Tag: I Have Sinned

48.a. “Wilderness” – 12.g.

 

Num 22:34  Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.”

Exodus 9:27    Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.

Exodus 10:16-17     Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.

 1 Samuel 15:24    Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

 1 Samuel 26:21   Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day.

 Psalms 78:34    When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.

 Matthew 27:4-5    saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”

 1 Chronicles 21:7    But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel.

This sounds humble enough, but it was obvious and easy to say when the Angel of the LORD stood before Balaam with a drawn sword in hand. The threat of immediate judgment humbles most people. 2 Peter 2:15-16 speaks of Balaam’s attitude, telling us he had gone astray, he loved the wages of unrighteousness, was full of iniquity, and was not in his right mind. The root of Balaam’s sin was a love for money. Jude 1:11 calls it the error of Balaam for profit. He was willing to disobey God and curse God’s people if he could do it for money. (Guzik)

He confesses his passion and thoughtlessness in his ill treatment of the ass, and excuses himself for so wilfully persisting in his journey, from his ignorance of the angel’s standing in the way to oppose him; but he makes no confession of his covetousness, which was the dishonest principle that influenced him in all his steps. (Benson)

I have sinned … if it displease thee, I will get me back again—Notwithstanding this confession, he evinced no spirit of penitence, as he speaks of desisting only from the outward act. (Jamieson)

Confessing sin without repentance is not seeing the sinfulness of sin. Confession without repentance allows a person to think they are right with God when their heart and mind are still not right with God. Without repentance there is no forgiveness. Confessing sin without committing to turning away from it is just a weak way of saying sorry, my bad, I’ll try to do better, but I’m only human, and there is no inner desire within their heart to never ever do it again. 

When Paul said to confess your sins to one another I think it was for the purposes of having a fellow believer hold you to a repentant heart – and remind you and encourage you in your repentance. Another reason is to keep us humble and not to think more highly of ourselves than we should. And to encourage others by our humbleness and commitment to honoring and glorifying God.

How many times have you been convicted of sin through hearing or reading God’s Word? When this Holy Spirit conviction comes upon your soul – Confess it – Repent of it (turn away from it)- Commit to never entertaining it again  

Life happens and then the next thing you know you are in a situation where the temptation to do that which you have committed to not do, you do or are thinking about doing. Resist – confess its temptation – ask God to give you clear eyes to see the sinfulness of sin and His holiness. Stand strong in the Holy Spirit. Ask God to show you what is in your heart so that you can know it, see it, and turn away from it.

It is one thing to confess sin but totally different to repent of it and commit to turning away from it. Many times we try to do this on our own power or within our own strength and 5-step plan. We do well to stand in the power and might of the Holy Spirit and not rely on our own power and strength for surely we will become tired and unable to resist.

41.y. “Let My People Go” – 7. Hail

 

 

Exodus 9:13  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.  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.  You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.  Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’”  Then whoever feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,  but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the LORD left his slaves and his livestock in the field. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.”  Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.  There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.  The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.  Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.  Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.  Plead with the LORD, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the LORD. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the LORD’s. But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the LORD God.”  (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.  But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.)  So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the LORD, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.  But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses.

 Psalms 83:17-18  Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace,  that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

 Proverbs 16:4   The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

In this bold declaration, God told Pharaoh through Moses that his resistance was being used for God’s glory. If Pharaoh though he was accomplishing anything with his resistance against God, he was completely wrong. All his stubborn rebellion merely glorified the LORD more in the end. God invited Pharaoh and the Egyptians to trust Him by recommending precautions before the plague. Some took God’s invitation and spared their livestock, but others did not. I have sinned this time. The LORD is righteous, and my people and I are wicked: This sounds like perfect words of repentance from Pharaoh, but true repentance had not worked its way into his heart. Pharaoh was grieved at the consequences of sin, but not at the sin itself. “Moses does not believe that pharaoh will keep his word, yet he grants the request so that pharaoh may be without excuse.”  Hardening the heart against God is sin; failing to repent when God graciously answers our plea is to ignore His rich mercy is to sin yet more. (Guzik)

Moses is here ordered to deliver a dreadful message to Pharaoh. Providence ordered it, that Moses should have a man of such a fierce and stubborn spirit as this Pharaoh to deal with; and every thing made it a most signal instance of the power of God has to humble and bring down the proudest of his enemies. When God’s justice threatens ruin, his mercy at the same time shows a way of escape from it. God not only distinguished between Egyptians and Israelites, but between some Egyptians and others. If Pharaoh will not yield, and so prevent the judgment itself, yet those that will take warning, may take shelter. Some believed the things which were spoken, and they feared, and housed their servants and cattle, and it was their wisdom. Even among the servants of Pharaoh, some trembled at God’s word; and shall not the sons of Israel dread it? But others believed not, and left their cattle in the field. Obstinate unbelief is deaf to the fairest warnings, and the wisest counsels, which leaves the blood of those that perish upon their own heads. (Henry)

A peculiar feature of the plague is the warning (ver. 19) whereby those who believed the words of Moses, were enabled to escape a great part of the ill effects of the storm. It is a remarkable indication of the impression made by the previous plagues, that the warning was taken by a considerable number of the Egyptians, who by this means saved their cattle and their slaves. (Unknown)

The same type of warning can be said given in John 3:16-21  “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

Rev. 22:7 And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Rev. 22:12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves.”
Rev. 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

There are many warnings in God’s Word to people, and as well, many examples of warnings that were not believed to the harm of those hearing and blessings to those who did listen and acted according to His Word. In Acts it says that no man has an excuse for denial, rejection, and disobedience to God.  The clear warning of eternal Hell and torment or the blessing of eternal life in Heaven is promised and He, the Creator and Author of all there is will indeed carry out what He has clearly stated for judgment and blessing.  Like those in Egypt who denied the warning of God and suffered and died will be those who deny God’s offer of salvation, redemption, and forgiveness.  Jesus will come quickly when He is not expected and those found void will forever be eternally in Hell and torment.  Today is the day of salvation.  Do not wait another second, your eternal destiny is but one breath away.

105. For you have rejected the word of the Lord

5:1   And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” And Samuel said,

Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.” And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

Over and over, the Bible tells us that God blesses and rewards obedience. James 1:22–25 says it perfectly: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.“

Obedience enables us to live a life of joy, power, courage, and faith rooted deeply in the Lord and confident in our eternal hope. We can be rewarded by God in a myriad of ways. “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart”.

For all true followers of Christ, obedience is never peripheral. At the heart of what it means to be a disciple of our Lord is living in loving devotion to God. But if such love is real, the acid test is obedience. Following Christ does not allow for selective obedience.  Selective obedience comes out of neglect of His word in our daily lives.  Selective obedience falsely allows us to think we are obedient in all things because we have chosen to live without heart and mind deep daily desire to intentionally live and breath in the depth of His word. Daily time in His word will grow our understanding and knowledge of God which grows our devotion and desire to obedience for His honor and glory.

71. After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin

Joshua 6:18   But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it.

Joshua 7:10   The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings. Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies.

Joshua 7:19   Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the Lord. And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones.

In the story of Achan, we see just how deceptive sin can be. In the midst of a miraculous victory, Achan was enticed by a robe, some silver, and some gold—certainly, none of that compares with the power of God he had just witnessed. Yet we know our own hearts can be just as easily swayed. James 1:14–15 says, “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Another aspect of sin’s deception is that it promises a benefit that it just can’t deliver. The stolen items did Achan absolutely no good; he couldn’t spend the money, and he couldn’t wear the clothes. What seemed of great worth to him was actually worthless, buried in a hole in the ground while guilt festered in his heart. The gold and silver Achan stole was stolen from God Himself. The precious metals were to be added to the treasury of the Lord, and, in stealing them, Achan robbed God directly. God is holy and is not to be disobeyed without risking dire consequences.

We fool ourselves if we think we can neglect God’s word and we will be able to keep sin from enticing and tempting us.  How can a person who chooses to neglect God’s word find the armor to fight self-interest, satan’s lies, and cultural influences?   They won’t be able to and it must be said that disobedience brings ruin even upon the innocent. Sin’s effects go beyond the initial sinner.  It will have an effect on your family and your friends.

Choose Wisely

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them

Joshua 7:19
Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath

Isaiah 65:11
But you who forsake the Lord,
who forget my holy mountain,
who set a table for Fortune
and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny,
I will destine you to the sword,
and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter,
because, when I called, you did not answer;
when I spoke, you did not listen,
but you did what was evil in my eyes
and chose what I did not delight in
“Behold, my servants shall eat,
but you shall be hungry;
behold, my servants shall drink,
but you shall be thirsty;
behold, my servants shall rejoice,
but you shall be put to shame;
behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart,
but you shall cry out for pain of heart
and shall wail for breaking of spirit

Ephesians 5:6
For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Achan coveted and took what he was not to have taken.  In Isaiah it speaks of those who sit at the table of Fortune and covet it over listening to God. And in Ephesians it gives warning to being disobedient and telling us we should walk as children of the light – doing, thinking, and discerning what is good, right,  and true.  Yesterday God impressed on me the importance of being able to battle temptations and how nearly impossible it is to do this without staying close to God through staying in His word filling our heart with desire to honor and glorify Him through worship, praise, prayer and obedience.  It is hard to discern what is good, right, and true if the only thing we use as a guide is the thoughts and tendencies of the culture we live in.  Just because the culture and laws say it s right and ok does not mean in anyway that it is right before God.  We are encouraged to discern what is pleasing to God, what it means to be children of light, what it means to have fruit of this light.  Choose to desire daily time with God in His word, let it speak to your heart.  Choose to listen. Choose to meditate/think one His holiness, mercy, grace, and love. Choose to obey.  Choose to live to honor and glorify Him.  Life will try to fill your time and convince you that there is no time for this.  Choose wisely.