Tag: decision

51.j. Wilderness – 15.p. “If any case arises requiring decision”

 

 

Deu 17:8-11  “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose. And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the LORD will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left.

God allowed for courts of appeal in Israel. These were higher courts where cases were taken beyond the local judges to the priests, the Levites – who were understood to be wiser judges because of their knowledge of God’s Word. The authority of the judges had to be respected, therefore contempt of court was a capital crime. God thought it essential that the courts and the judges be respected by the people of Israel. (Guzik)

Courts of judgment were to be set up in every city. Though their judgment had not the Divine authority of an oracle, it was the judgment of wise, prudent, experienced men, and had the advantage of a Divine promise. (Henry)

Note that cases that were hard to decide and complicated in how to rightly and justly minister judgments were to be moved up to a higher court of justice.  If you take a look at our form of legal justice system we have a similar form, Judges, Appellate, and Supreme Court. The difference between ours and what we read here is that the Law and its application was based on God’s Word.  Ours is not so much based on God’s Word but rather man’s ideas of right and wrong. We get it right sometimes and we get it wrong sometimes. For example; When emanate domain was being abused by states and cities it was finally brought before the Supreme Court to get clarity on its application. I think they got this right. When the Supreme Court declared abortion was a fundamental right of women and millions of pre-born babies were killed, I know they got it wrong. When pornography was deemed “expression of art” and people had a right to choose to look at it or not, I know they got it wrong. When the 10 commandments were deemed offensive and could not be in schools or Federal Buildings (like court rooms), I know they got it wrong. Such it is when God’s Word is removed from being the underlying foundation for judgment of right and wrong. 

The worldly system of justice is void of God. Now there are godly men and women in seats of the courts across this country, but they do have to follow the rule of law based on previous judgments handed down by other courts or by the Supreme Court. Their hands are tied so to speak. 

It is hard to know right from wrong when God’s Word and the Holy Spirit of God are denied time or space in our hearts and minds. Neglect of His Word leaves us to the whims of godless people who make convincing arguments for justice. Many Christian people are lost and they navigate life on baby food principles of God’s Word and have no relationship with the Holy Spirit of God. Churches spoon-feed them baby food to keep them comfortable and “Happy”. There is no conviction of personal sin or the sin of our country against God. There is no repentance, shame, or embarrassment. They are content wandering around lost and oblivious to God’s Word, things of God, and the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They could no more take a righteous stand for God than a stone. 

Far too many Christians are weak in knowledge of God’s Word, its application in their lives, and the need for both. 

When were you cut to the heart and convicted of sin by reading God’s Word? When were your eyes opened to see the sins of this country against God? When did the Holy Spirit lead and direct your thoughts, words, and actions? It surely will not happen when you neglect God’s Word. It will not happen when you are content living like the world around you. It will not happen when you give no thought to God’s holiness and the sinfulness of sin. It will not happen if you intentionally choose to live permanently as a baby. 

There has to be an intentional choice and desire to live wholly to God and for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ. You can say this all you want but neglecting God’s Word will never bring growth and understanding between things of God and things of this world. Do not let this world entice you to what it deems as important or worthwhile. 

Let the Word of God richly indwell your heart, mind, and soul.

9.l. “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey.

Joel 3:1   “For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it.

Zephaniah 3:8     “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

Revelation 16:14     For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.

Isaiah 66:16     For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many.

Ezekiel 38:22    With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him, and I will rain upon him and his hordes and the many peoples who are with him torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur.

Obadiah 1:15   For the day of the LORD is near upon all the nations. As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.

There are many more verses that speaks about the time of restoration for Judah, Jerusalem, Israel.  This time comes after a time of severe trials against them.  We understand this to be during the great tribulation period.  This time will surely come and what has been spoken and recorded will happen.  There are two periods of this time no sane person would want any part of.  The “Tribulation Period” and the “Day of the Lord”.  This time will be like no other time.  All those who come to the saving grace knowledge of Jesus Christ during this time will be persecuted continuously and many of them will die because of it.  All of those who flat out deny Jesus Christ, will not listen to the witnesses Christ has placed on earth during this time, deny the existence of God, take the Mark of the Beast, and will choose to do battle with God rather than repent and turn away from their wickedness.  If you don’t think the return of Jesus Christ is imminent they the signs of the times must be escaping you.  The eyes to our hearts, minds, and souls should be ever looking and anticipating His return.  Behold He is coming in the clouds and will take His bride home.

God’s purpose

“this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.”

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”

Joh 19:6  When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”  The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God.”  When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid.  He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.  So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”  From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”

Genesis 45:7     And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.  So it was not you who sent me here, but God.

Exodus 9:14     For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.  For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.  But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

Psalms 39:9     I am mute; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.

Psalms 62:11     Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,

Jeremiah 27:5     “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.

Lamentations 3:37     Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it?

Daniel 4:17    The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’

Romans 13:1     Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

Ephesians 1:11    In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

All the plans of man fall into two categories – in line with God’s plans humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying – or – not.  All of the scripture today speaks of God’s plan and purpose.  He is sovereign, all knowing,  and all powerful. Our sinful nature does not want to in part or fully believe this.  Life has a way of taking us down paths of making plans and have our own purposes, giving God nothing more than a second thought most days.  Think about how far our culture has moved away from God.  Science is hell bent on denying He exists.  Schools are afraid to teach creation.  Research is looking for the “God Particle” – the origin of life – the beginning.  This folly is easy to grab on to because it throws questions into and onto what we believe.  I fear many walk lukewarm christian lives and do not want to fully commit.  Read theses scriptures;


The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. 

What fruit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death. 

Apart from God and void of His word in our lives we soon find our christian walk diluted to a point where we no longer hear His whispers of guidance or know His word, His power, or  what it means to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.  Just because it is approved by our culture and within our laws or seems right to us, does not make it right with God.  .

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.“

Do not lose sight of God, His plan, His purpose.  Apart from it we find no joy, hope, peace, power, courage, love, or place of refuge.

The Great Contrast

“For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,”

“ For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.”

“His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.”

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

“ But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

“Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.”

Psalms 52:1  ”Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day.  Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.  You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right.  You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.   But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.  The righteous shall see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying,   “See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”  But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly.

Psalms 103:17    But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,

Psalms 107:1  Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Proverbs 18:10   The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

Psalms 130:5  I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;  my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.

Lamentations 3:25  The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.  It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Psalms 27:14     Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!

James 5:7   Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

The contrast of those who deny God and only seek self satisfaction and those who patiently wait for the Lord is very evident in scripture.  Those who take for themselves, who oppress the weak, who are greedy for more, who are sexually immoral, who lie, cheat, and rob, and who hardens their heart against God have no peace or place of rest for their soul.  I imagine, at times, we look at those who live like this with disgust.  That is so wrong for us to do.  We too were like this but for the grace of God our heart was opened to His grace, mercy, and love.  Think about how long suffering God is.  If we, who believe and have a glimpse of His holiness, look at the wicked with disgust think about God and in His Holiness withholds His wrath and anger, offering grace and mercy.  The contrast is seen in the book of John;  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”  God’s anger and wrath are Holy and are reserved for those who neglect this offer of salvation.  In this time of reservation there is hope for the lost just as it was for us who once was lost but now are found safe and secure in His grace, mercy and love.    To humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God is to be an example and light to all those who are lost.  God is long suffering not wanting any to perish and we too need to have our heart and mind filled with compassion for the lost.