The Other Side of the Flood

Joshua 24:3 KJV
And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

The flood here spoken of is obviously not that in Noah's day because of the mention of Abraham and Isaac. The word is one that means shimmering, like the sun reflecting off a stream and developed to mean a river. Commentaries claim the river to be the Euphrates because Abraham came originally from the other side of it. I think the reference must mean the Jordan as the Jews crossed it at flood stage when God parted its waters for Joshua to bring them over and possess God's promise for them.

The type of the flood is a traumatic and dramatic one.
• There was risk
• There was thrill
• There was potential victory

And that is the case with every person who follows the Lord into the life He has for us. We view ourselves as possessing this kinship because coming to live for Christ is such a huge life event. Those who have taken those steps see them as like crossing flood waters; we made it through the help of the Lord. We see ourselves as coming from the other side of the flood and we view ourselves as pre and post crossing.

I am praying for those yet on the other side and for those who are today midstream.

It's Not That Easy

Joshua 22:17 KJV
Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,

Israel had just taken the Promised Land and the two and half tribes who took their possession short of the Promised Land had just returned to their homes, when a controversy arose concerning them. Word got back to Israel that they had constructed their own alter. Immediately a delegation was dispatched to confront this sin. Phinehas, the son of Eliezer was the spokesman and reminds the two and half tribes of the sin of Peor. He then makes the comment that Israel was, to that day, not entirely cleansed of the sin.
• They were still dealing with the consequences and
• There were still people among them predisposed to the sin of idolatry

Often people who have committed some sin will insist that they have asked God to forgive them and that should be the end of it. What they refuse to accept is that the consequences of their sin is more far reaching than that. Though they have been immediately forgiven they may never, this side of eternity, experience complete freedom from the consequences of their sin.

Failure to accept that will certainly lead to a falling if not into the old sin, perhaps a sin much worse.

Others With Them

Luke 24:1 KJV
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

Sometimes the simplest phrase can come to life with meaning.

As the women came that morning to anoint the body of Jesus this verse says they brought with them the spices they had prepared. They came prepared to meet and minister to the Lord. And it says they brought with them some others.

These two phrases should be the example of every Christian when we come to meet the Lord on His day.

Come prepared
• Come prepared to teach a class if that is your ministry
• Come prepared to spend time in prayer
• Come prepared to give your tithes and offerings
• Come with a heart that has been prepared to both serve the Lord and hear his Word.

Come with some others
As Christians
• We ought always desire to be a help and a witness to others
• We ought to always be meeting new people and building friendships and reaching out to them on a spiritual level and
• We ought always to try to bring them with us to the church house that they might come to know our Saviour.

Get it Done

Joshua 17:18 KJV
But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.

A portion of this chapter covers the conquest of Ephraim and Manasseh of the hill country on the northern end of the Promised Land. It also tells us that they were not able to defeat the people in the valleys and that they complained to Joshua about it. Apparently they wanted help in defeating that land and Joshua wouldn't budge to do it. The tribes came in to the Promised Land together and took the land as a team. But the possession of individual properties of each tribe fell on the tribe itself.

I am reminded of Galatians six where we are to both bear one another's burdens and bear our own burdens. Believers are brethren, a family and we are to help one another. But each family within the family is also a whole unto itself and there are responsibilities that each family must bear on their own. Indeed, each family is made of individuals who in turn have responsibilities that no one can bear for them; they must bear them alone.

• Perhaps we are too uncaring today.
• Perhaps there should be a stronger sense of community within even the local church.

But we would also have to recognize that a huge number of people in our day look for someone else to take care of them.

Joshua charged the sons of Joseph to get busy and take those cities of the Valley. He then charged those seven tribes who had not yet taken a land to get up and do so.

Someone needs to give us the same charge.

An Unholy Unity

Luke 23:12 KJV
And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.

I am reminded of Luke 16:13 where Jesus says of the one who tries to serve two masters, "…either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other."

Christ unites the souls of people either for Him or against Him.
People who are from all sorts of backgrounds and interests find common ground and fellowship in their devotion to Jesus Christ. On the other hand, people of such divergent backgrounds as to have been enemies also often find a commonality in their opposition to Christ.

• The people of Jerusalem, from different homes and occupations joined together in calling for crucifixion of Christ.
• At the end of the seven years Tribulation Anti Christ will have no difficulty assembling an army to stand against the King of kings and Lord of lords even as He descends from heaven.

Christ brings people together either for or against. We who claim to love the Lord then ought to be united in that love. Too many others will be united against it.

Satan

Luke 22:3 KJV
Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

Luke 22:31 KJV
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

The Bible is so matter of fact about the existence of Satan that to deny that he exists is to deny that the Word of God is true. Twice in this one chapter, and in two different contexts, the name of Satan is mentioned. I may deduce from these references that
• He is real
• He is a person, (he is more than a bad attitude)
• He is dangerous

To underestimate the working of Satan, to refuse to accept that he influences many of the evil actions of mankind, to fail to see him as desiring to sift us as wheat is to leave ourselves exposed to his threats. Jesus is praying for us and greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. But we do not lean as we need to on the Lord until we realize how desperate our circumstances are with so great an enemy.

What Happens After Death

Luke 21:16-18 KJV
And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
But there shall not an hair of your head perish.

The Jews were conditioned to hear a prophet speak of things that bare future so to hear Christ speak of future events in Jerusalem was par for their understanding of the ministry of the prophet/preacher. We are so conditioned today after hearing two thousand years of Bible preaching, to expect passages like this one.

But this passage is startling to say the least. Jesus said in practically the same breath that they would be killed and that not a hair from their head should perish.

• Was Jesus confused?
• Was He speaking out of both sides of His mouth like some politician? or
• Did Jesus say exactly what He meant to say?

I take number three. And I take it to mean that perishing is something other than and even after death. We must never forget that. The message of the Bible, though set in this world and having benefit to this world, is a message about what happens after death. It addresses the other world. People like today's Joel Osteen deceive their congregations. They lull their followers into a false sense of spiritual security by filling their minds with self help fluff while omitting the weightier and much more important topics. Honestly, given the fact that Christ Himself preached of both heaven and hell do we really want our best life now? So what if a person is able to manipulate himself into thirty or forty years of earthly wonder? (I am supposing an adult who gets hold of an Osteen type book and is successful in obtaining that best life now. Suppose that he is thirty when he succeeds in obtaining that life and lives his average seventy years.) What would those few years be worth if in all of eternal life, His life is less? Suppose there is forty years of blessing followed by eternal hell? Suppose he is saved, but His focus on his best life now means in heaven he is saved yet so as by fire? Would you really want heaven to be worse than forty years of health and prosperity? Jesus mocked those who already have their reward. No true Christian could seek such a thing.

This Side

Joshua 12:1 KJV
Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

Joshua 12:7 KJV
And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west, from Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir; which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel for a possession according to their divisions;

The perspective of the book of Joshua, as in the Bible as a whole, from inside the boundaries of Israel.
• There were those kings Moses defeated on the other side of Jordan and
• There are those Joshua defeated on this side Jordan
The Bible does not condemn the two and half tribes who chose their inheritance on the other side Jordan, but neither does it ever really focus on them again. They come just short of God's promise.

Too many people in our world are like that. They trust the Lord for salvation but they never fully embrace the life God has for them. While they are not condemned neither are they included in many of God's blessings for His people. God in effect seems to "ignore" them. It is not that He doesn't love them; it is merely that they don't account for the working of God in this world. God never gave up on those two and half tribes. Their names are recorded in the Word. But God's dealings with His people only records what happened inside the Promised Land.

If we have gotten saved, we would be better off being immersed in the life God plans for us.

Enough Already!

Luke 19:25 KJV
(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)

Jesus added to His own parable the shock expressed by onlookers that God would take from one with little and give to one with much. The point is not that God doesn't care for the least. The point is that one who is unfaithful is not rewarded.

God's intent is to teach Christians faithfulness; to so mold and make us that we are presented to Himself without spot or blemish or any such thing. What should not shock us is that God is not finished with us. It should not amaze us that God will allow Christians to be conformed by the image of this world.
• He expects growth
• He expects faithfulness
• He expects fruit

When we get to heaven we will be shocked at who does and doesn't receive rewards. We will also be shocked by the fact that those rewards will not be based on equality and fairness but upon faithfulness and fruitfulness.

The lesson then is to not settle in our faith but allow the Lord to build using our faith.

Where The Danger Lies

Luke 18:7-8 KJV
And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Barnes notes keeps this passage in context and points out that the message here is that there is more danger that men will quit praying with the same fervency as the widow of the parable than that God will not answer our prayers.

There are huge implications in the text that God will not answer our prayers and avenge our adversaries quickly. We have to settle that in our hearts; Christianity is not for the fast food mind set. We had better plan to be in this thing for the long haul. We had better expect that there will be challenges for our faith and we had better get hold of the principles of importunate prayer.

The passage also assures us absolutely that God will answer and prayers and will avenge our adversaries "speedily" when it happens it will happen suddenly and without their opportunity to prepare themselves.

But the passage also warns us that when Jesus comes and when Jesus answers, very few will be left on their knees.

And so He urges us to pray and not faint.

There Are Three Sides to Every Story

Joshua 5:14 KJV
And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

I have read that during the Civil War President Lincoln was asked if he thought God was on his side. To this question it is said that Lincoln replied, "My concern, sir, is not that God is on my side but that I am on His."

When Joshua saw the captain of the Lord has immediate question was, "Whose side are you on?" But Joshua made the mistake of only offering two sides; his and his adversary. The captain of the host of the Lord reminded Joshua that the third side to every conflict, and the only one that really matters, is the Lord's side.

It would help us in our own disputes if we would always remember that there is this third side and that His is the only side that matters eternally.

When Do I Get My Own?

Luke 16:12 KJV
And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?

I recently reviewed a series of short videos designed to introduce concepts of logic and thinking. The videos cleverly illustrated how easily our minds can be deceived. For instance the in the gamblers problem, a coin is flipped nine times. Of those nine, three of them are heads and six are tails. The mind is so quick to recognize patterns that it immediately assumes that the probability is it will be tails in the tenth toss (or else reasons that heads is due). But the fact is, even if it had been nine for nine, as long as the coin has not been tampered with the toss is always a fifty-fifty chance. There is no predictable pattern.

The point is that our minds, unless carefully trained, may deceive us. (The Bible says the same thing of our hearts.)

Now this illustrates the passage in this way; Jesus implied in this parable that no one on this earth owns anything. We are merely stewards of another man's goods. However, it is difficult for any of us to grasp hold of that. What we hold seems so really ours that the largest numbers of people alive accept it and use it as their own. It takes discipline and training and great faith to come finally to see that all that is in our hands today, including life itself, belongs to God and we will give account of its use to Him.

But then Jesus implied that those who are stewards will receive riches of their own one day. That day is of course in heaven. The natural mind cannot conceive of this thing so it takes what is not its own and uses it as if it was its own, rejecting the notion that one day it will give account and ruining its hope of true ownership in eternity. The heart that lays up its treasure there is a heart that has been purposefully trained.

What About the Ninety Nine?

Luke 15:4 KJV
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

At first glance this looks like a bad business model. What wisdom could there be in obsessing in the one that is lost to at the neglect and the risk of the ninety nine? Many a business, many a church, many a family has been completely obliterated by those who obsess on what they do not have and ignore what they do. While the shepherd is gone after the one could not a worse thing happen to the ninety nine?

The clue is found in the phrase "just persons which need no repentance." The ninety and nine then could only represent those saints who have already been glorified and are now in heaven. Only they need no repentance and they are completely secure. Christ left them in perfect peace to come to earth for those who are still lost. The picture then is of the extreme measure that Jesus took to win those who are lost. He left perfect security. He left absolute fellowship. He left what is sure to reach those whose security was unsure.

Jesus is not giving permission to be irresponsible with what He has given us in order to gain what we do not have; He is teaching us what price He paid in order to save those in peril.

Why Does The Lord Allow It?

Luke 14:10 KJV
But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

I have been thinking that perhaps the reason that the Lord allows this world to so abuse the Christian faith and to mock spiritual principles is because if He were to make his will be done on earth as it is in heaven, so to speak, sinful man would pervert it into some sort of money making scheme or means of self advancement. We would take to our sinful heart those words in Luke 14:10, "then shalt thou have worship... "and we would fight for the lowest rooms, they would have to build more lowest rooms to accommodate the numbers making their way into them. Perhaps the Lord allows this world to get away with so much evil
• To prove those who will believe without immediate reward and
• To find out those who will do right even when no one acknowledges them for doing it.

Moses Wrote This Song

Deuteronomy 31:19 KJV
Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.

Deuteronomy 31:22 KJV
Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.

One of the things a person picks up from the Bible concerning songs and music is that God's people used them for either worship or for education and not for entertainment. Moses wrote this song (recorded in chapter thirty two) and sang it the same day he was "gathered to his people"; he died. The song was not celebratory in nature, though Moses had written one that was after the soldiers of Egypt died in the Red Sea. This song was meant to rehearse what God had said to Israel.

Moses was inspired in his writing I know. But songs that entertain aren't generally written and sung the same day. The writer has motives behind his music that necessitate his care when first releasing the song. He needs music to be scored and rehearsals to be done. Why, the couple who sang America the Beautiful at the 2012 Superbowl practiced it a week before the actual performance: and that is a song they have surely known since childhood. Entertainment requires careful preparation.

No, Moses did neither write nor sing for the sake of entertainment. And I conclude from that that far too much entertainment emphasis is placed upon even spiritual music in our day. The purpose of music among the believers must be an act of worship and an expression of a spiritual truth. If it is not that, it is not Christian.

When Men Won't Say...

Deuteronomy 29:25 KJV
Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt:

Chapter twenty eight and twenty nine of Deuteronomy are weighty to say the least. There are the blessings prescribed early in chapter twenty eight but then there are the curses, most of which have already come to pass in Israel. Twenty nine ends by saying God's design is for men to see the judgment of Israel and ascribe it to God.

Today much of Israel is nationalistic, not spiritualistic. They, I am led to understand, have not only rejected Christ as Messiah but have abandoned faith in a coming Messiah.

And what can be said of America? The sentiment of the average American, and probably of the average Christian in America is that God would not dare judge anybody anywhere. How dare a preacher suggest such a thing?

Jesus implied that when He returns most will have stopped looking for Him and faith will be difficult to find on the earth. One sign of a lack of faith is a lack of the recognition of the blessings and especially the judgments of God on our world. It looks to me like the fact that men refuse to acknowledge the judgment of God is a sign that Jesus' return is not far off.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

A Place Chosen by God

Deuteronomy 26:2 KJV
That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name there.

A challenge for every Christian I know, and a point of contention for those who are not believers, is the thought that all religion is man made. It would not have been difficult for someone in leadership in Israel to survey the land and decide for himself where would be the best place for the center of their worship. This, in fact, became the situation when the woman at the well told Jesus that her fathers said they should worship in one place and the Jews said people should worship in another. Too much religion is just the design of designing men.

This is not what true faith is. Christianity is not to be our following those who seem successful and have found the most effective means to gather and lead a crowd. Christianity is to be following the leadership of the Lord and our leaders, if it is even right to call them leader (I have begun to question that more and more), are not to make plans and create ideas and call men to follow them. The ministers of God have only one real responsibility; to serve the Lord and His people in the place God chooses. That sort of Christian practice will not be any more loved by the world than the designing kind. But it is an honest faith, and it is the one God calls us to.

Choosing the Good Part

Luke 10:20 KJV
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Luke 10:42 KJV
But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Luke 9:44 KJV
Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.

In the passage that came to my attention yesterday, Luke 9:44, there is a contrast between the excitement of Christ's casting out the devil from the boy and what Jesus said should sink down deeply into our ears, namely, the gospel of Christ. In Luke 10:20 Jesus told His disciples not to rejoice that the spirits were subject to them but instead that their names were written in heaven. And then in verse 42 Jesus says the good choice was to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His word.

Life is based on choices. We make them every moment of every day. The good choices have to do with
• The Gospel
• Our salvation and then
• Learning God's Word

Never Let Down

Luke 9:44 KJV
Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.

Jesus had just healed the boy with the devil. His disciples had attempted and failed in the same, so that a greater contrast was made when Christ, without effort, rebuked the unclean spirit and it left. The people were amazed and glowing with praises toward Jesus.

But Jesus softened those praises in the ears of His disciples and told them to let those words He was about to say sink down deeply into them. He then proceeded to speak about His death.

People are very often anxious to hear stories of great miracles, hoping for something similar in their case. This world has such trouble that nearly everybody has some miracle they would like to see. The greater accomplishments a man has in his life only means the miracles he hopes for are that much greater. A man who has little could praise God for fifty dollars to buy gas to get to work; the President of our country looks for a peace treaty between nations. The point is, those are all secondary to the truth of the gospel.

Sometimes wonderful things happen and the fifty dollars is found or the treaty is signed. But sometimes all that falls through. But every time and all the time the truth of the death burial and resurrection applies.

• If we live for the other we will be often disillusioned
• If we focus on the gospel we will never be let down

Jesus Suffered Them

Luke 8:32 KJV

And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.

Barnes has an interesting observation in answer to those who object to Jesus "suffering" the devils to enter the swine and kill them. It isn't an answer that is easy, but it is one that brings forth reason for thought. He reminds us that God "suffers" evil of all kinds on this earth today.

• He suffers the conflicts that are taking place in the Middle East where right now they say the Syrian government is killing one hundred or more of their own people per day.
• He suffered Josh Powell to kill himself his own children by first hacking them with a hatchet and then blowing them up in a fiery inferno last weekend.
• He suffers unbelieving men and women into government offices where they have now legalized gay marriage; a lifestyle that is overtly anti biblical.

Why would God suffer such wickedness when He has the obvious ability to prevent it?

The answer is in the eternal plan of God for a people who are redeemed not of coercion but out of pure love for Him. I do not pretend to understand God's plan but I have just enough of a grasp of it to know that even the evil Satan inflicts (God doesn't inflict evil, but only "suffers" Satan) will be turned for good and will, in the end bring glory to God. 

True Greatness

Luke 7:28 KJV

For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

There is no doubt but that John the Baptist is a great character in the New Testament. Though his work was short lived, it introduced that which is eternal. John the Baptist, Jesus said, was the greatest of all prophets. But his ministry is much more than that, extending into the New Testament and introducing that ordinance which distinguishes the church of Jesus Christ from all others; baptism of

• A proper candidate  (saved) for
• A proper reason (obedience, profession), using
• A proper method (immersion) and under
• A proper authority (a Baptist church)
•  

Why then would Jesus say that the least in the kingdom would be greater than John? Does this mean, as many have preached, that John is not a New Testament preacher, that his message was in some way inferior? Not in the least. Consider the biblical lesson after this verse. John's baptism is the dividing line between glorifying God and rejecting God's counsel.

But what John began blossomed after his death. Like that grain of wheat that dies in the ground and then yields a hundred fold;

• After John the Baptist came the death burial and resurrection of Christ and
• After John the Baptist came the entirety of the New Testament
• After John the Baptist came not only the salvation and baptism of those in Israel but all around the world
• After John the Baptist has come two centuries of preaching that very message John preached.

True greatness inspires even greater greatness. It was his greatness that has led to greater things for Christ than he himself could have done. 

All The Days of Our Lives

Deuteronomy 17:19 KJV
And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:

The King of Israel was instructed to write out his own copy of God's law and to read from it every day. It was from the basis of that understanding of the Word of God that he was to judge the people (the context of the chapter deals with judgment - not necessarily all of it by the King, but in difficult cases, by the priest's who, obviously, were to know the Word of God.) The King was to read from that law "all the days of his life." He wasn't merely to study it and have a good understanding of it; he was to stay in it.

I have attempted to write out my own copy of the Bible. I am still working on it and I keep those parts I have finished. I can attest this is no easy task. But the real task, and one that no Christian has an excuse, is to read the Bible daily.
• Not just sometimes
• Not just until he has a decent understanding of it
• Not only in church services, but all the days of his life

What a difference it would make in the lives of people if they spent some time every day reading and thinking about and coming to understand the Bible.

He Withdrew Himself and Prayed

Luke 5:16 KJV
And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

Though the crowds of people pressed upon the Lord and Jesus did preach and teach and heal them, Christ also withdrew himself from them frequently.

The man who would minister to men has to realize that he also is a man and must be ministered to. It is an error to believe that we cannot be done without long enough to withdraw and be spiritually refreshed.

Jesus withdrew and prayed. It does not say He withdrew to pray, that would be with the intention of praying. No, He withdrew and actually prayed. The ministry we must have is the ministry of the Lord toward us and that is met in communion with Him.

Paganism Wrapped in a Christian Package

Luke 4:36 KJV
And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.

Jesus preached in the synagogues of Galilee with varied responses. But in the synagogue of His own home town the response was wrath. The people there tried to kill Him for the message He had preached.

Too much preaching today is geared to comfort and please and influence the hearers. There is a place for a "peace I leave with you" sort of sermon, but in many cases that's the only message some congregations ever hear. In the largest so-called churches in America the preachers have become famous for refusing to preach anything else. And while others preach a theological message that can be blunt, they salve their congregations with a social message that is down right promiscuous.

We need preachers who stand before their congregations without fear of the reaction. The task can be tough, but it is the only Christ honoring one. Anything else is paganism wrapped in a Christian package.

As He Promised Thee

Deuteronomy 15:6 KJV
For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.

God made a promise to Israel that if they obeyed his voice He would bless them in such a way that
• There would be no poor in the land
• They would loan money to other nations but never have to borrow money from those nations.

But then God said there would be poor in the land always and they were to open their hands wide to them. It does not appear to me that the poor were in the land as a consequence of their personal sin but as a consequence of the corporate sin of the nation. Therefore those who were wealthy and those who were poor were in the state they found themselves through no real merit or demerit of their own, but because of an overriding nature of disobedience to God. And therefore those who had much were not to see themselves as more righteous than others. They were not to think that they were in the place they were in because they worked harder or studied more or had more motivation. They were to, in no way, judge the poor but open wide their hands and help them.

We, who have been so blessed, have been conformed to believe we have because we earned it. We are conditioned to pick on the weak and make them that much weaker. That is not the Spirit of God in us and it must be resisted. We must chose instead to reach out to those who are in pain and hurting to do all that we can to be a blessing to them.

Proving

Deuteronomy 13:3 KJV
Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

When I was younger and riding bulls I went with a group of friends to a place outside of Clarkston, Washington where a stock contractor was "proving" a herd of new bucking bulls. These animals had never been out of the chute before and there was no telling what they would do. The only way to find out was to get a cowboy on them and let 'em buck.

The Bible is filled with passages that tell us God proves us. Like Peter, who so boldly claimed he would never deny Christ but ended up denying not once, but three times, and that, within the sight of the Lord, none of us know whether we will obey the Lord or not until we have been put to the test; proven. We might think that God would be more gracious to us if He protected us from such proving, but protecting the flesh never really helps anything. It is similar to our distaste for exercise. It hurts, it takes time and we would much prefer comforting the flesh than inflicting pain upon it. But experience has shown that to protect the body from the discomfort of exercise is indeed harmful, not helpful. If we love ourselves we will exercise. And like disciplining ourselves not to eat so much. Eating is necessary, enjoyable and can give a sense of comfort in difficult times. But in America, where food is in overabundance, we would be better off to deny our bodies the pleasure of food rather than giving in to it. To suffer a few hunger pains would do us a world of good. In other words, if we love our bodies, we will let them suffer.

In similar manner then, because God loves us He proves us, not because the proving is pleasant but because its product is best.

There is a Hunger Riches Cannot Fill

Luke 1:53 KJV
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.

The Bible says that both Elizabeth and Zacharias were righteous people, but they were childless. Blessings are sometimes withheld, not because of sin, but for the greater glory of God. And a greater glory was manifested when, in their elderly years, Elizabeth conceived and gave birth to John the Baptist.

In those months of pregnancy, Mary also conceived and carried within her body Jesus Christ. She went to visit Elizabeth who, among other things, proclaimed that God fills the hungry but sends the rich away empty.

There is an interesting thought. The rich would normally be thought of as having all of their needs met. They are certainly never hungry. But God fills the poor and hungry and leaves the rich to their own.

Wealth is no treasure without the blessing of the Lord.
• It may buy food for the belly
• It may provide transportation instead of walking
• It might purchase a vacation to conceal the misery of soul
But wealth can never satisfy the hunger that even the rich man feels.

That Thing We Cannot Do

Mark 16:3 KJV
And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

• The women agreed on a time to be at the tomb
• The women rose up early to be at the tomb at first light and
• The women had purchased. Spices with which to anoint Christ's body

But they had not found someone to roll away the stone. Despite all the rest of their preparations, this they could not do.

I doubt whether they would have been allowed to roll it away had they found someone who would do it for them. Pilate had put his seal on the tomb and placed guards there for the very purpose of keeping the tomb closed. But they came anyway and they came prepared to care for Christ's body.

And when they got there, that one thing that was bigger than them was already taken care of.

It's an illustration of walking by faith in Christ. While we may wonder how the Lord will do it, our concern is to concentrate on obeying the Lord and doing what we can do. We can plan, we can congregate, we can gather together those things in our reach with which to minister unto the Lord.

And we can come to where Christ is. And when we do that, the Lord will do what we cannot do.

Idols in the Homes of Saints?

Deuteronomy 7:25-26 KJV
The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.

Here is a principle that seems to be ignored amongst today. God doesn't want those things that have roots in idolatry and paganism in our homes. They are an abomination to Him.

I think part of the reason for this cavalier attitude concerning idols is traced to a misunderstanding of Paul's counsel that we know an idol is nothing in the world. That is an obvious truth. There is no god besides God. The idol has no supernatural power. It is a piece of wood or stone or precious metal and nothing more. But it is an abomination to God because it represents a person's love for some power other than God.

But the homes of Christians who are otherwise faithful and Christ honoring are often containers for those things that represent what God has clearly declared He abhors. Statues and figures of false gods adorn the shelves of Christians who simply see them as cultural art. Playing cards, whose roots trace to witchcraft or Islamic or both, and that today represent the gambling industry may be found in homes and are frequently played by Christians.

I know there's no false god in them, but they are an abomination to God and should not be in the homes of serious Christians.

Is This Shocking?

Mark 14:71 KJV
But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.

Peter's response to those who recognized him as a disciple of Christ is so well known that it would not be too difficult to pass over in our reading. But when one considers it, it seems shocking. Peter was the most outspoken of Christ's followers by far. He was one of those three inner circle disciples and he was the most adamant that he would die with Christ before he would deny Christ.

And yet here he is. With Christ just feet away in the midst of the battle for the souls of men, Peter was outside cursing to prove He had no relationship with Jesus.

Peter's failure should be a stern warning to all of us. The key to our faith isn't found in our loud and confident outbursts of belief and fellowship with the Lord. The key to our faith happens when the rug beneath our faith is pulled away. When we remain faithful
even then we have a faith that will get us through.

The good news is that though Peter failed this test, God was not through with Him. Before his life was finished Peter came to the sort of faith that preserved him through jailings and near execution. Finally tradition says he was executed for his faith and remained faithful and true.

We never know if our faith is what we believe it is until we have been tested. In testing we learn our weaknesses but we also find Christ's strengths.

Our Wisdom is Only God's Word

Deuteronomy 4:6 KJV
Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.

The wisdom of Israel was the statutes and judgments God gave them.
Of all the nations in that time none had a system of statutes and judgments similar to what God gave Israel. These laws and judgments and statutes separated them and set them apart from every other. Others would eventually follow their example and copy the system they had been given by the Lord until, in our day, many people question whether it came from Israel at all. When our country was founded those men charged with forging out our constitution referred time and again to the Old Testament law as a source of instruction and direction. America is not the second Israel, but we do have a heritage built on the Bible.

But Moses told the people to take heed that the wisdom they saw God give them became removed from their hearts. And that is what is happening in America today. The wisdom that has so impressed the world has now become despised around the world. And no wonder. Our own countrymen don't love the wisdom of the statutes and judgments of God.

We have got to turn our children back to the Bible. We have got to give them a love for God and the things of God if we are to ever see our country once again be the beacon of the world. Power built on borrowed money and technology based on foreign engineering will not sustain a nation as a super power. Only God can do that.

The Source of Our Errors

Mark 12:24 KJV
And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

The error of the passage has to do with the resurrection. These Sadducees were not really asking about what happens to the wife after the resurrection. They did not believe there would be a resurrection and asked the question to demonstrate what they thought was the obscurity of it. Their error is only one of an innumerable combination of errors people make, both spiritually and otherwise. And the source of their error is the source of all error, which comes from one of two streams:

They did not know the Scriptures.
Many errors of man happen as a result of not knowing. If we do not know what God has said, if we do not know the warnings of the many dangers in the world, if we do not know the instructions God has given to avoid those dangers and safely pass through life on this earth, how can we help but error? It becomes us then to learn the Word of God. It becomes us to read the Bible for ourselves, to study it and to faithfully attend church services where the Bible is taught and preached.

The second stream of error comes from not knowing the power of God.
Many are those people who, like the Sadducees, have studied the Bible but fail to grasp it because they do not believe the message of it. They know what the Bible says, they just don't believe in a Christian who saves, a life in heaven or hell, or a God who is interested in our choices today.

This error is not merely the one of the atheist or skeptic; plenty of Christians, in fact all Christians to some degree have error in their lives because they either do not know what the Bible says or else they do not believe it. It might be concerning tithing. It might have to do with some sin. It could be a habit they enjoy but Scriptural principles would caution against. It might have to do with a ministry or some other simple instruction in the Bible that they have not been compelled to obey. And in their not believing that obedience would be best, they go on in error.

Responsible For God's Dwelling

Numbers 35:34 KJV
Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the LORD dwell among the children of Israel.

What a thought, that the Lord dwells among them.

This would be a privilege beyond imagination. There would be comfort in the knowledge of the presence of the Lord. To know that there is peace between a people and God is the highest of all earthly blessings.

But it is not without responsibility. Because God dwelt among them they must not allow the land to be defiled. God did not promise them that the land would be trouble free. Indeed, He indicated that there would be deaths by both murder and manslaughter. He said there would be a spirit of revenge built into the people and provision must be made to deal with it all. The answer was not to create a perfect environment; the answer was to handle those problems in an appropriate way.

God dwells with the believer today in a manner that is even above that promised to Israel. But we too have our troubles.
• We have troubles in the flesh
• We have troubles in the family
• We even have troubles that arise in the church
The answer is not to try to find some sort of faith without problems, that doesn't exist. The answer is to handle it biblically and to handle it so the land is not defiled.

Who Are These "gods"?

Numbers 33:4 KJV
For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.

The Bible says that when God plagued Egypt so that they had to bury their first born, God did that to Egypt and to Egypt's gods. I was interested in that because I do not recall any of the plagues being specifically upon the deities of Egypt directly. Certainly several of the plagues were in reference to their worship of the Nile or to their god of the flies, and there was the direct challenge of the Egyptian magicians to counterfeit the plagues. But nothing was overtly an attack upon their gods.

So in reading I found three courses of thought how the death of the firstborn could have been against their gods:
First, the Jewish Targum of Jonathan, according to Gill, says that with the death of the firstborn was also the destruction of their idols.
The golden ones became molten, the wooden ones to ashes, their earthen ones diminished, their strong ones mutilated. I rather think of the Jewish Targum as similar to Catholic tradition; fantastic and absolutely unreliable.

The second and third appear to me to have more Scriptural validity.
Second, the gods referred to could be the rulers and great men of Egypt. The word of God does make reference to the great men, whether in wealth or stature as gods. This then would mean that the plague upon the firstborn included all of Egypt, not just the average citizen. Greatness, wealth, power neither physical nor political protected them from the plague.

Third, the plague also included the death of the firstborn among their animals, which were worshipped as gods.
The Bible isn't difficult to understand if only we will consider and study.

Bargaining Not Advised

Numbers 32:19 KJV
For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward.

The two and a half tribes got their way, but I don't believe it was because it was the will of God. I believe it was because God allows our free will. These two and a half tribes bargained with Moses for their way. And, though for a time they appeared to be sincere, you hear nothing of them after a time. Their land was always more known for the heathen there than for God's people. The names of the tribes are not forgotten but there is nearly no reference to their part in Israel history.

I have known who knows how many Christians who bargain with God between His will and theirs. If a person insists, as these two and a half tribes did, upon their own will God will not prevent them. But this should not be taken as the approval or the will of God. His will is plain. When we bargain with God for our own will, we may for a time make a pretense of following the Lord but that will eventually fade and we will end up where we wanted to be; in the center of our own will and not that of the Lord.

I Don't Need Much to do Much

Mark 8:19-20 KJV
When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

There is nothing in the Scriptures that is there without purpose. And when something is repeated in the Bible it is generally of great importance. So that Christ performed a very similar miracle twice is very significant.

In the first place it teaches me to study the events of the Gospels carefully.
There are a number of events that are repeated in the various Gospels. But there are some events that were repeated by the Lord. A variation in the event could be because it is a different event or because it is the same event seen through different eyes.

Secondly there is the issue of feeding the multitudes.
I am reminded that God can take care of me. Though I may have few resources in this world, yet God is able to meet my needs as He pleases.
And I am reminded that I need little of this world's resources in order to make a difference in this world. I only need to be willing to let God bless what I do have and give it away in an orderly fashion. He will take it from there.

His Care to the Last

Numbers 27:16 KJV
Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,

Moses was about to be gathered to his fathers. Because of smiting the rock rather than speaking to it, Moses' time was finished. Aaron had already died for the same sin and Moses is now to follow. He will not enter into the Promised Land. But Moses' concern was for the congregation and not himself. He would not leave the congregation without a shepherd.

In this, as well as in many aspects of his life, Moses is an example for pastor today.
• Moses was not a perfect man as this very passage reminds us. But
• Moses was quick to go to God for direction
• Moses was faithful to his calling over Israel
• Moses was loyal to his congregation even while they were dying in the wilderness and
• Moses would not leave them without care. His heart was for their welfare to the end.

Preachers could do well to follow his lead.

Don't Dwell There

Numbers 25:1 KJV
And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

I cannot help but think that the trouble here is that Israel abode in Shittim.
• They were, at this stage in their history, a nomadic people
• They lived in tents and were not to settle down in the desert
• Their home was in the Promised Land and they knew it but
• They have made themselves at home, and that, just on the other side of their goal

It is when we who are Christians allow ourselves to settle in to this world that we will find ourselves in the most trouble. Though we sojourn here we must never allow ourselves to take root here. Our home is eternal heaven. We know that. And when we make any part of this earth our abode, we are sure to compromise our faith.

God, My Defender

Numbers 23:21 KJV
He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.

This is a truly interesting passage in that it shows Israel in an entirely different perspective. Remember here that Israel is condemned to wander in the wilderness until an entire generation is passed away. Their disobedience to God at Kadesh Barnea has resulted in the judgment of everyone twenty years old and above. Remember also that Aaron has already died for his part in striking the rock and Moses has been told he may not enter the Promised Land because he smote the rock. Israel has murmured against God and Moses. Israel has complained about the manna. And Israel broke the commandments of God and had gone into idolatry while Moses was on the Mount.

Yet here God declares He has not beheld iniquity nor seen perverseness in Israel.

And it appears that it is for the same reason Christians are declared justified even though we know we still sin. It is a matter of perspective.

• When dealing with Israel, God confronted their sin in order to perfect them but
• When dealing with His purpose for them God saw them as the nation He called them to be and that they will one day be.
God confronts and corrects our sin in order to make us to become what He has predestined us to be.
But relationally God already sees us as having reached that place He has made us to have.

How is it that ye have no faith?

Mark 4:40 KJV
And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?

The question is a probing one and demonstrates an all too true quality of our character; we are prone to forget God's hand in previous circumstances when current circumstances arise.

The disciples had had ample demonstrations of the power of Christ. He had
• Cast out demons
• Healed the crippled
• Turned water into wine and
• Etc.
Yet in this storm, they were frightened that they would perish. Christ had delivered Himself from persecutions and said that His time was not yet come. He would certainly not perish in the sea if His time was not yet come.

But still they were fearful. I am convinced that the reason for the storm was to try their faith and test it again for its strength. Faith only grows in the storms. It can never develop in ease. The Lord must then allow for the child of God to pass through fearful events if his faith is to be increased.

Every Life Precious

Numbers 21:4 KJV
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

A few days ago a friend of mine posted a pro-life picture on Facebook. While most of those who responded were positive, and the one post that was negative was posted in a very kind manner, still there was in that one post a doubt about the value of a human life under certain circumstances. The circumstance mentioned was a pregnancy as a result of incest. This one reasoned that certainly we would not consider that a life that should be brought into this world. Certainly it would be permissible to kill that little baby before it breathes fresh air.

It occurred to me that both Edom and Moab, though the product of incest, both grew into substantial nations. Though their conception was due to extraordinary sin, still their lives amounted to something major.

When Israel wandered the wilderness and came to the land of Edom, they offered to pay for anything they used as they passed through and were refused. In that case, Moses went around. But when they came to the land of the Amorites and Sihon refused the same offer, Israel defeated them and took their land. The difference was that, though Edom was born out of incest, he was still born a relative to Abraham. God placed value in Him. And let's not bring up why it was acceptable to destroy the one. That is an entirely different issue and has no place in this argument.

So the answer is simple; all human life has meaning and purpose. Even if that life was conceived in extraordinarily sinful or wicked circumstances, the life itself is a human life and no man has the right to take it.

He Made Himself Unclean

Numbers 19:7 KJV
Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the even.

There are three people who, in this chapter, volunteer to be made unclean.
• The one who burns the heifer
• The priest who sacrifices the heifer, and
• The man who gathers the ashes of the heifer
In each case the man was clean previous to his ministry. In each case his unclean condition separated him from the congregation until the evening. To make others clean; to make a way for others to come to God, these men made themselves separated from their own.

They picture Jesus Christ who
• Left the glory of heaven
• Identified with mankind
• Sullied himself in eating and drinking with sinners
• Became sin for us so much so that the Father turned His back on His own Son and then
• Gave to us, who put our faith in Him, the very righteousness which was His own.

I am thankful that the priest's unclean condition was only until the evening. When morning came he was once again clean and free to minister in the presence of the congregation. Christ carried our sins to the grave. In the morning, three days later,
• He arose leaving our sins in the grave
• He arose victoriously
• He arose gloriously
• He arose in fellowship with His Heavenly Father and
• He arose to minister to us forever before the throne

Given a Gift to Give

Numbers 18:6 KJV
And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.

God gave the Levites to Israel as a gift "for the Lord." It was God's gift to them, intended to be given back in service.

That ought to be the Christian way of viewing all that the Lord gives us.

First, He gives it.
We don't get it in our own strength or wisdom or hard work. We get it from God. If it took strength or wisdom on our part it was God who gave even that to us. How much better off we would be if we saw everything as a gift from God.

Second, it was given as a gift to be given.
And especially as a gift to be given back in service for the Lord. We use those gifts God gives us in service to Him and in service for him.

My Ribbon Reminder

Numbers 15:39 KJV
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:

God told the Jews to sew a piece of ribbon on their clothing as a reminder that they were to obey the Lord and not follow after their own heart and eyes.

And we people do need reminders, don't we? Even after spending time with the Lord in the morning and evening after setting our hearts upon the Lord, once the day begins it is so easy to slip into fleshy habits of life. And even though we may have cultivated a mind toward the things of God, all it takes is a lousy phone call or upsetting conversation and our minds will be on subjects less honoring to the Lord.

We need little reminders to obey the Lord throughout the day.

Of course a ribbon of blue would easily become just a traditional thing that we would wear without giving a thought as to why. We would need some reminder to remind us to remember the reminder. But there is something else here; the ribbon was to be on all of the Jews. Every one then became a reminder to his neighbor and that is where this has New Testament and practical application. We are to exhort one another and provoke one another to love and good works. My ribbon today is my contact with my brothers and sisters in the faith. Their contact with me reminds me to obey the Lord and not to follow after my heart and eyes.

The Leader's Spirit

Numbers 13:2 KJV
Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.

Twelve rulers of Israel were appointed to go into the land and spy it out. They accomplished their assignment but when they returned ten of them had focused on the obstacles and not the promise of God. Sure, they too had seen it was a good land. But they also saw the inhabitants and worse, they saw themselves as grasshoppers before them.

And their doubt spread through Israel like a plague. Before long no one, except Caleb and Joshua, were willing to obey God.

Those who hold places of leadership among the people of God must be so careful of their own spirit. If they allow themselves to ever fix on the enemies of God's will rather than the plan of God for His people the results will be spiritually devastating. Those who, for whatever reasons, can't ensure that they will spend the time with the Lord necessary to trust Him in spite of the giants of this world, ought to excuse themselves from leadership and ought to be doubly cautious that, though they have no official position of leadership, they don't inadvertently lead from the sidelines. The dangers are just too great if God's people become discouraged in His way.

The Twisted Christ of Judas Iscariot

Matthew 26:48 KJV
Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.

Judas had brought the multitude with swords and staves to a place he knew Jesus resorted to but the multitudes did not, and had given them a sign that the one he kissed was Jesus.

Obviously, the habits of Christ were not well known by everyone in Israel. Even those sent to take Him that night were so unfamiliar with Him that they could not recognize Him by face. I have sometimes had the impression that everyone in Israel knew who Christ was and what He looked like. That is just not the case.
• Though He had fed thousands, there were thousands more who had never left their homes to see and hear Him
• Though the Jews had sent some to catch Him in His words, some many more had never left their posts for Christ

And so it is today; though there are a variety of denominations and scattered around the world hundreds or more so called mega churches, the fact is most people have little to no interest in Christ. What they do know, if they know anything at all, is skewed and twisted. They, like the multitudes following Judas, only know what an enemy of Christ gives them. And that enemy so often cloaks himself as the friend of Christ. Most decisions made about Jesus are made from a position of ignorance or even misrepresentation.

It is our place to correct that misinformation as God gives us grace.

Uttermost People

Numbers 11:1 KJV
And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

When the people displeased the Lord so the fire came to consume them, those killed were those on the fringes of the camp. Those dwelling deeply inside the camp were safe. That goes to First Corinthians five where Paul teaches that there is a type of safety that belongs to those in the church and those cast out are delivered to the devil for the destruction of the flesh.

Practically speaking there would always have to be an uttermost part of the camp. It would not be physically possible for everyone to dwell in the middle of the camp. Even among the Lord's twelve there was an inner circle of three. But spiritually I think it is possible for every believer to live in the center of God's will and in the middle of His ministry in the church.

There are those in every church I have seen who are "uttermost parts" people. They are a part, but it is a barely attached part. And those are the people who tend to be devoured first in those times of trial in the church.
• They are the ones who are lost in a spiritual hardship.
• They are the ones whose faith gets shaken at the falling away or sin of a supposed spiritual leader.
Those in the middle of the camp; those who are entrenched in the church; those who have made the house of God their own place of residence are most often safe.

Concerning Christ's Return

Matthew 24:48 KJV
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

An evil servant thinks the Lord delays coming

There are a myriad of attitudes a person might have regarding the Lord and His coming
• One might view His coming as myth
• One might spiritualize His coming as being real but not physical
• One might capitalize on His coming as a means to earn royalties and sales
The passage says this is a servant, though an evil one, so it is speaking about one who claims to be saved and claims to believe in His coming which suggests a final attitude which would be
• One who claims to believe in His coming but lives as if He won't come at all

Even if Christ doesn't come in my lifetime it makes little sense to live like He isn't going to come again because regardless of when His return is, we will all give account to Him.

I want my account to balance.

Seen of Men

Matthew 23:5 KJV
But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

To be seen of men

A huge danger of the ministry is its public nature. So much of what a preacher does, he does in the sight of men.
• His preaching ministry
• His teaching ministry
• His counseling ministry
• His visitation ministry
• His comforting ministry
• His leadership ministry
Is all done before one or more.

He is likely to be praised or thanked or in some other way complimented for these ministries before the people. And when he is, is he is not mindful of it, he may be lifted up in self because of it. The constant barrage of acknowledgements that come as part and parcel with the public portion of ministry can have devastating effects as the preacher becomes more and more accustomed to accepting those acknowledgements.

The cure, in light of our Saviour's warning is simple; there must be much more that the preacher does in private than what is ever done in public. The preacher's private time with the Lord in study and in prayer, in introspection and personal examination, in humility and in meekness before the Lord must outweigh those moments in the spotlight of public ministry exponentially. We can't afford the delusion that we are somehow worthy of public acknowledgement and accolade. We cannot allow ourselves to be seduced into thinking we can handle such praise and remain in right relationship with God.

Only large amounts of time in privacy and loneliness before the Lord can inoculate the public man from the disease of the praise of men.

Put My Name

Numbers 6:27 KJV
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. While I know we are to avoid vain repetition, I so long that this blessing rest upon the people over the which God has allowed me to pastor. I long for this blessing to be the wonderful experience of my children and grandchildren.

Now here is the culmination of it. Its result, we might say, is that in the blessing the minister has put the name of the Lord upon them.

And in this there comes real meaning to the blessing as that precious name is Jesus Christ. Whenever we are able to give a soul Christ we have surely given to them God's richest blessing.

Many Are Called

Matthew 22:14 KJV
For many are called, but few are chosen.

In the parable, everyone was called: farmers, merchantmen, citizens, those in the highways and hedges. No one was excluded from a call. But some were not at the wedding and in every case, it was there own choice.
• The farmer put the interests of his land above the wedding and so was not chosen.
• The merchantmen put the interest of business above the wedding and so was not chosen
• The remnant put their interest in riotous living and so we're not chosen and
• The one had no interest in the wedding (and would not change his garments for it) and so was not chosen.

All are called to salvation but only those who give up themselves for the Saviour find salvation. It is freely offered and no one is excluded from the call, but that should not be interpreted as meaning it is of little worth and lacking standard. God invites all to come to salvation. But those who come must see that God's expectations are high.

He Spake of Them

Matthew 21:45 KJV
And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.

Jesus preached in such a way that the. Pharisees knew He was speaking of them. He did not withhold this particular message until the Pharisees were not there to hear (though He might have done that because those that the message instructed were disciples. He could have waited until the disciples were alone.) Neither did he preach the message in either such a way that it was less offensive or that the Pharisees would not perceive He spake of them.

Jesus preached what was the word of God.

He preached so all could hear and He used illustrations that any who would could understand. He did not shirk because He was afraid of the consequences. He did not see it as His job to make everyone feel good about the message. Those who would receive it, we're blessed. Those who refused to receive Him as Saviour understood perfectly the consequences of their choice.

Accusations

Matthew 20:15 KJV
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

It is the sinful nature of man to believe we have the power to know what is good and what is evil. And many often call good evil and evil good. So we come to the basic principle that God's ways and thoughts are higher than ours. I have met many who presume to judge God because He has done good to someone they don't believe deserves it. He is a just God. But He is also a good God. He has reconciled the two through the death of His own Son. In a transaction we can never completely comprehend, but only come to accept through the history of sacrifices by the Jews, God laid on Christ all of the sins of man and His (lest I say our) justice was satisfied. Having satisfied the debt of sin through Christ God is free to do good and forgive any who will seek it.

The one who chooses will never see the fairness of that transaction but will only argue in the flesh that it is unfair, or it is gruesome or whatever other objection they might have.

The fact is, God's goodness extends to any who will receive it. Those who can't accept that are - well - free to refuse it.

Amazed

Matthew 19:10 KJV
His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry.

Gill and Barnes both make the note that the disciples said this out of a fleshly heart. The Jewish man considered it a great privilege that he could put away a wife for any disagreeable flaw and, if a man had to be trapped in marriage to a wife who was of a disagreeable nature, it would surely be better never to marry; fleshly

Then immediately after this these same disciples rebuked people for bringing children to the Lord and they had to again be corrected for their error. They thought of children as having too little value to be a bother to the Lord. The Lord on the other hand was more than happy to give attention to the spiritual needs of the children.

The disciples were filled with fleshly traditions, attitudes and bad habits. Even at the time of Christ's crucifixion they were easily turned to go back fishing. After His death they were filled with doubt concerning his resurrection. And even just before His ascension Jesus corrected them when they asked about the kingdom.

It is so impressive that the Lord left such important work as is the saving of souls and raising up of churches into such flawed hands. The disciples did grow and mature but they were never perfect. (Though the Scriptures they penned are perfect, being inspired of God.)

And the Lord continues to use imperfect people yet today. We might wonder why and if the Lord is using such weak vessels as we know ourselves to be. But He is glorified in our weaknesses. Not that we should ignore our flaws or refuse to grow out of them, but we should certainly not allow them to prevent us from stepping out in obedience to Christ.

And the Lord spake

Leviticus 25:1 KJV
And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,

Fifteen chapters in a row Leviticus begins with words to the effect of, "And the Lord spake.."

It began to impress me in this reading that these are truly the Words of God. How important it is that we see the Bible as more than the words of man about God but the words of God to man.
• These are not the writings of religious speculators
• These are the inventions of would be spiritual leaders

When we read the Word of God we are reading the very words of God.

And that gives a wholly different weight to them.
• This is the communication of God
• This is God's position concerning the condition of man
• This is God's perception of the nature of sin
• This is God's revelation of the eternal future and
• This is God's offer of everlasting salvation

What a privilege to possess the Word of God! And what a blessing it is to read and study it.

Jesus Didn't Have To, But He Did

Matthew 17:27 KJV
Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

After Peter had told them that Jesus paid the tribute Jesus confronted him and gave reason why he (and I think the implication is Peter) were free from paying this tribute. They were not spiritually obligated to pay it.

But they did pay it.

Jesus said that to avoid offending them they would pay the tribute.

Too many in modern Christianity are focused on what they can do and what they don't have to do. They accuse those who teach standards of right and wrong of being legalistic. But their selfish desire to get their own way has blinded them to the fact that we aren't saying a person has to do these things. We are fully aware that doing faithful Christianity is not a requirement of salvation and that certain actions we encourage Christians to avoid are not "cardinal sins".
• What we are practicing is the example of our Lord, who was free from the tribute but gave it anyway for the sake of another.
• We are practicing the example of the Apostle Paul who said that to eat certain meat was completely lawful, but he would not eat it anyway so as not to be a stumbling stone to another.
Christian liberty has come to mean Christian self centeredness in our day.

And it is time we look to others and place some standards in our lives for their sakes.

He Left Them and Departed

Matthew 16:4 KJV
A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

What an ominous phrase; "... He left them and departed."

The Pharisees had asked Christ for a sign. He responded that they had observed natural signs of the weather. He also told them that there would be no sign but the resurrection and that to seek any sign other than that would be wicked.

And then He left them and departed.

In His physical sense His leaving may not seem that significant. Jesus did not stay in one place His whole life and going to minister to another community did not mean He was finished with the one He left. Jesus did not stay all the time, for instance, with Mary and Martha and Lazarus, but when He left them and departed to another place, it was not in any way a sign of judgment against them.

But we have the full body of Scripture and
• We know that He did depart from Israel to call out his church, a unique body of believers composed of both Jews and Gentiles
• We know Jesus did leave the Pharisees and their religion
• We know that He nailed the ordinances of their system to the cross and took them out of the way

And
• We know that in some cases the Holy Spirit leaves a person and departs, never to convict them of sin righteousness and judgment again

And
• We know that that is a judgment no man should want to experience

Jewish Traditions

Matthew 15:2 KJV
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

I recently heard about a group of Christians who take supporting Israel to such an extreme that they view those things that an orthodox Jew or a Messianic Jew as near to Scripture. They take the position that to disagree with a Jew is the same as to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

Here is Scriptural evidence that they are wrong and that even our Lord disagreed with what was their (Orthodox Jews) tradition.

The Messianic Jews today are wrong.
• They are wrong on their doctrine of the church
• They are wrong to continue in the practice of Jewish custom and traditions

It would be biblical for them to attend a synagogue on the Sabbath for the purpose of telling those attending about Jesus Christ. But to neglect the assembly of a called out assembly of born again and scripturally baptized believers in an organized Baptist Church is to disobey the New Testament.

Their keeping of Jewish tradition places them in the same school as these Pharisees who were chided of the Lord.

He Gives that We May Give

Matthew 14:19 KJV
And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

This passage models the Lord's means of providing for the needs of souls.

Christ had compassion
Though He had reason to want nothing to do with people, He had compassion upon them

Christ asked for their little
We have so little to offer either the world or the Saviour but He began his supply by taking up their little

Christ blessed the little and gave it to his disciples
The little was not their own. It was given of the ladies, but the Lord blessed it and gave to the disciples

The disciples gave it to the people
It wasn't for the disciples to keep but to give away. As they did so, the needs of the people were met and more

I Am The Lord

Leviticus 19:2 KJV
Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

The whole of this chapter deals with things that are simple living:
• Care for the deaf
• Saving part of your harvest for the poor
• Honoring your parents
• Loving your neighbor
• Attending your worship and
• Doing your business

And in all of it;
• The religious
• The moral, and
• The civil
the underlying principle is that God is our Lord. We are to behave in every sphere of life remembering that we belong to God.