Tag: adversary

46.l. “Wilderness” – 10.r. “Make two silver trumpets”

 

Num 10:1-10  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  “Make two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp. And when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent of meeting. But if they blow only one, then the chiefs, the heads of the tribes of Israel, shall gather themselves to you. When you blow an alarm, the camps that are on the east side shall set out. And when you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown whenever they are to set out. But when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow a long blast, but you shall not sound an alarm. And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets. The trumpets shall be to you for a perpetual statute throughout your generations. And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the LORD your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. On the day of your gladness also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the LORD your God.”

Here are directions concerning the public notices to be given the people by sound of trumpet. Their laws in every case were to be Divine, therefore, even in this matter Moses is directed. These trumpets typify the preached gospel. It sounds an alarm to sinners, calls them to repent, proclaims liberty to the captives and slaves of Satan, and collects the worshippers of God. It directs and encourages their heavenly journey; stirs them up to combat against the world and sin, encouraging them with the assurance of victory. It leads their attention to the sacrifice of Christ, and shows the Lord’s presence for their protection. It is also necessary that the gospel trumpet give a distinct sound, according to the persons addressed, or the end proposed; whether to convince, humble, console, exhort, reprove, or teach. The sounding of the trumpet of the gospel is God’s ordinance, and demands the attention of all to whom it is sent. (Henry)

Before we can obey God, we must first give Him our attention. The trumpets were used to get the attention of the people of Israel. The trumpets only worked effectively with the evidences of God’s presence (the trumpets told them to start marching, but the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire showed them where to go). (Guzik)

37.b. “Behold, I send an angel before you”

 

 

Genesis 24:5  The servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” Abraham said to him, “See to it that you do not take my son back there. The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, To your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there. But if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my son back there.”

 Exodus 23:20-23     “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.  Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.  “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,

 Psalms 32:8   I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

 Psalms 34:7     The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

 Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Abraham seeks to honor God by providing his son with a wife that will not lead him down paths away from God and God’s promises. Abraham’s faith in God’s ability to supply a wife, guide his servant, and fulfill this desire for his son’s wife is easily understood from; “He will send an angel before you”.  How this would work out and the details along the way Abraham did not give thought.  He trusted that God would supply, period. There is a strong relationship between belief, obedience, faith, and hope. 

There is a way that may seem too hard or impossible for you to accomplish. Do not allow this to weaken you but to encourage you and your faith in the power and might of God. He certainly is able to do that which we cannot and much more that we cannot even imagine.

28.e. “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless”

Ephesians 6:11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

 Romans 13:14    But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

 Romans 13:12    The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

 1 Thessalonians 5:8    But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

 1 Corinthians 10:13   No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

 Jude 1:24    Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

 2 Corinthians 2:11   so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

 1 Peter 5:8    Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

“The tactics of intimidation and insinuation alternate in Satan’s plan of campaign. He plays both the bully and the beguiler. Force and fraud form his chief offensive against the camp of the saints.” (Simpson) Equipped with God’s armor we are more than conquerors. (Guzik) How aware are we of spiritual battles, attacks from Satan, lies from Satan, deception from Satan, and temptations from Satan?  If we are not aware how will we arm ourselves against the battle for our soul?  Too often we lack discernment.  Too often we lack Godly wisdom and understanding.  Too often we are blind and deaf to the battle for our soul.  Too often we even try to battle in our own strength and power.  We don’t stand a chance. How many times have we asked our children, What were you thinking??????  99 times out of 100 we hear, I don’t know.  

God tells us of His power and might and strength.  There is none like Him, He is the creator.  He is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. In Him is all truth. He knows all about Satan’s lies, deceptions, and influences.  God warns us about Satan. God empowers us, if we avail ourselves to it, for the battle(s) we will face.  He says “Arm yourselves”, “Put on the whole armor”, “I will be your rock, refuge, strength, power, might, and shield against the fiery attacks of Satan”, “I will never leave you or forsake you”, “I will not let you be tempted beyond what you can overcome”, “I am with you always”.  And yet, we don’t acknowledge Him or avail ourselves to Him or rely on, trust in, or cling to Him.  We go about our days without giving thought to spiritual battles.  Is it possible that Satan doesn’t even need to bother attacking us because there is little to no spiritual activity in our lives?  Can we not see the times we are living in?  Can we not see and understand the influence Satan is having on people across our nation?  Oh, that God would open our eyes to see and our ears to hear all that is false, cunning, and deceiving in our country.  Oh, that God would awaken our soul to the battle before us and cause us to bow before Him as willing servants for this battle.

20.x. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think”

 

 

 

Romans 12:3   For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

 Proverbs 16:18-19    Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.  It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.

 James 4:6    But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

 Proverbs 26:12    Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

 Titus 2:2    Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

 1 Peter 4:7    The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded 

 1 Peter 5:8    Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

We don’t have to listen to much on social media outlets to witness those who think very highly of themselves.  We see those with money who think their prosperity is because of their individual talents and thereby elevate themselves to the mental status of someone who ought to be heard and listened to for their “rich” opinion is worthy of everyone to listen to.  Because they have become rich they think highly of their status and their wisdom.  We also see those who have some form of power to govern or rule, who have also taken high self-worthy praise of themselves.  They seem to speak down to people who are not in their circle of influence makers.  They speak as though, only they have wisdom and understanding and anyone who does not agree or blindly follow is lacking understanding and knowledge.  If we listen and weigh what they are saying we can easily see their pride, folly, and self-worthiness being expressed.  

It is easy to read our Scripture today and think it was written specifically for these types of people, but this is not true.  Paul was talking to Christians in the Roman Church.  He is telling them, “do not think more highly of themselves than they ought to” and to give serious and sensible thought, and to judge these thoughts in light of the faith that has been given to them by God.  It is in humbleness that we seek and desire that which honors and glorifies Jesus Christ.  In this humbleness we give serious and sensible thought to our heart and, as best we can, to the intents and purposes that come from it.  We humbly seek and desire to place Jesus Christ first and give no place for self, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place do not exist, only Jesus.   Wherever God has led you in life, whatever position He has placed you, whatever knowledge and wisdom He has given you, these are not for our honor or glory, but for His alone.  We can take no credit for them but we can be thankful for them.  We can take no self-worth from them but we can give honor and glory to God because of them.  When is the last time you have given serious and sensible thought (in light of Scripture) to the intents and purposes of your heart?  

4.l. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Job 1:6  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Revelation 12:9-10    And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

1 Peter 5:8    Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Satan the deceiver and accuser.  The false one.  The liar. The tempter.  How many have never seen the love of Jesus Christ because of this liar?  How many have been tempted away by his lies?  How many have believed his accusations?  Satan will try to deceive us.  He will show us the tempting shining lights of health, wealth, prosperity, and fame.  He will accuse us and tell us we are unworthy of the Love of Jesus Christ.  He will tell us we are a failure.  He will tell us we are not or cannot be forgiven.  He will tell us God can’t help us or won’t help us.  Satan is very real.  He knows are weaknesses, pride, jealousy, envy, greed, and hatred.  He will prowl looking for the opportunity to attack us with lies and temptations for he knows our sinful nature much better than us.  How are we to stand against this foe?

Are we worthy of the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus Christ? No.  Are we good enough to warrant forgiveness? No.  Have we done anything that Jesus Christ should grant us eternity with Him? No.  Have we sinned? Yes.  Do we sin? Yes. Does Jesus Christ know all of our sins past and present? Yes.  Satan will use questions like these and offer answers that seem to proper and true, but they are lies intended to confuse, intimidate, worry, pleasure, gratify, and delight self-worth, self-esteem, self-regard, self-respect, self-love, self-importance, self-satisfaction, and self-reliance.  He does this to get us to reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to live self-centered lives that are blind and deaf to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the awesome power, might, strength, and love of God.

Jesus went to the cross while we were yet unworthy sinners.  He did this for us as we were and are.  He did this because He loved us.  He did this to give us hope.  He did this to give us purpose.  He did this to give us opportunity of forgiveness, joy, peace, strength, grace, mercy, and love in and through His redemption made possible and perfect through His sacrifice on the cross and the promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit to all those who believe in Him, confess their sin, repent, and by faith cling to, rely on, and trust in Him.  “Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world!”

John 3:16-21  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

127. For your servant knows that I have sinned.

2 Samuel 19:16  And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David. And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king, and they crossed the ford to bring over the king’s household and to do his pleasure. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, and said to the king, “Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart. For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.

Psalms 32:2    Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Romans 4:6-8     just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:  “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;  blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Jeremiah 31:34     And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

Isaiah 43:25     “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Sometimes we know we have sinned.  We know we have done something wrong and against that which would honor God. Like Shimei who knew he was doing wrong when he was cursing David and throwing stones at him.  In moments like this, it is easy to see the sin and know we need to seek forgiveness. There are other times when we may not know we have sinned.  This can so easily happen when we are neglecting God’s word and our commitment to living for Him has been replaced with living for self and what this world has to offer.  We end up closing our heart and mind to God.  We become deaf and blind to what our life has become.  What we need is a wake-up call into our spiritual lives.  We need someone to intrude on our way of life and show us our sin.  We need someone to intrude on our way of life and show us our sin.  We need the light of His word turned on and expose our sin of complacency, neglect, pride, lust, hate, envy…….

Joni Eareckson Tada said it like this; “One thing’s for sure about God: He is an intruder. He encroaches and invades and infringes. He crashes the party, tears aside curtains, throws open locked doors, and hits the light switch in dark rooms. God even overstepped the realm of death itself. Even in the most holy place of the temple, He tore the veil from top to bottom. Oh Friend, in the same way, God and His Word is a razor edge sword piercing my complacent soul, boldly intruding into my sin, rashly calling it what it is, and challenging me to leave it behind. I say all this because I want you to be gloriously blessed by the fact that your God cares enough about you to step into your life, sometimes when you least expect it.  That’s something to celebrate today. If you feel any conviction of sin, don’t resist it. Join me in thanking God that He intrudes into our lives.”

3. To obey and listen is better than sacrifice

Exodus 19:1   On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.

Exodus 23:22    “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

Exodus 24:7     Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”

Deuteronomy 28:1    “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.

Joshua 24:24    And the people said to Joshua, “The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.”

1 Samuel 15:22    And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

How many times do we try to do good as a means to gain or earn God’s favor?  Doing something with the hope or expectation of a reward for good behavior is much different than doing it as an honor to the person without expectation.  Note the words in Samuel; “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”

Listening and obeying are signs of a life honoring God.  We can do all the good we want to do but if it is not for the honor and worship of God it is in vain.

How is a person to listen and obey if they are not in His word, or not intentionally choosing to listen and be guided by God.  Performance is different from humble service.  Stay in His word each day with the expectation of knowing more, understanding more, and learning more of Him and His ways, love, promises, and purposes for your life.

Deceiver and Accuser

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

“Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.”

“May the good LORD pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD”

“For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.”

Zechariah 3:1  Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?”   Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”

Job 1:6  Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.  The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

Luke 22:31   “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,

Revelation 12:9  And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

Isaiah 64:6     We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

“They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

It does not take much time reading God’s word and reflecting on our lives to be reminded of our unrighteousness and sin.  Guess who is standing right there when these thoughts come.  Satan.  He is the prince of lies, the deceiver, and accuser.  He tells us that we are unclean, unholy, unworthy, a failure, and unforgiven.  He attacks our faith in Christ’s redemption telling us these lies.  He whispers these lies to defeat what should be a victorious fruit filled God honoring life.  “Resist the Devil and he will flee from you”.  Our resistance is through the promises of God found in His word, faith in God and trusting fully in what He has said.  What God has made clean no one can make unclean.  We are children of the Creator and in His hands we are secure.  Recognize Satan’s whispers of accusation and deception.  Stand firm In God’s promises.  Our lives should be a light of hope to others that is seen through what we say and do for the honor and glory of God.  As the children’s song states “Don’t let Satan blow it out” “I’m going to let it shine”