Tag: food and clothing

50.s. Wilderness – 14.y. ““Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings”

 

Deu 10:17-22  For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

 Joshua 22:22     “The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows;

 1 Chronicles 16:25-26    For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods.  For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

 Psalms 136:2   Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.

 Daniel 2:47     The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries

 Revelation 17:14    They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

 Revelation 19:16     On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

 Nehemiah 1:5    And I said, “O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

 Psalms 99:3    Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!

 2 Chronicles 19:7    Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

When God requires us to show justice, compassion, and reverence, it is because these virtues answer to aspects in God’s own character. The obedience God calls us to is always set in the context of what He did for us. Our service and obedience unto the LORD is based on what He has done for us and is to be the grateful response to His goodness. If there is a lack in obedience and reverence, there is almost always a lack of appreciation for what the LORD has done. Any wisdom, beauty, or skill we show is not to our praise. (Guzik)

We are here taught our duty to God in our principles and our practices. We must fear the Lord our God. We must love him, and delight in communion with him. We must walk in the ways in which he has appointed us to walk. We must serve him with all our heart and soul. What we do in his service we must do cheerfully, and with good will. We must keep his commandments. There is true honour and pleasure in obedience. We must give honour to God; and to him we must cleave, as one we love and delight in, trust in, and from whom we have great expectations. We are here taught our duty to our neighbour. God’s common gifts to mankind oblige us to honour all men. And those who have themselves been in distress, and have found mercy with God, should be ready to show kindness to those who are in the like distress. We are here taught our duty to ourselves. Circumcise your hearts. Cast away all corrupt affections and inclinations, which hinder you from fearing and loving God. (Henry)

43.p. “Wilderness” – 7.w. Sojourner, widow, and Orphan

 

Exodus 22:21  “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child.  If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry,  and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

 Leviticus 19:33    “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.

 Deuteronomy 10:19   Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.

 Jeremiah 22:3   Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

 Malachi 3:5   “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

 Deuteronomy 10:18     He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

 Isaiah 1:17   learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

 Zechariah 7:10   do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

 James 1:27     Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Governments have the right and responsibility to control borders and immigration; yet there is no doubt of the individual’s responsibility to neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him.  It is fair to examine how accommodating we are to the strangers among us. The widow and fatherless child were the weakest and most vulnerable members of society. In an unrestrained, survival-of-the-fittest society, they would be the first to suffer abuse and destruction. (Guzik)

The laws against oppression with three crimes of the deepest dye seems intended to indicate that oppression is among the sins which are most hateful in God’s sight. The lawgiver, however, does not say that it is to be punished capitally, nor, indeed, does he affix to it any legal penalty. Instead of so doing, he declares that God Himself will punish it “with the sword”. (Ellicott)

Ye shall not afflict the widow, or fatherless child — That is, ye shall comfort and assist them, and be ready upon all occasions to show them kindness. In making just demands from them, their condition must be considered who have lost those that should protect them; and no advantage must be taken against them, nor any hardship put upon them, which a husband or a father would have sheltered them from. (Benson)

It is good for us to take heed of these words from God. All we have has been given to us by God. Oh, that our hearts and minds would be sensitive to the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit leading us to show God’s grace, mercy, and love.

28.u. “For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content”

 

Philippians 4:11   Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

 Genesis 28:20   Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear,

 Matthew 6:31-34    Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 Hebrews 13:5-6   Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

 1 Timothy 6:6-9   But godliness with contentment is great gain,  for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

How do we know contentment, happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment, peace in all circumstances? Where is it to be found? How is it demonstrated? When our circumstances place us in a time of prosperity and plenty we think this is how and where we find contentment. Not true at all.  Ease of life, prosperity, abundance, peace, and comfort is no guarantee of contentment.  In fact, it is where neglect and complacency of God’s Word, more times than not, takes place in our lives. Think about a trial or troubled time in your life.  Did you grow closer to God and seek Him more fervently?  Was your trust and belief in Him alone firm and trusting?  Did you come to a place where you were beyond self-reliance or reliance on others and placed your heavy burden into His hands, relying on Him alone? Did you experience contentment and peace placing it in His hands?   Godly contentment, happiness, satisfaction, fulfillment, and peace are not based on the circumstances of life.  They reside in our hearts and minds. It is when we surrender and yield our lives, days, minutes, and seconds of every day to the will and purpose of God, knowing and trusting in Him alone, and where we live seeking and desiring all we think, say, and do for the single purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ, is where we find contentment.  Paul learned it.  He lived trusting God was in total control of everything.  Whatever situation, in plenty and in want, Jesus strengthened Him. If our commitment is shallow and surrender of self to the purpose and will of God each day is non-existent, we will find ourselves missing out on contentment, happiness, fulfillment, satisfaction, and peace.

6.f. But godliness with contentment is great gain

1 Timothy 6:6   But godliness with contentment is great gain,  for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

I read this yesterday from David Jeremiah.

James Dyson is no overnight success. He’s worth about $5 billion now because of his vacuum cleaners, but did you know he went through 5,127 failed prototypes before his first model was successful? And then there’s Theodor Geisel. He wanted to be a writer, but his work was rejected 27 times by publishers. Some called his work “pure rubbish.” But he persevered and today you know him under his pen name “Dr. Seuss.” The myth of overnight success has ruined a lot of people who expected fame and fortune without work and exertion. It takes time to develop a quality life. And for that matter, fame and fortune are myths too. That is, they don’t bring the peace and joy we crave. What we need is godliness with contentment. That doesn’t come overnight either. It’s something that develops within us as we walk with God over time, seeking His face, doing His will, learning His Word, serving His people, and singing His praises. Overnight. Success. Fame. Fortune. Those words mean too much to too many. Instead, remember 66. That’s the number of books in the Bible. It’s also the location of a great secret about true success: 1 Timothy 6:6: “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”

His ears are open to their prayer.

Deuteronomy 32:39  “‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

Deuteronomy 30:19     I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

Proverbs 4:22    For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.

Isaiah 45:19    I did not speak in secret, in a land of darkness; I did not say to the offspring of Jacob, ‘Seek me in vain.’ I the LORD speak the truth; I declare what is right.

Matthew 6:33    But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

1 Timothy 6:6-8     But godliness with contentment is great gain,  for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world  But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

1 Peter 3:10-12     For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;  let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse.”

Choice is something we have.  It is an act within our heart and mind that turns into action.  Seeking God for forgiveness, salvation, healing, strength, rest, peace, love, doing His purpose and plan, serving Him, and willing to be led by Him are humble life changing choices that will bless our soul.

On the other hand seeking self interest, wants, desires, putting ourselves before all others, and denying God’s call in our lives to humble serve, honor, worship, praise, follow and obey Him is a choice that will curse our soul.