Tag: Hear Me

51.b. Wilderness – 15.h. “No longer be children, tossed to and fro”

 

Deu 13:6-11  “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which neither you nor your fathers have known, some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether near you or far off from you, from the one end of the earth to the other, you shall not yield to him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pity him, nor shall you spare him, nor shall you conceal him. But you shall kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. You shall stone him to death with stones, because he sought to draw you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.

Micah 7:5-7    Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms;  for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.  But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

 Ephesians 4:14     so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

 Colossians 2:4    I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.

 2 Peter 2:1   But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies

 1 John 2:26-27    I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

 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.

This  demonstrates that God never puts highest priority on family relationships; if a family member forsakes the LORD, we are never to follow them away from the LORD. Jesus always comes first, as He said in Matthew 10:37: He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. This is how seriously God regards leading someone else into idolatry. Even if a sympathetic person entices you, and even if they do it in private, enticement to idolatry is not to be tolerated.  Matthew 18:6: But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Anyone who leads one of God’s people astray is greatly offending the heart of God.

Many modern researchers and pundits say that capital punishment is no deterrent to crime. God says it is a deterrent (properly practiced, of course).  (Guzik)

It is the policy of Satan to try to lead us to evil by those whom we love, whom we least suspect of any ill design, and whom we are desirous to please, and apt to conform to. The enticement here is supposed to come from a brother or child, who are near by nature; from a wife or friend, who are near by choice, and are to us as our souls. But it is our duty to prefer God and religion, before the nearest and dearest friends we have in the world. We must not, to please our friends, break God’s law. Thou shalt not consent to him, nor go with him, not for company, or curiosity, not to gain his affections. (Henry)

It seems harsh to us that “put to death” penalty be commanded for a little idolatry of other gods. We live in a time and culture that exalts “tolerance” over commitment to God. We tolerate sin to the point that it is not even called out as sin, but rather a right, personal preference, or another way to the same God. God wanted the Israelites to know it was very serious and worthy of capital punishment. It was not to be tolerated or marginalized no matter who the person was. 

 Neglect, complacency, and lack of commitment and reverence to God’s Word and things of God cultivate a fertile ground in our hearts and minds for seeds of this world to bud and grow. The Israelites were to go into the promised land and dispose of all the idols and people. They were to be the hands of Go’d judgment on them. They were not to be enticed by what these people worshipped or what they proclaimed as a deity. What in this world has been adopted, tolerated, or followed after that is not right in the eyes of God or in any way honor and glorify Jesus Christ? If you are seeking and desiring God’s Word for the purpose of following, obeying, trusting, and relying on God so that in all things you are honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ, then the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart and mind giving you discernment to see the follies of this world. The problem is that much of what is being preached is baby food and feel good about your self dribble. The sinfulness of sin and the holiness of God are not preeminent. It is more about saving souls, baptisms, and butts in the pews. Saving souls and baptisms are critical and we are commissioned to do as such. We are also told to make disciples. That very act means we are to study, teach, encourage, and grow them in the whole every-expanding knowledge and understanding of the Word of God and things of God.  We are to move on from the elementary teachings.  How is this possible when the same baby food is being preached week after week.  Line by line, precept by precept, here a little and there a little the Word of God is being fed over and over again. The elementary teaching that is essential to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to lost souls is not the same teaching required to grow disciples. And yet, this is what is happening and the result is baby understanding, baby commitment, baby understanding, and baby application.  Over and over again Scripture tells us to study, work, meditate, so that we are firmly grounded and able to recognize the lies of Satan, enticements of this world, and things that are not right or good for the soul.  If the teaching and preaching is baby food then the commitment and growth will be stunted and little sanctification will follow in the lives of those who are to be disciples. 

Oh that God’s Word was hungered and thirsted for with a desire to grow in understanding and knowledge of Him so that in all things we think, say, and do Jesus Christ is both honored and glorified.

39.w. “I wait for Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”

 

 

Genesis 49:16   “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward. I wait for your salvation, O LORD.

 Judges 18:22-31    When they had gone a distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the people of Dan.  And they shouted to the people of Dan, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter with you, that you come with such a company?”  And he said, “You take my gods that I made and the priest, and go away, and what have I left? How then do you ask me, ‘What is the matter with you?’”  And the people of Dan said to him, “Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows fall upon you, and you lose your life with the lives of your household.”  Then the people of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.  But the people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.  And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. Then they rebuilt the city and lived in it.  And they named the city Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor, who was born to Israel; but the name of the city was Laish at the first.  And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.  So they set up Micah’s carved image that he made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.

 Psalms 14:7  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

 Psalms 40:1   I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

 Psalms 62:1  For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.

 Psalms 119:41  Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise;

 Psalms 119:166   I hope for your salvation, O LORD

 Psalms 130:5   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;

 Isaiah 8:17    I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.

 Isaiah 25:9     It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

 Lamentations 3:25   The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

 Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

 Galatians 5:5    For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

 1 Thessalonians 1:10     and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. There is an elegant paronomasia, or an allusion to the name of Dan in those words, which signifies to judge, and the sense of them is, there should be heads, rulers, and judges of it. (GILL)

“Dan will procure his people justice as one of the tribes of Israel. Let Dan become a serpent by the way, a horned adder in the path, that biteth the horse’s heels, so that its rider falls back.” Although only the son of a maid-servant, Dan would not be behind the other tribes of Israel, but act according to his name (ידין דּן), and as much as any other of the tribes procure justice to his people (i.e., to the people of Israel; not to his own tribe, as Diestel supposes). There is no allusion in these words to the office of judge which was held by Samson; they merely describe the character of the tribe, although this character came out in the expedition of a portion of the Danites to Laish in the north of Canaan, a description of which is given in Judges 18, as well as in the “romantic chivalry of the brave, gigantic Samson, when the cunning of the serpent he overthrew the mightiest foes” (KEIL & DELITZSCH)

Jacob, almost spent, and ready to faint, relieves himself with those words, I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord! The salvation he waited for was Christ, the promised Seed; now that he was going to be gathered to his people, he breathes after Him to whom the gathering of the people shall be. He declared plainly that he sought heaven, the better country, Heb 11:13,14. Now he is going to enjoy the salvation, he comforts himself that he had waited for the salvation. Christ, as our way to heaven, is to be waited on; and heaven, as our rest in Christ, is to be waited for. It is the comfort of a dying saint thus to have waited for the salvation of the Lord; for then he shall have what he has been waiting for. (HENRY)

12.c. “It will surely come; it will not delay.”

Habakkuk 2:2   “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

Daniel 8:19     He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end.

Acts 1:7     He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8    And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.

Daniel 11:27   And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.

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

Isaiah 30:18     Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

James 5:7-8    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.  You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

2 Peter 2:3    Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

The news these days seems to relish in digging up as much mud as they can.  They throw it on the clear water of life and then continue to stir it up, mix it up, and cloud it up to the point where it is impossible to see worth in anything at all.  The muddy waters are a mixture of half-truths and sometimes lies.  It is hard to tell their intent or to what purpose they are focused on.  Much of the mud they cloud the waters of life with, most hearers would never have heard of unless these pessimistic and “the sky is falling” proclaimers had told them.  We do well to keep the likes of them out of our heads.

Habakkuk is told to make the vision plain and understandable.  Make it so plain that the people who read it will run away/turn away from that which is causing what is proclaimed to be coming.  Even so, there are many who read and hear it and give it no continued thought.  It is as though they don’t believe it at all or say it will never happen in my lifetime so why think about it.  Or, they may think that they have time for doing something about it later.  All of these lead to a life that forfeits the grace, mercy, and love of God.  It allows a person to think there is no danger in waiting and there is no consequence for waiting, and no worry in waiting.  All of which is false.  The time of salvation is NOW.  The time of God’s grace, mercy, and love are NOW.  Jesus Christ is coming again, soon.  No one knows when death will knock on their door.  No one knows when their end will come.  It could be today, tomorrow, or years from now.  Trust me, many people have waited for another time to trust in Jesus Christ and have died before they thought they would.  The day of salvation is NOW.  Right NOW.  Just because you see no imminent danger does not mean it is not there.  Don’t allow the things and news of this world to muddy up your vision of the need for Jesus Christ.  Do not allow this muddiness to rob you of purpose in this life and eternal life in heaven.

11.e. “The prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.”

Micah 7:1  Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires. The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net. Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand. Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; for the son treats the father with contempt, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house. But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Psalms 12:1    Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

Psalms 14:1-3    The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good.  The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.  They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Romans 3:10-18     as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;  no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”  “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  “Their feet are swift to shed blood;  in their paths are ruin and misery,  and the way of peace they have not known.”  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

We look at the times we are in and have to wonder what it will be like in the future when those who love Jesus Christ are gone.  It will be a time when the anger and wrath of God are not withheld.  It will be a time of punishment and a time of confusion.  It will be a time when trust is no longer a virtue.  We want to trust words that people speak and write.  We want to believe they are speaking the truth.  Even now we find it hard to believe anything that is reported.  News has become a political tool for the narratives the various media outlets determine to be important.  There is little news that is not tainted with bias or lies.  There is, however, a mountain of confusion from our elected officials and media outlets.  There are lies and more lies. They utter evil desires of their heart and it is weaved together through their intents.  The best of them is like a thorn.  They have turned aside and together they have become corrupt.  They are full of bitterness. The way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.  Ruin and misery follow them.

This is the world we live in but is not our home.  We have our eyes on our Savior, Redeemer, and  Son of God, Jesus Christ.  We can see the lies, bias, and half-truths.  We understand the way of the world and it should draw us closer to Jesus Christ.  Our hope is built on Him and not the things of this world.  I wonder if the best thing we could do right now is to turn off all news and social media outlets for 10 days.  I am certain our lives would not be as helpless or hopeless as they try to convince us it is.

9.e. “When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.”

Joel 1:19  To you, O Lord, I call. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flame has burned all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you because the water brooks are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

Psalms 50:15    and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalms 91:15   When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Micah 7:7    But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Habakkuk 3:17-18     Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls,  yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Luke 18:1     And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart

Luke 18:7   And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

Philippians 4:6-7     do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The people of Judah are going through trouble, granted it is a consequence of their unrepentant hearts, but they are truly going through something terrible.  We go through trials and troubles.  Some of these are a result of the consequences of our doing and others because of the consequences of others.  These all are known by God.  There is no surprise to God and all of these trials and troubles should bring us humbly before God, calling on His name, expect deliverance, and glorify Him.  What really happens and how do we react in times of trials and troubles?  Do we run to Jesus Christ first or to something / somewhere else? Are you able to say in the midst of trials and troubles “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation?”  When things are going well are we rejoicing and glorifying Jesus?  Or are we just living in the moment of the ease of life, not giving much thought or care to live humble serving, following, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ?  Do we need trials and troubles to bring us back to Jesus Christ?  Do we need trials and troubles to reset our focus on what is truly important in life this side of eternity?  Think about it.  Do we seek and desire Jesus Christ’s influence and leading in our life more when things are going well or when things are upended?  We do well to set Jesus Christ first in all things and at all times.

1.y. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

2 Chronicles 13:1   In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, Abijah began to reign over Judah. He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah.

Now there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam. Abijah went out to battle, having an army of valiant men of war, 400,000 chosen men. And Jeroboam drew up his line of battle against him with 800,000 chosen mighty warriors. Then Abijah stood up on Mount Zemaraim that is in the hill country of Ephraim and said, “Hear me, O Jeroboam and all Israel! Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt? Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, a servant of Solomon the son of David, rose up and rebelled against his lord, and certain worthless scoundrels gathered about him and defied Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and irresolute and could not withstand them.

“And now you think to withstand the kingdom of the Lord in the hand of the sons of David, because you are a great multitude and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made you for gods. Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? Whoever comes for ordination with a young bull or seven rams becomes a priest of what are not gods. But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him. We have priests ministering to the Lord who are sons of Aaron, and Levites for their service. They offer to the Lord every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the Lord our God, but you have forsaken him. Behold, God is with us at our head, and his priests with their battle trumpets to sound the call to battle against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the Lord, the God of your fathers, for you cannot succeed.”

Jeroboam had sent an ambush around to come upon them from behind. Thus his troops were in front of Judah, and the ambush was behind them. And when Judah looked, behold, the battle was in front of and behind them. And they cried to the Lord, and the priests blew the trumpets. Then the men of Judah raised the battle shout. And when the men of Judah shouted, God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand. Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men. Thus the men of Israel were subdued at that time, and the men of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord, the God of their fathers. And Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages and Jeshanah with its villages and Ephron with its villages. Jeroboam did not recover his power in the days of Abijah. And the Lord struck him down, and he died.

Psalms 22:4-5   In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.  To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

Daniel 3:28    Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

Nahum 1:7     The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.

Psalms 146:5    Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

Ephesians 1:12   so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

To hope in God in a time of trouble is a wise decision/choice.  In life, we more than likely will come up against a trial or some trouble that is very real and much bigger than we can handle either physically or mentally.  We see Abijah faced with almost certain defeat being outnumbered 2 to 1.  To get this in perspective, Abijah had 400,000 valiant men that went to defend against Jeroboam’s 800,000 chosen mighty warriors.  What thoughts would be going through your head if you were faced with this?

Abijah called out Jeroboam’s sin and disregard for God, warning him that God was on their side and to fight them was to fight against God. But Jeroboam did not listen and such it is with those who disregard God and serving Him.  Abijah and those 400,000 men called on the Lord and were given success over Jeroboam and the 800,000 warriors.  500,000 men lost their lives that day following after false gods and idols.

Power, financial stability, and worldly wisdom do not give us success. In fact what is more than likely going to happen is a harden heart, deaf ears, stiff neck, and blind eyes to the things of God.  These all come at a cost to your soul if you have not chosen in your heart and mind to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Jesus Christ.  It seems as though we give a nod toward Jesus on Sunday but then lose sight of living for Him soon after.  Neglect of His word and complacency are certain to happen when serving and honoring Jesus is not our intentional heart and mind choice.  We pretend we are ok and we try to perform good things to act as though we honor and serve Him but His word and the want of His word is not first in our heart and mind.  Shallow thoughts will never lead us to honoring Jesus Christ.  Partial obedience will never honor Jesus Christ.  Sporadic time in His word will never grow us into mature Jesus honoring followers.

Humbly honoring, serving, following, glorifying, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ is a heart and mind choice that is so more than a one-time commitment at the time of seeking forgiveness and repenting of your sin to Jesus Christ.  It is so much more than a one-time event.  It is a conversion of the heart and mind and then a daily surrender of self for the single purpose of Humbly honoring, serving, following, glorifying, trusting, and obeying Jesus Christ.  Why this daily surrender?  If we don’t we certainly will not find the heart, mind, and soul-deep satisfaction that comes through intentionally and purposely surrendering each moment of each day for the purpose of honoring Jesus Christ.  Without this intentional choice, our heart and mind will be led by self and all of its meaningless follies in search of satisfaction.

141. The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

1 Kings 9:1  As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all that Solomon desired to build, the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. And the Lord said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’ But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?’ Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’”

1 Chronicles 28:9     “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

2 Chronicles 7:19-22    “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,  then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.  And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’  Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’”

2 Chronicles 15:2     and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

Joshua 23:15-16     But just as all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the LORD your God has given you,  if you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

Eric Watkins; “Following God demands not only external obedience but also obedience of the heart. God alone is worthy of their love and worship. No other god had saved them; no other god could uphold them; and with no other god would the Shepherd of Israel share their affection and loyalty.”

“Sadly, simply stating and restating His expectations did not elicit the love and faithfulness God desired from Israel. In time, Israel’s heart, mirroring our own, longed for other gods and wandered from the commands of the covenant. God would have to do something radical, something invasive, something His people could not do for themselves in order to free them and us from the infidelity of our hearts.”

“As the Lord went before Israel, so Jesus went ahead of us, all the way to the cross. He showed us what it meant to have “no other god” before His Father in heaven, for Jesus not only obeyed the law of the Lord, He also loved the Lord His God with all His heart, soul, and might. His love and loyalty toward His heavenly Father were as unmistakable as His love and loyalty toward us. His love for His Father in heaven was displayed in the way He loved those whom His Father loved and in the way He gave Himself as the sacrifice for our sins.”

“As the old hymn says, our hearts are “prone to wander … prone to leave the God [we] love.” Day after day, we need to be reminded of God’s unfailing love for us in Christ. We also need to walk in newness of life in loving obedience toward God, by keeping Him first in our hearts. We are Christ’s church, and in Him we have been washed, redeemed, and loved. We love and obey His commands because, to paraphrase another hymn, “From heaven He came and sought us to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought us and for our life He died.”

We don’t commit to and serve God out of fear but rather because of who God is and the mercy, grace, and love extended to us through Jesus Christ.  When our eye’s lose sight for just a second of the sacrifice for Jesus made for our salvation and redemption the world is quick to fill our heart and mind with other gods and things to offer satisfaction of the flesh.  We expose our soul to unlimited paths away from the comforting arms of Jesus when our eyes are focused elsewhere.

27. Serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind.

Numbers 14:43   Because you have turned back from following the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.”

Judges 16:20    And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.

1 Chronicles 28:9     “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

2 Chronicles 15:2    “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

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

I read these two quotes today;  “Today there seems to be a high-affection for salvation and blessings from God and a  low commitment to live in line with His word.”  “Evangelicals today may not have self-consciously entered into a Halfway Covenant, but they only seek that which benefits them when in need, neglecting what it means to fully honor and obey God.”

Think about this for a moment. Low commitment and halfway covenant.  Do the words in these scriptures indicate in any way that God will tolerate a self choice to neglect and be complacent in our relationship with Him?  Will we not be held accountable.  Will we not be ever seeking and never finding that peace, rest and comfort found only in full commitment and obedience to God.  I am sure neglect and complacency of His word will not be overlooked.

It seems as though our lives get over run with worry and things of this world. This world can give no peace and therefore can not take it away. Peace the world offers is tied to that which cannot satisfy the heart and soul.  Searching for peace outside of God is like chasing the wind – (never caught – only a temporary sensory feeling – always changing direction).   “Peace” that comes from God, “Peace” that passes all understanding, is comforting and encouragement to the soul.  It strengthens us against the trials and troubles faced this side of eternity.  It gives courage to face each day with hope, trust, faith, and reliance in our Heavenly Father.

A halfway covenant, low commitment, neglect, and complacency will rob our heart, mind and soul of the presence of God in our life.

26. They believe for a while

Psalms 106:12-13    Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.  But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.

Luke 8:13    And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.

Exodus 14:31   Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

Exodus 4:31     And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped

Exodus 19:9     And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.” When Moses told the words of the people to the LORD,

2 Chronicles 20:20     And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Getting to a place where we see the hand of God at work in a time of trouble or trials requires faith, trust, and reliance on Him alone.  Have you ever noticed how some trials we think we can handle them on our own and they just seem to get worse the more effort we put in?  Time is running out, money is running out, love is not being returned, and finally, we get to the place where we have fully turn to God – our last hope.

God should never be seen as our last hope.  When He is placed as last hope, we have put some other hope in front of Him.  When He is placed in last hope it is not faith that brings us to Him but rather the thought “I have tried everything else, I guess I will try God now.”  Note what is recorded in Luke “But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.”  And, in Psalms “But they soon forgot his works;”

God should be our first hope, our only hope.  To have God first in our hope for trials and troubles, He must be made first in our life service to humbly honor, glorify, follow, and obey.  We must be grounded and deeply rooted in our love and desire to know and serve Him.  Our heart, mind, and soul must have an intentional commitment choice to have Him first.  What intentional actions would place God first:

Seeking and desiring to honor Him, to spend time in His word, to hear His whispers through His word, to be led by the Holy Spirit,  to follow Him, to obey Him, wanting to see His mighty hand of power and love, to be used by Him, to worship and praise Him, to be a reflection of the light of Christ, to tell others of the Good News of Christ.

When God is our last hope we are on rocky soil with no root, but when God is first in our heart, soul, and mind, our roots will be deep and He will be the first and only thought when any trials and troubles come our way.    

Strength of His might

“Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.”

John 11:38  Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.  Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead  four days.”  Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”  So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”  When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”  The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

2 Chronicles 20:20    And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.”

Romans 4:20  No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,  fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.  That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,  who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

2 Corinthians 4:6    For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Some things are hard for us to understand when concerning the power and might of God.  A small child would say God can do anything, but as we grow older and become established in life we seem to lose this child like faith.  God has not changed.  He can do all things.  Our thoughts change, life happens and we sometimes limit what God can do.  There are examples of faith that I love to think about.  In Daniel; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Their faith statement “God can and is able – but even if He doesn’t”  Leaves room for God’s sovereign plan and purpose.  The same was true the night Jesus was betrayed when He said – “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”  Our faith is not a magic wand we shake out actions of God at our command. I don’t know why some faith prayers God answers and others He does not.  Leaving it in His loving hands takes faith.  Leaning not onto our own understanding takes faith.  Trusting the outcome is in His plan and purpose takes faith.  Our Creator has plans and purposes beyond out ability to know and we do well to trust in, rely on, and cling to His promises of love, grace, and mercy.