Tag: dullest

46.w. “Wilderness” – 11.b. “He who planted the ear, does he not hear?”

 

Num 12:1  Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the LORD heard it.

 Psalms 94:7-9   and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”  Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?  He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?

 Ezekiel 35:12-13   And you magnified yourselves against me with your mouth, and multiplied your words against me; I heard it.

Of course, God heard it. God always does, and He hears according to truth, not according to mere appearance. Miriam and Aaron accused Moses of pride, the very same sin that motivated them to make the accusation. (Guzik)

The patience of Moses was tried in his own family, as well as by the people. The pretence was, that he had married a foreign wife; but probably their pride was hurt, and their envy stirred up, by his superior authority. Opposition from our near relations, and from religious friends, is most painful. But this is to be looked for, and it will be well if in such circumstances we can preserve the gentleness and meekness of Moses. We have reason to be afraid of saying or doing any thing against the servants of God. And those are presumptuous indeed who are not afraid to speak evil of His servants. (Henry)

Do you ever truly think about the thoughts that you allow to occupy time in your mind? Do you ever truly believe God is able to hear these thoughts? What kind of thoughts do you allow that are because you are being influenced by news outlets, social media, and other sources? Surely you might not say out loud these base thoughts but you allow them to run their course though your mind. Now what do you think will happen if these thoughts are given just enough time to take root in your heart? What kind of watering will it take to grow these thoughts into words or actions? What seeds of discourse and discontentment will come from the fruit of these thoughts? 

Remember this:

  1. God knows every thought that you allow to fester and grow in your mind.
  2. Neglect of God’s Word makes you complacent and affects your thought life.
  3. Being complacent toward things of God leads toward paths of self-reliance, self-approval, self-worth, etc….
  4. Every word spoken and every action taken begins with our thoughts.
  5. God knows your thoughts.
  6. God hears your words.
  7. God sees your actions.
  8. Nothing is hidden from God.

How are you to recognize good thoughts from bad thoughts? Is it not by knowing, understanding, and applying God’s Word? What manner of person should you be in light of who God is? What thoughts are allowed into your mind because you have become complacent and neglectful of the Word of God and the Things of God? What would your life be like if the Word of God and Things of God were permeating every space in your heart and mind? 

Oh, that our minds would be soft to hear the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit on this. I fear that we allow too much of the things of this world to influence our thought lives. Can you imagine talking to someone and they said; “I read this verse in the bible today” when speaking in a normal conversation, rather than; “did you hear what is in the news”, or “Did you see what was on the news today”, or “I saw this posted on social media”? 

Our thought life reflects our true commitment to God’s Word and the Things of God.

“He who planted the ear, does he not hear?” “He who formed the eye, does he not see?”

My people do not understand

“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’”

Psalms 92:6  The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this:  that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever; but you, O LORD, are on high forever.

1 Corinthians 2:14     The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Jeremiah 10:14    Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them.

Psalms 94:8     Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?

Proverbs 1:22    “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?

Psalms 32:9     Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.

Psalms 14:1   The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

Psalms 37:35-36     I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.  But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.

This is a summary of Johnathan Edward’s sermon “In the hands of an angry God”.  If you have time, look it up and read the full context.  https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/edwards_jonathan/sermons/sinners.cfm

Johnathan Edwards pulls no punches when it comes to condemning the sinfulness of human beings. Those who belong in the unrepentant category may be those who are outwardly wicked and reject God, or they might be people who are complacent. They could belong to a community of people who believe, and they think they can ride that community’s or family’s coattails to avoid judgment. But Edwards’s view of sin is that it’s an active force in the world that’s ultimately controlled by the devil. Anyone who hasn’t experienced an inward renewal or ‘awakening,’ as had the many who had been converted during this time, are considered a servant of the devil: ‘They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion.’ This way of portraying ‘sinners’ emphasizes their helplessness, precarious position, but also the nastiness and corruption of their ways.

Some of the metaphors that Edwards uses to portray the situation of unbelieving human beings make this point clear. He describes even the greatest, most powerful rulers in the world as ‘feeble, despicable worms of the dust’ and as ‘grasshoppers.’ In Edwards’s most enduring image, the sinner is described as ‘a spider, or some other loathsome insect,’ which God is dangling over the fire in preparation for destruction. Each of these metaphors reiterate how puny, weak and disgusting the sinner is in the sight of God. There’s no room for pride here and no room for justification. They can’t simply be respectable or admirable – they must be ‘born again.’

According to the sermon, the judgment of God awaiting such sinners as those described above will be truly terrifying. As would be expected, the image of the fire is central in descriptions of hell, following in line with the Biblical texts about judgment. But Edwards’s descriptions are particularly strong, such as when he describes the ‘dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God.’ He also incorporates images of an infinite pit as descriptive of the judgment, drawing theologically on Scriptural texts about the abyss and psychologically on the primal fear of falling: ‘you have nothing to stand on, nor anything to take hold of.’ Combining the two, Edwards describes this chasm as ‘wide and bottomless . . ., full of fire and wrath.’

God’s judgment just isn’t fearful, but it is truly violent. Picking up on a Biblical theme of the grapes of wrath, the sermon gruesomely describes God’s retribution against sinful human beings: ‘He will crush out your blood, and make it fly . . . so as to stain all his raiment.’ And once this judgment begins, there’s no turning back and ‘your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain.’