to accommodate us.  Our prayer life is usually about what God can do for us.  Although we are encouraged to lay before Him our needs, it is not with the presumption that He owes us those needs.  We have wandered far from the true nature of our Creator and unless we return, there are hard days ahead.

The conclusion of the declaration of God’s sole existence is that His creation must obey Him.  Our walk with God is no more complicated than that.  Most of today’s preaching centers on the felt needs of the saints.  Just the other day I went by a community church who was advertising a series of messages on surviving in a difficult world.  When will we hear old-fashioned sermons on the commandments of God?  When will we get back to the laws, statutes, and principles of the Bible to which we are commanded to heed?  When will we hear honest preachers of truth warn the sinner and the saint that God is our Creator and He is not pleased when we walk in disobedience to His law?  There is no fear of God and no desire for salvation because we have abandoned the preaching that once grew our churches.  We have neglected holiness as a command of God and reduced it to a preference for better living.  When do we hear again that God will judge?  When do we fall on our face and seek forgiveness from a merciful God because we have utterly failed to live according to His word?  I fear the longer time marches on without the understanding of fearing God and obeying His commands, the closer the LORD is to conclude His plan for mankind.  God is God!  He owes you and me.  He has every right to do with that which He has created.  As it pleases Him!  Fear God and keep His commandments, because that is the whole duty of man!

Recognizing the Right Things People Do

“But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, ([for] I know that ye have much cattle,) shall abide in your cities which I have given you;” (De 3:19 AV)

When the forty years wilderness wanderings were up and the nation of Israel was preparing to enter Canaan, two and a half tribes petitioned Moses and Joshua that they might settle on the east side of Jordan.  They were primarily shepherds by trade, and the east side of Jordan was a plus valley ideal for cattle.  Initially, Moses was not happy by this request.  He reluctantly granted them their wish on the condition they would cross over Jordan and help the rest of the nation defeat their enemies.  This they did.  They left their wives, children, and cattle on the east side of Jordan while they crossed over and fought battles that would win the land for the rest of the nation.  These two and a half tribes are often criticized for their wishes.  Yet seldom are they recognized for their bravery and faith.  They left their families unprotected against eminent threat to help the rest of the nation into their rest.  That deserves some mention.

It is often assumed the two and a half tribes desired something which the LORD had not initially intended for them.  But the Bible doesn’t teach us that these tribes were divinely rebuked for their choice.  Moses was concerned that in settling their territory before all of Canaan was subdued, it would discourage the rest of the nation.  It would seem the two and a half tribes acted pragmatically while not considering what prudence meant for the rest of the people.  The fact they were willing to leave their families unprotected to help their brethren; and they had always intended to do so; their request, although pragmatic, was not inconsiderate.  The choice to settle with the river dividing them came with some difficulties.  Assumed animosity, which was not the case, crept in.  Both sides assumed the other would eventually grow contrary.  This was not the case.  They held their relationship in unity until the ten northern tribes split with Judah and Benjamin.  Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh never failed in their obligation to help their country.

We may not understand the choices of others.  They may seem practical in the face of it.  But we also can see how those choices might cause issues in the future.  What we should do is recognize people for the good they do.  Sure, we all make decisions that some may not understand.  But standing in judgment for those choices when we are unclear as to what the will of the LORD is, is not a wise nor a charitable thing.  The two and a half tribes did something the other nine and a half tribes did not.  The other tribes did not have to leave their families unprotected for the sake of the whole.  The two and a half tribes did.  They deserve admiration for their sacrifice and faith.  Perhaps they were not supposed to settle on the east side.  Maybe they were, and that was God’s plan all along.  We don’t know.  We know that was their desire and God did not forbid it.  What we can say is their character and faith that pushed them to fight alongside of their nation while their wives and children sat in cities awaiting their return deserves some honorable mention.  They stepped up.  They didn’t slack even though they could have.  They fought like everyone else, but had more on the line than the others.  This deserves admiration.

Faithfulness

“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” (Pr 20:6 AV)

What a convicting question!  What is striking is the contrast between bragging and quiet faithfulness.  Faithfulness is a trait that is hard to find.  Doing what one is supposed to do without being asked is hard to find.  Faithfulness is the gem that makes the saint shin bright.  Often not acknowledged for it, faithfulness is eventually deeply appreciated.  The quiet servant who can be counted on like an automatic appliance is a treasure beyond words.  Having delegated responsibility and never having to think about it again is the lifeblood of a leader.  Knowing there are those whom he can trust with the important aspects of the ministry without having to follow up with each and every task is the treasure of every successful man of God.  God gives us such men and women, and we could not function without them.  Faithfulness is right up there with moral character.  Finding both in the servants God surrounds the preacher with is a gift beyond words.

The hardest jobs I have ever had were those that were unsupervised.  Especially if that job entailed generating my own daily responsibilities.  Years ago, I was a glorified janitor for a small office building.  It was a seven-floor office building with marble floors.  It had two elevators.  Each floor had two restrooms.  My job was to clean the restrooms, maintain the marble floors.  Vacuum the carpet.  Clean and dust everything.  Pick up trash in the fire escapes.  Polish brass handrails every day.  Keep the grounds picked up.  And all maintenance items that came across my desk.  This would include simple HVAC troubleshooting, simply carpentry and plumbing, and assisting vendors or skilled tradesmen in more advanced repairs.  Most of the time, routine janitorial or maintenance items took up my day.  What was hard was not having a supervisor watching me.  I had to be self-motivated.  I didn’t always succeed.  Being faithful when no one is watching is not a simple task.  Laziness or lack of passion can challenge the most dedicated of workmen.  That was my challenges, anyway. 

Faithfulness is underrated.  Faithfulness is a matter of character.  To be consistent day in and day out is not that easy.  Our human nature can get directly in the way of our character.  Yet, faithfulness is a quality highly prized by those who have responsibility.  The parable of the day-laborers are often misjudged.  Those hired at the beginning of the day were paid the same as those hired at the end of the day.  Most of us would understand the criticism.  However, those who remained in the marketplace for any work that might come their way labored in faithfulness.  They stayed the latest they could.  They remained in a place of usefulness, even though no one hired them.  This faithfulness was recognized by the master.  He appreciated their willingness to do whatever they could.  In some way, it took more character to stay in the place of usefulness, even though they were being underutilized.  Faithfulness.  A prize far above most other attributes.  It is a trait leaders starve for.  We need servants who will do as they are asked without being watched and constantly encouraged.  Faithfulness!  Knowing one can hand off a responsibility and never have to worry about it again is priceless.  Faithfulness!  What a deeply appreciated character trait in those who serve God.

The Protection Is In the Plan

“Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth [his] conversation [aright] will I shew the salvation of God.” (Ps 50:23 AV)

David is writing a very important truth here.  One he forgets only one psalm later.  Psalm fifty-one is his psalm of repentance.  He fell with Bathsheba and penned the great psalm of sorrow and restoration.  Had he listened to his advice above, Psalm 51 may never have been written.  Ordering his conversation aright is another way of saying one should plan out his life to every small choice so that he is doing the right thing.  To order is proactive.  Not reactive.  To order one’s conversation means to put in place a plan.  It means to relate one choice with the one before and after it.  To order means to use reason and faith to the point a life is lived deliberately.  Salvation is promised to those who order their lives in a deliberate manner.  Salvation here is not eternal salvation.  That would mean David is teaching a works-based salvation.  Rather, the salvation promised is a temporal one.  Deliverance from consequences of bad choices comes to mind.  Rather than dwell in the latter, the LORD simply wants me to meditate on ordering my conversation.

It is funny how even when we don’t know what we are doing, the LORD has a way of providing the best way to accomplish a goal.  Just this morning, I went to the hospital to visit with one of our members who just had a baby.  This young little girl was born in the children’s hospital of one of our local hospitals.  This hospital is not a single building.  It is a complex.  Children’s is a separate building all to itself.  It is not connected to the main hospital.  This is the same complex where my wife receives all her cancer care.  I have been all around the main hospital.  But children’s is a complex institution.  I parked in the children’s parking garage. I went down three floors and walked a quarter mile to the front of the hospital.  Once inside, it was like navigating a labyrinth.  Finally getting to the patient’s room, I was a bit anxious knowing I had to navigate to get out.  Coming to her room, I had to go to Children’s main security for clearance.  Then take an elevator to a different floor.  This elevator was not right next to security.  It was through locked doors and down a hall.  Each door was locked.  I needed to press a button to get from one section to another.  I took an elevator down one floor.  More buttons.  More doors.  When I left, I learned just how foolish I had been.  The midwife gave me clear instructions.  Go right, take the first elevator down to the second floor, and follow the signs to the skywalk.  When I exited the skywalk, my car was only one hundred feet from it.  I could have used the same way to enter the hospital, but my conversation was not ordered.  I lacked information.  I didn’t see what the LORD had done for me.  Had I trusted this verse, getting to the room would not have been nearly as complicated or cold!

David failed with Bathsheba because he didn’t order his conversation aright.  Being the king, he should have been at the field of battle.  Rather, he decided to send Joab and sit this one out.  Next, when traversing his roof, knowing he could gaze down upon the rooftops of others, a privacy fence would have been a good idea.  At the very least, when seeing Bathsheba in the midst of a bath, he should have left his rooftop and put the temptation out of his mind.  Too many choices of a wicked kind led to infidelity of David with Bathsheba. Had he heeded the advice of his own hand, David would not have committed such a sin.  Thinking ahead and planning keep us from much trouble.  Having a plan from the moment we arise to the moment we slumber fills our time with God-honoring activity.  It is all in the plan.

He's Got Your Steps

“Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, [when] the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?” (Ps 49:5 AV)

I find it ironic the portion of this verse that struck me is the same my honored colleagues and writers have a question or to about.  They don’t seem to agree whose iniquity is referred to here.  Most believe the iniquity is the iniquity of supplanters trying to trip up the psalmist.  Others believe the source of the iniquity is the writer himself.   Both agree the iniquity is not active iniquity, but hypothetical iniquity.  In other words, if their iniquity is from his enemies, it is meant to trip him up.  Yet, the LORD will give the writer victory over it.  If the iniquity is his own, the point would be our journey is fraught with temptation and potential iniquity, yet the LORD can and does give us victory over it.  Either way, when confronted with the sin of others, or the potential sin of our own heart, we do not need to be a victim.  God will give us relief.

There is another key word in our writer’s words of encouragement.  That word is fear.  We fall into temptation because we lack a healthy fear for the consequences of sin.  Theirs or ours.  There should be a healthy respect for what sin can do.  There should be caution.  The picture above is a picture of someone on a journey where he has to watch every step.  Many years ago, we hiked the Niagara Gorge just below the falls.  We would start at Devils’ Hole and work our way around to just below the falls.  The point in which the Whirlpool is found is very treacherous.  Mostly shale, the hiker has to be very cautious.  He must plan out his steps.  If not, what happened to me would happen to anyone.  Rounding that bend, I wasn’t careful enough and began to slide.  My left foot came out from under me and I smashed my knee in the corner of a large rock.  It swelled up so badly, I needed the help of my friends to get out of there.  To this day, I have a point of pain in my left knee that hurts if I put too much strain on it.  All around me was loose shale.  It slid like a lava flow.  Using a hiking stick was essential.  If you started to slide, you worked the angle so the damning up of shale would eventually stop your descent.  There was peril all around.  There were more bad choices than good.  However, if you followed the leader and listened to his direction, getting through the shale was a matter of going slow and deliberate.

Life is full of temptation and persecution.  Like David said, it surrounds every step of our pilgrimage.  But we don’t have to live in defeat to it.  We may fall.  We may crack our kneecap.  We may suffer for it the rest of our lives.  But that doesn’t have to stop us.  We can continue on the trail of our pilgrimage.  We can love the LORD, serve Him with all that we are, and come out the other end a victor.  There should be a healthy respect for the damage sin can cause, but that doesn’t me we should be terrified of it.  Sin will be around as long as we traverse this earthly journey.  There is coming a day when sin will no longer be a part of our existence.  Until then, there is nothing to fear because we have overcome the world.  The enemy has been defeated at the foot of the cross!  Jesus gave His life that we might walk in obedience and faith with the Father.  Though iniquity nips at my heels, I will have no fear.  The LORD will keep me up.

Covenant of Peace

“Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace:” (Nu 25:11-12 AV)

It is very telling the covenant is one of peace.  Especially when one considers exactly it was that Eleazar did.  It didn’t seem peaceful at the time.  Israel was going through the coasts of Moab.  Balak tried to hire a gentile prophet named Balaam to curse Israel.  Rather than curse Israel, Balaam obeyed the voice of the LORD and blessed them three times.  What we find out later, however, is Balaam counseled Balak to encourage their women to intermarry with the Jewish men, thus making one nation out of two.  Balak, king of Moab, had the intention of intermarrying, resulting in him ruling both nations.  This event is often referred to the transgression of Bethpeor.  God had judged 25,000 men by death for their lack of self-control.  There was one left.  While he was in the midst of intimacy with a woman of Midian, Eleazar went into the tent and trust both of them through with a spear.  Thus, the wrath of God was pacified.  Not exactly a peaceful thing.  At least on the face of it.  But by dealing with sin, Eleazar brought the peace of God upon Israel once again.  His willingness to harshly and immediately judge sin while in the act was the act that brought peace between God and Israel.

I find it interesting how much modern Christianity fusses against the idea of a holy God.  We don’t like to retain in our minds that God loves righteousness and hates sin.  We see Him as more neutral.  Sin is bad only because it has bad consequences.  Sin is not an offense to a holy God as much as it is an inconvenience.  We see sin as something that hinders our walk with God.  What we don’t see that our sin is an abomination to a holy God.  He has feelings of repulsion as the things we do or think.  He recoils at the very acts which man pursues with abandon.  The word abomination has the meaning of making someone violently ill.  It is like a stench that works up the nostrils, resulting in an explosion from deep within.  God is not passively considering our sin.  He detests it.  He is revolted.  He takes it personally.  The sin of which Israel was guilty was lust of the flesh.  They desired the women of the world who would steal their hearts away from their God.  God is a jealous God and will not share His love with another.  When they fell away after strange women, that was a value judgement on Him.  They were more desirable than God.  This is why there was no peace.  This is why executing the sin of Bethpeor was so important.  This is why the covenant is one of peace.

We need to get back to the days of preaching hard on sin.  We need to get back to the days when what is evil is called evil.  We need to get back to the days when wickedness is called out and dealt with.  We need to be specific.  We need revival and it is not coming at the end of sermons of affirmation.  We need some hellfire and brimstone preaching once again.  We need the awful truth of our wicked heart exposed.  We need to hear once again that God has definite feelings about our sin.  We need to get right.  We need to walk in humility.  We need the Holy Spirit to once again descend in our pulpits and pews and stop the storytelling, the jokes, and the entertainment-based preaching.  Oh, that God would raise up a generation that takes God seriously.  May God raise up men who are not afraid to call filthiness exactly what it is.  May God once again bring preachers of righteousness and holiness.

The Jesus No One Talks About

“And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!” (Nu 24:23 AV)

Balaam is speaking of the latter days when the Messiah sets up His kingdom with Israel.  He is informing Balak of the coming days when Edom and Moab will come under the rule of Jesus.  He is speaking of the battle of Armageddon and the coming kingdom ruled with a rod of iron.  We don’t hear of this side of Jesus much anymore.  We only hear about the affirming Jesus.  We don’t hear about the God, Jesus, who will rule all of His creation with absolute and final law.  What we get is a steady diet of a one-sided God who loves everyone and will judge no one.  This is not the God of the Bible.  God is holy.  And because He is holy, He must rule in holiness.  God created all things and all things belong to Him.  He has the right to do with that which He has created as He pleases.  If He chooses to execute righteousness and godliness in an ungodly creation, He has every right.  And, He will.  I fear for our current generation.  They cannot deal with reality.  Our current generation is all about the individual.  There is nothing that says, God comes first, I come last.  No wonder the statement above.

Visiting with as many people as we do can get discouraging.  The people we meet, by and large, are lost.  They have never repented of their sin and chosen to trust Jesus as their Savior.  Consequently, they are on a quick trip to eternal torment.  What is even more sad is the callousness in the hearts of those who know not God.  They seem not to care one iota of eternal things.  Not one.  It does not dawn on them that one day, their body will cease and they will exist in eternity.  The Bible is precisely correct when it says they do not like to retain God in their thoughts.  This one individual was indignant.  He mocked the things of God.  Not only did he not care, but he scorned the things of God.  How foolish.  My heart breaks for the countless souls who have said, I don’t care, or no, to the wonderful grace of God.  God’s love will not cancel God’s holiness.  He sent His Son as the perfect sacrifice for our sin.  He gave everything He was and had so that He might die in our place.  To the Lost, that is not enough.  They complain at the absolute wrath of God, but fail to see the love of God in the person of Jesus Christ.

These days are coming.  Even if today’s churches don’t want to think about it.  As we expound energy seeking for and attaining the affirmation of a merciful God, we refuse to think of a God who will exact vengeance on all those who refuse Him.  As we relish in the fuzzy feelings of God’s love, we choose to ignore the King on His white horse with the two-edged sword in His hand.  We don’t want to think of Him that way.  We want to think of Him as a lowly human, walking in modest apparel and sandals, blessing everyone He meets.  We don’t want to see Him as John describes Him.  Eyes like unto flaming fire waiting to take vengeance on all those who would scorn His sacrifice.  It changes nothing.  How we choose to think of Jesus does not change who and what He is.  He is almighty God.  Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is King of kings and LORD of lords.  Whether they want to or not, they will acknowledge Jesus and LORD of all.  Even as they slip into an eternity of hell.

Proximity Means Certain Help

“God [is] our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;” (Ps 46:1-2 AV)

The proximity of God makes His help certain.  At least that is David’s premise.  There are other factors, for sure.  But for these two verses, it is the proximity of God’s presence that makes His help certain.  Circumstances seem to distract us from the nearness of God.  This is why David goes to such lengths to write this psalm.  Following the nearness of God, David expresses some very troublesome situations.  Some would say this psalm is prophetical.  Some would say it points to the tribulation period when the Earth itself will be set on edge.  There will be events of cosmic proportions.  No doubt, fear would be the prominent emotion.  Yet, with the earth shaking under one’s feet, God is near.  Even if the mountains collapse, God is near.  When the stars fall and the universe begins to collapse on itself, God is near.  When there is no food or fresh water, God is near.  When your life is turned upside down and you don’t know if you can survive one more day, the LORD is near!

The nearness of God, like all His attributes, is hard to comprehend.  It is hard to keep in the forefront of our minds and hearts.  We cannot see God.  We cannot touch God.  We cannot hear His audible voice.  All that we know and experience of God, we do so by faith.  That doesn’t make Him any less real.  Have you ever been in a pitch black room and thought you were alone?  Then, you had this sense that there was someone or something else in there with you?  You cannot explain how you know.  You just know.  When Lisa was in the hospital recovering from surgery, she was out of it most of the time.  I would walk the halls just to get some pent up anxiety worked out.  Then I would stop in her room to check on her.  I was silent coming in.  My shoes made no sound, I didn’t cough or sigh, and never said a word.  Yet somehow, she knew I entered.  She could even tell it was me as opposed to a nurse or doctor.  Without opening her eyes, she acknowledged my presence is the room.  She just knew.

God’s presence is even more real than that.  He is ever-present.  That means we never get the experience of knowing that God is not there.  Perhaps that is one reason we find it difficult to remember He is there.  He never leaves.  This we take on faith.  The word of God and evidence of creation tell us He never leaves nor forsakes.  Temporal existence cannot exist outside of a force greater than itself.  Therefore, God must exist and He must be involved in all that exists.  Otherwise, nothing would exist.  Therefore, God is ever-present.  That is the theology of it.  The Holy Spirit is the personal experience of God’s existence.  His Spirit bears witness with our Spirit.  Because He is, and He is always there, our help is ever present.  Our help, being ever-present, means we have nothing to fear.  Praise God for never leaving nor forsaking!

Perfect Fit

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of [their] fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man’s name upon his rod.” (Nu 17:2 AV)

The questions that go unanswered are intriguing.  Know that Aaron’s rod that budded would be added to the two tables of stone and manna to the inside of the ark, one wonders if the LORD led Aaron to present a rod that could accomplish just that.  If so, it would have been markedly shorter than the rod he used while performing ministry with Moses.  The rod that turned to a snake in the present of Pharaoh would most certainly be too large.  Besides, since they were to bring a unique rod, one must assume the rod Aaron was using would not fill the bill.  The rod he brought had to be a new and different rod than the one he had been using.  But the wonder for me remains.  There is no record of any change done to the rod prior to its placement into the ark.  More than likely, since the LORD made it bloom and produce almonds, no one would dare alter it in any way.  So, the point to be made here is Aaron’s rod that budded was presented in the correct size to eventually lay inside the ark without any human influence by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  We don’t know if the eleven other rods were any longer or shorter.  All we know is that Aaron’s rod was just the right size.

Now, the size of the rod is secondary, at best, to the fact the LORD made a plain rod bud.  Anyone would have seen that had to be impressed.  A plain rod producing almonds in less than 24 hours, mostly in the dark, had to be a wonder to say the least.  For a branch to bud and grow with any water is one thing.  To grow, bud, and then bring forth almonds with no water, pollination, or sunlight is mind-blowing.  So, the fact there were almonds on this rod is far more significant than the condition of the rod at the start.  Yet, one cannot help but wonder if Aaron knew the maximum size he was allowed and what his reaction might have been as he saw the selections of his competitors arrive.  Every detail of what God does matters.  Some more than others, but they all matter.  The fact God led Aaron to present a rod that would fit into the ark without any stated specifications is a miracle in and of itself.  One would assume he would bring a rod relatively the same size as the one God provided before.  In fact, it might stand to reason the second rod would be as close as one could get to the first.  Yet, it would be at least half the length.  God, Moses, and Aaron were the only three to know and believe that Aaron’s rod would bud.  The other eleven thought they had the same odds as Aaron.  Only three knew whose rod would bud and be placed inside the ark.

I guess what struck me was the lack of instructions at the selection of the rod.  I am assuming they were at least instructed to make it a rod from an almond tree.  Hence, Aaron’s rod that produced almonds.  I am also assuming this was a time of year when almond trees lay dormant.  Even in the best of circumstances, they would not produce almonds overnight.  outside of that, there are no other instructions.  No limit to length given.  No consideration to branches or shoots.  Simply, that each tribe was to bring forth a bare rod and the one that budded; producing fruit in the process; would come from the tribe which God would choose.  There is a saying I picked up that is common in the south.  “It is (was) a God thing.”  What that means is the circumstances of an event are an obvious indication that God was in it.  I love details.  The parting of the Red Sea is one thing.  But how God orchestrated the saving of the Jews during the massacre in Esther, to me anyway, is much greater.  Creating all things is six days is certainly the greatest of all divine manifestations, but finding an ass tied right where the LORD said they would and the master’s willingness to part with it is beyond comprehension.  God is the God of the major, and minor, details.  That is all I am trying to say.

Surrounded By The Word

“Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.” (Nu 15:38-40 AV)

Israel had been given the land of Canaan.  Abraham’s covenant with God guaranteed them this land.  Upon approaching Jericho and the promised land, they buckled under what seemed to them as impossible odds.  Twelve spies, one from each tribe, spied out the land.  Ten of them reported taking the land was too great a risk.  Israel believed the ten bad spies and rejected Joshua and Caleb.  They did not believe that God could defeat the giants in the land.  So, the LORD rejected that generation and doomed them to wander in the wilderness for forty years until that generation died off.  They attempted to take the land, but God was not in it.  Therefore, they failed.  Upon this hard lesson and the consequent future they had, God gave them this instruction.  They were to sew fringes on the borders of their garments.  This ribbon of blue was to be the bottom fringe of robes and sleeves and neck.  This was to remind them they were to walk, act, and think the law of God.  What a picture.  Looking at their feet, they would see their steps surrounded by the law.  When their gaze went to the hands, they would see their actions surrounded by the law.

Uniforms serve several purposes.  They identify members of a team.  Uniforms also give the team member a constant reminder of identity.  But there is another purpose they serve.  They are a constant reminder of loyalty.  That is, they constantly remind the team member for whom he or she is committed.  In our little league days, it was not uncommon for one team to be too short of players to field a team.  Sometimes, their opponent would supply players so a game could commence.  If one baseball team had seven players and the other had ten, the larger team would loan one or two of their players so a game could start.  When they did this, traded players had to wear their opponent’s uniform.  They had to wear the opponent's shirt and hat.  Why?  Because when one is out in the field, he may forget who is he playing for.  His loyalty was switched, and it was time to be committed for a new team.  Something physical changed as a reminder of a new found loyalty.

We are commanded to walk in obedience to the word of God.  Sometimes, we need a reminder.  One wonders what that might be.  Perhaps a simply addition or accessory to what we are wearing.  Perhaps bible verses posted in areas we would frequent.  Maybe there are other ways in which we could remind ourselves to walk in obedience to God’s word.  The picture of the fringe is a beautiful one.  The feet of the Hebrew were surrounded by the fringe.  Whether they went forward, backward, to the right or left; their feet would be encompassed by the fringe.  No matter what their hand was doing, they would be surrounded by the blue fringe.  Our lives should be encompassed by the commandments and standards of the word of God.  Biblical principles should surround every choice and action.  What a beautiful picture of our walk in obedience and faith towards our precious Savior, Jesus Christ.

Nothing Is Private

“And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard [it].” (Nu 12:2 AV)

I wonder if anyone has done a study to determine just how cognizant people are to the surveillance that surrounds and tracks them every day.  Even in our own church, there is barely any place where one can go without being watched with a camera.  Other than the restrooms, there isn’t much privacy.  We do this for everyone’s safety.  Threats loom everywhere.  It is needful to keep a watchful eye.  At first, our people were very well aware of them.  They even became a bit self-conscience.  Over time, however, we have forgotten their presence.  It is a wonder the events of human behavior one witnesses when no one seems to remember the cameras see everything.  Familiarity with the ‘all-seeing’ surveillance state has made us oblivious to it.  We may have had our guard up initially, but over time, we forget and normal behavior resumes.  The same is true with our all-seeing God.  He sees and hears everything.  There is no such thing as privacy with the LORD.  What is even more concerning is He can see what man cannot.  He can see the heart.  He can see our thoughts.  There isn’t anything He does not know, no matter how private we think we are being.

Aaron and Mariam, Moses’ brother and sister, were having a private discussion regarding Moses’ choice of a wife.  Moses married an Ethiopian woman.  The bible is unclear whether Moses made a mistake here, or if the LORD permitted it.  We simply do not know.  The reason we do not know is Aaron and Mariam’s reaction to it was far more important than the choice itself.  They were so disturbed by Moses’ choice to marry a non-Hebrew that they believed they could do a better job in leading Israel than Moses could.  After all, if they had a problem with his choice of a wife, surely there would be others in the camp that would agree.  They way they saw it, his choice of a wife damaged credibility needed to lead the people.  This discussion was in private.  It had yet to get into the camp.  The insurrection had yet to begin.  This conversation was in the infant stages of an upheaval.  No one else was involved.  What is concerning is that the LORD heard it!  He heard it and did something about it.  When these two people had a private conversation, they never considered that God would hear their words and understand their thoughts.  Out of sight, out of mind.  As long as the tent flaps were closed and they whispered their thoughts, who would hear?  God would!

It is our human frailty to limit God and compartmentalize Him.  We live temporally.  We live according to our five senses.  If not seen, heard, touched, etc, they it or He must not be a part of the moment.  We fail to live each second of each moment with the understanding that God is present.  He is not coming or going.  He is not here more in the moment than at other moments.  He sees all, hears all, and knows all.  Don’t you hate it when a conversation you thought was private turned out not to be so?  You get caught in something you said.  It doesn’t matter if you were working out your thoughts without coming to a definitive conclusion.  You said it and someone else heard it.  Now, you have to backtrack.  The LORD knows what we say.  He knows what we mean.  It would have been better for Aaron and Mariam to take their concerns directly to the LORD, independent of one another, to gather wisdom, humility, and direction.  It is always better to work out our opinions with the LORD first, lest He hit the record button as we work them out with people.  Beware, God hears it all!  What we think is private is never private.  Not when it comes to the LORD.