Psm.106:23 ~Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them.
How could God have a people that were so fickle? Are we any different? Yet, Moses interceded for them. Here is Moses interceding for a people that he has already asked God why are they so hard-hearted and rebellious. He knows who he is interceding for, what they are like, and he intercedes anyway. What an encouragement to me when I grow weary of interceding , especially when I see no change. Moses kept interceding - for 40 years! And the Israelites never changed. Yet Moses intercession kept them alive. What an incredible picture of God's mercy.
v.24 ~ Have you ever hated a good gift you have been given? I haven't, I enjoy good gifts. But before the Israelites ever got to the Promised Land, they despised it. That means they hated it, before they ever saw it!
"they did not believe in His word", this sums up their problem very well, no faith- even after mighty miracles.
v.25 ~ But grumbled in their tents; they did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
Set free from slavery, protected from death and all they could ever do was grumble! Grumbling drowns out God's voice, it makes our own voice (self) sound better, important even. It justifies rebellion or a hard heart. It deafens our spirit to God. And it was done in the privacy of their own tents. Sometimes, even when we do things in the privacy of our homes, assured that it won't spread or hurt others, we damage the body. My private grumbling, my private disobedience, hurts every one of God's people- not just me. It keeps me from being the blessing to the body that God wants me to be. In my selfishness, I cripple the body, make it less complete, less able to accomplish all God desires of it. The private grumbling of the Israelites affected all of them. Even those who were obedient. This makes me much more aware of the spiritual ripples of my own discontent or dissatisfaction, (my names for grumbling). And much more convicted.
After years of being in slavery their idea of freedom was to do what they wanted, to indulge the senses, the flesh. Yet God set them free to worship and serve Him. That is why He set us free as well. I do not always know how to worship and serve Him rightly, but if that is my goal He will teach me. If my goal is to do as I please without seeing the freedom for me that He sees, I put myself back into bondage.
Lord, may my words never be as pleasant to me, to my ears and heart, as Yours are. May I believe Your word and value Your promise. May I always see Your word as true, even when it seems impossible. May You keep my heart, that I would not grumble or complain, even privately. Thank You for Your forgiveness when I grumble and Your mercy as I struggle to be grateful and content. May I listen, with a heart to obey, to Your voice. Help each one of us to walk in Your freedom.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Psm. 106:19-21 ~ "They made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped a molten image. (20) Thus they exchanged their glory for the image of an ox that eats grass, (21) They forgot God their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt,"
I was thinking, how could anyone worship something they made? Then I thought of television and computers and how often we are more attuned to them than God. Or even getting together to make something as a group and seeing it turn out really awesome, so you want everyone to see it. It is not hard to move one step further to worship. Worshiping a false god IS exchanging their glory, which is God, for a god, that exchange leads to wickedness. We cannot build our own god and expect it to be any better than our self. Once we build our own god, we are already deceived, so we continue in that deception as we worship something false.
They forgot God their Savior. They had seen all the plagues in Egypt, they had all observed the Passover, they had all walked through the Red Sea, as if it were dry, and seen their enemies drown. They had all praised God for His deliverance, they had all seen water come out of a rock and food come from heaven, they had seen the wicked swallowed up by the earth and flame consume them. Yet, in a time of testing, they forgot God.
How could that be?
1. They did not know God ~ only His works
2. Neither did they fear God
3. They were easily deceived
These three work together and are still a danger for any of us today. Because they only knew God's works and not Him, they did not understand His nature, His character, His heart for them. So they took Him lightly, accepted his goodness, of course, but not really trusting Him in giving that goodness. They could not believe that if all else failed, God would be true, faithful, for them, so they sought their own answer. This meant they trusted themselves more than God, forgetting that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. In not fearing God they could not understand His greatness, that He made us with an innate desire to honor or reverence Him. So they chose to make something they could understand, deceived into believing that any god would work.
Lord, protect us from ourselves, our own tendency to want to know everything before we trust You. Our own desire to be in control. Show us Your heart for us, that we would see Your heart that is for us, Your character, which is pure, Your faithfulness to us even when we are faithless to You. Guard us from deception, from deceiving ourselves with what we want to hear, instead of hearing what You desire us to hear. While we greatly appreciate Your works toward us, may that not be our focus, may You be our center and our focus.
How often in a time of testing do I try to figure it all out on my own? Lord work in me, in us, a heart that turns to You, even in a time of testing.
I was thinking, how could anyone worship something they made? Then I thought of television and computers and how often we are more attuned to them than God. Or even getting together to make something as a group and seeing it turn out really awesome, so you want everyone to see it. It is not hard to move one step further to worship. Worshiping a false god IS exchanging their glory, which is God, for a god, that exchange leads to wickedness. We cannot build our own god and expect it to be any better than our self. Once we build our own god, we are already deceived, so we continue in that deception as we worship something false.
They forgot God their Savior. They had seen all the plagues in Egypt, they had all observed the Passover, they had all walked through the Red Sea, as if it were dry, and seen their enemies drown. They had all praised God for His deliverance, they had all seen water come out of a rock and food come from heaven, they had seen the wicked swallowed up by the earth and flame consume them. Yet, in a time of testing, they forgot God.
How could that be?
1. They did not know God ~ only His works
2. Neither did they fear God
3. They were easily deceived
These three work together and are still a danger for any of us today. Because they only knew God's works and not Him, they did not understand His nature, His character, His heart for them. So they took Him lightly, accepted his goodness, of course, but not really trusting Him in giving that goodness. They could not believe that if all else failed, God would be true, faithful, for them, so they sought their own answer. This meant they trusted themselves more than God, forgetting that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. In not fearing God they could not understand His greatness, that He made us with an innate desire to honor or reverence Him. So they chose to make something they could understand, deceived into believing that any god would work.
Lord, protect us from ourselves, our own tendency to want to know everything before we trust You. Our own desire to be in control. Show us Your heart for us, that we would see Your heart that is for us, Your character, which is pure, Your faithfulness to us even when we are faithless to You. Guard us from deception, from deceiving ourselves with what we want to hear, instead of hearing what You desire us to hear. While we greatly appreciate Your works toward us, may that not be our focus, may You be our center and our focus.
How often in a time of testing do I try to figure it all out on my own? Lord work in me, in us, a heart that turns to You, even in a time of testing.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
ENVY
Psm.106:16 ~ They became envious of Moses and Aaron.
Are we envious of leaders because of their position? Their position with God? Does that envy turn into challenging their place and authority, their leadership, from God? This is different than challenging a leader because of bad teaching or immoral or unethical living. This is envying another's place with God, and wanting that place without being right with God, without paying the price of surrender to God. This includes not being thankful for the place God has given me. This envy leads others away from God into judgment. This was a sin God took very seriously, He dealt with these men openly; in front of the whole congregation. It didn't matter if all of the Israelites followed them, they were still wrong. Do I judge a leader by the number of followers he has, or where God is in his life? (v. 17-18) The earth swallowed them up and fire consumed them. I think if I had seen that I would have understood what sin displeased God!
It would have been amazing to see. God protecting His people from attacks within, that unrighteousness within the body of Christ does more damage than any attacks from outside. At the same time, I am incredibly thankful this does not happen today! I am so thankful for God's mercy toward us, He remembers that we are but dust. If He dealt with the body of Christ like this today, would I be swallowed up? Would I be one of the ones dissatisfied with where He has me? I like to think I would have been a righteous one, but would I have been swayed to believe a majority of leaders more than one who was right? Am I thankful for where God has me right now?
v.18 ~ The fire that came was to purify, just as we go through a fire of testing, purifying is necessary in our hearts. And in the church. It is usually painful, as it was for the whole congregation of Israelites.
Lord, we need Your cleansing purifying fire for that which is unrighteous and ungodly to be burned up, within us individually and within the body of Christ as a whole, so that what is left is pure and clean, able to be used by You for Your purposes. And with Your cleansing purifying fire, give us again Your mercy, Your grace, that we may be renewed in our relationship with You, not destroyed as these men were. Thank you that You are both righteous and merciful!
Are we envious of leaders because of their position? Their position with God? Does that envy turn into challenging their place and authority, their leadership, from God? This is different than challenging a leader because of bad teaching or immoral or unethical living. This is envying another's place with God, and wanting that place without being right with God, without paying the price of surrender to God. This includes not being thankful for the place God has given me. This envy leads others away from God into judgment. This was a sin God took very seriously, He dealt with these men openly; in front of the whole congregation. It didn't matter if all of the Israelites followed them, they were still wrong. Do I judge a leader by the number of followers he has, or where God is in his life? (v. 17-18) The earth swallowed them up and fire consumed them. I think if I had seen that I would have understood what sin displeased God!
It would have been amazing to see. God protecting His people from attacks within, that unrighteousness within the body of Christ does more damage than any attacks from outside. At the same time, I am incredibly thankful this does not happen today! I am so thankful for God's mercy toward us, He remembers that we are but dust. If He dealt with the body of Christ like this today, would I be swallowed up? Would I be one of the ones dissatisfied with where He has me? I like to think I would have been a righteous one, but would I have been swayed to believe a majority of leaders more than one who was right? Am I thankful for where God has me right now?
v.18 ~ The fire that came was to purify, just as we go through a fire of testing, purifying is necessary in our hearts. And in the church. It is usually painful, as it was for the whole congregation of Israelites.
Lord, we need Your cleansing purifying fire for that which is unrighteous and ungodly to be burned up, within us individually and within the body of Christ as a whole, so that what is left is pure and clean, able to be used by You for Your purposes. And with Your cleansing purifying fire, give us again Your mercy, Your grace, that we may be renewed in our relationship with You, not destroyed as these men were. Thank you that You are both righteous and merciful!
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