Tag: careful attention

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.

6. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice

Exodus 23:20   “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.

Malachi 3:1    “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.

Isaiah 63:9    In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

Psalms 91:11     For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Numbers 20:16    And when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.

Exodus 33:14    And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Hebrews 12:25    See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.

Hebrews 3:10     Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’

“Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice” – “They always go astray in their heart” – “They refused him who warned them” – “if we reject him who warns from heaven” – “they did not escape when they refused”   These verses indicate the natural intent of man’s heart.  They are given to make us aware of this intent and not to yield to it.

“I will send an angel to guard you” – “Bring you to the place I have prepared” – “he will prepare the way” – “he redeemed” – “Lifted them up” – “carried them” – “guard you in all your ways” – “heard our voice” – “Brought us out” – My presence will go with you” – “I will give you rest”  These verses are what is being rejected.  They are the promises of God and examples of what to be mindful of in ruction found in the natural intent of the heart of man.

Being mindful of these intents of the heart should drive us to our knees with humble confession.  These examples should make us aware of how the world follows this intent.  They should draw us to His word each day to keep the light of His holiness, power, strength, might, and love in our heart so that we are not led astray by the way of the culture we live in.  Being complacent and neglectful of His word leaves us powerless, blind, and deaf to His leading and guidance.

Dedicate your whole heart, mind, and soul toiIntentionally commit to humbly serving, honoring, glorifying, worshiping, following, and obeying Him.  Read His word each day with the intent of being fed, led, and being filled with the love of God.

Let Him hear what the Spirit says

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,”

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says“

John 14:26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Psalms 51:11     Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Acts 1:8     But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 15:8    And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

Acts 2:4    And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

Acts 13:4    So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to

Acts 16:6     And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

Acts 20:28     Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,

Romans 5:5     and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19     Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

2 Corinthians 13:14     The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Psalms 25:8     Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.  He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.

Isaiah 63:10     But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them.

Acts 7:51     “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit.

We are not alone in our walk by faith this side of eternity.  The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to all who believe.  The Holy Spirit will guide us, lead us, teach us, bring us to knowledge, instruct us in our knowledge of God, convict us of sin, and bring us joy and peace.  Our christian walk is to be led by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of honoring and glorifying God. It is a humble heart that seeks to hear and be led.  However there is something to be mindful of –  Not listening and resisting this active leading in our life.  Filling your heart and mind with His word is food and fuel for our soul. Live humbly desiring and seeking to be led by God.  Joy, peace, strength, power, hope, and love result from this desire.