Israel – Praying Pint

54.g. Joshua 4:1-8

Jos 4:1-8 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the LORD told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there.

The stones would be a sign and a memorial for Israel, reminding them of the remarkable miracle of the dry riverbed crossing of the Jordan River. This was the final miracle of the exodus journey. Israel left Egypt through miraculously parted waters (Exodus 14), and they entered Canaan through miraculously parted waters. This was worth remembering. It was a sign because of where the stones came from: the dry riverbed of the Jordan, making them unique markers of a work that could no longer be seen. It was a memorial, establishing a lasting testimony remembering God’s great work.

This memorial looked forward to future generations that did not personally experience the miracle of the Jordan crossing. God did not want His work to be forgotten among the generations. God’s people often fail in their trust in God because they forget the great things He has done. The faith of future generations is often weak because they have never been told how great and real God is.

· Memorials are necessary because God’s people forget what they should remember.

· Memorials are necessary because the truth of what God has done does not diminish with time.

· Memorials are helpful in teaching the children of believers.

· Memorials may be visible or unseen.

· Memorials are especially helpful in times of crisis. (Guzik)

The works of the Lord are so worthy of rememberance, and the heart of man is so prone to forget them, that various methods are needful to refresh our memories, for the glory of God, our advantage, and that of our children. God gave orders for preparing this memorial. (Henry)

53.p. Joshua 3:9-17

Jos 3:9-17 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.” So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

“God extends the force of the miracle beyond their entrance into the land, and properly so, since the mere opening of a way into a hostile country from which there would be no retreat, would be nothing but exposure to death. For they would either easily fall, through being entangled in difficulties and in an unknown region, or they would perish through want. Joshua therefore foretold, that when God drove back the river it would be as if He had stretched out His hand to strike all the inhabitants of the land, and that the proof which He gave of His power in their crossing the Jordan would be a certain presage of victory, to be gained over all the tribes.” (Keil)

God had apparently revealed to Joshua how the Jordan would become a dry bed and passable by Israel. The waters would not be divided, as they were at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21-22). Instead, the waters of the Jordan would be cut off upstream, leaving a dry riverbed before Israel. This was not the time of year when the Jordan was reduced to a trickle. Because of the spring rains, the time of early harvest, the river was swollen and overflowing its banks.

“In some respects the passage of the Jordan was more strikingly miraculous than that even of the Red Sea. In the latter God was pleased to employ an agent; the sea went back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, Exodus 14:21. Nothing of this kind appeared in the passage of the Jordan; a very rapid river (for so all travellers allow it to be) went back to its source without any kind of agency but the invisible hand of the invisible God.” As well, even with the flow of the river stopped, it was miraculous that the people could cross over on dry ground. God miraculously dried the riverbed so that they didn’t slog through marshy mud.

In some sense, it took greater faith for Israel to cross the Jordan River than it took for them to cross the Red Sea. At the Red Sea, Israel was pursued by the Egyptian army (Exodus 14:8-28). Crossing the Red Sea was to travel away from danger, and to put a barrier between Israel and the danger pursuing them. In crossing the Jordan River, Israel travelled towards potential danger, the many Canaanites who would war against them. When Israel crossed the Jordan River, they cut off their path of retreat and could be “trapped” and slaughtered in Canaan. Crossing the Jordan River mean that Israel was completely committed to the task of conquering the land of Canaan; they were left with no other option. This was a demonstration of great faith. (Guzik)

53.o. Joshua 3:1-8

Jos 3:1-8 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”

God told Israel to prepare themselves for three days at the shore of the Jordan River (Joshua 1:11). All that time, the people of Israel lodged in view of a rushing river, swollen with the spring rains. They were faced with the impossibility of the crossing. The two spies had made their way across the Jordan River and back when they spied out Jericho (Joshua 2:1, 2:23). One could swim across the Jordan during flood season, but it was a heroic act (1 Chronicles 12:14-15). The whole nation with its women, children, and elderly, with all their livestock and possessions, could never be expected to cross the river that way. God gave Israel three days to consider the problem. “These events in Israel’s history describe a time of preparation for this new generation who would be called upon to occupy the land. Although Christians are not called to carry out the same physical acts, preparation is necessary for any life of ministry and service. As with Israel’s preparation, it involves hearing and believing God’s Word and the discipline of obedience to that word.”

The ark of the covenant had not yet been built when Israel crossed the Red Sea; there, God used other ways to manifest His presence to them. Here, God’s presence was mainly evident through the presence and the prominence of the ark of the covenant.

God required that His people keep some 1,000 yards (1km) behind the ark. This was for at least two reasons. First, to respect the holy nature of the ark of the covenant. Second, to make it possible for all Israel to see the ark. The ark of the covenant would show the way they must go, leading the way. Israel would accomplish this impossible task as they set their eyes upon God’s presence and followed the representation of His presence. They were to wash themselves and their garments, and abstain from every thing that might indispose their minds from a profitable attention to the miracle about to be wrought in their behalf.”

Joshua’s success depended on and grew out of the promise of God to him: This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success (Joshua 1:8). Joshua had the word of God on his lips, on his mind, and it guided his actions.The step of faith commanded by God and observed by Joshua was encouraged by the LORD Himself. This is the graciousness of God toward His people, giving them constant encouragement in the things which He commands them to do. (Guzik)

53.e. Joshua 2:1-7

Jos 2:1-7 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

The city of Jericho was relatively close to Israel’s planned crossing point of the Jordan River and it was one of the most secure and fortified cities in Canaan. It was wise for Joshua to send these spies secretly. A generation earlier, the public sending of spies into Canaan ended in disaster when most of the spies returned with a discouraging report of the land and its people. Only two of the twelve sent returned with a faith-filled, God-honoring report (Caleb and Joshua, Numbers 14:6-9). A generation later, Joshua sent only two spies instead of twelve.

Somehow, the leader of the city-state of Jericho learned that two Israelite men had come to the city as spies (to search out the country). This was of great concern, because the city was already on alert, fearful of the Israelite invasion.

The Bible simply reports Rahab’s lie; it does not praise it or excuse it. Rahab faced an ethical challenge: either option was bad. She decided that it was worse for her to betray the spies than to lie about their presence. Rahab’s protection of the spies was courageous. Despite her pagan upbringing, culture, and morally compromised profession, she allied herself with Israel and the God of Israel. (Guzik)

Those only are true believers, who find in their hearts to venture for God; they take his people for their people, and cast in their lot among them. The spies were led by the special providence of God, and Rahab entertained them out of regard to Israel and Israel’s God, and not for lucre or for any evil purpose. (Henry)

Their entering the house of such a person would not excite so much suspicion. Moreover, the situation of her house against or upon the town wall was one which facilitated escape. But the Lord so guided the course of the spies, that they found in this sinner the very person who was the most suitable for their purpose, and upon whose heart the tidings of the miracles wrought by the living God on behalf of Israel had made such an impression, that she not only informed the spies of the despondency of the Canaanites, but, with believing trust in the power of the God of Israel, concealed the spies from all the inquiries of her countrymen, though at the greatest risk to herself. (Keil)

God’s providence, provision, and purpose are not examined and understood by knowledge and understanding of every little detail of His plans, but rather by faith and steps of faith strengthened by trust and reliance in Him alone.

53.c. Joshua. “He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.””

Jos 1:9  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Deuteronomy 31:7-8   Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.  It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Judges 6:14      And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”

Acts 4:19     But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge,

Genesis 28:15   Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Deuteronomy 20:1     “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

Psalms 27:1-2     The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.

Jeremiah 1:7-8      But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”

Psalms 46:7    The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Let not the sense of thine own infirmities dishearten thee; God is all-sufficient. I have commanded, called, and commissioned thee to do it, and will be sure to bear thee out in it. (Henry)

Have not I commanded thee?…. The above things, to go over Jordan with the people into the land of Canaan, and to observe the law of Moses in all things, and to be of good courage, which is again repeated; consider who it is that has given these orders and instructions, the great Jehovah, the everlasting I AM, who is faithful to his promises, and able to perform. The consideration of which would serve to animate him to the work he was called unto, to encourage his faith in God, to engage in his service cheerfully and readily: be strong, and of a good courage; be not afraid, nor be thou dismayed; at his enemies, numerous and powerful, nor discouraged at anything in himself, any unfitness for such service, as he might think, or at any difficulties he might fear from the people he had the government of, and was to lead on; it was enough that the divine Presence was promised him. (Gill)

When facing a pending war and knowing the enemy is bigger and stronger than you, I think, would give a bit of fear into your mind. Being told to go into the land they occupy and take it away from them because I, God, have given it to you, is a big faith tester isn’t it. Joshua is told to be strong and courageous, not to be frightened, or be dismayed. Why? Because God is with him. We can look back at all of the examples given in the bible where God displayed His awesome power. Faith casts out all fear.

It is hard to cast out all fear if our understanding and knowledge of God is limited. Many doubts will come into our minds when we are not practicing and believing in His presence, love, power, and promises. Faith in God grows within us as we mature in His Word. We start to denounce self-reliance and cling to relying in Him, His leading, His power, His purposes, and His will. I see no other way to overcome fear, doubt, anger, and worry than to spend intentional time in His Word for the single purpose of knowing Him more and more, trusting in Him more and more, relying on Him more and more, believing in Him more and more, and discerning His hand in the world around us more and more.

There is a peace that passes all human understanding that comes from God’s Word. It is a place of hope, refuge, joy, purpose, holy promises, and rest.

53.a. Joshua 1:1-8

Jos 1:1-8 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

God made a covenant with Abraham, which was passed on to Isaac, which passed on to Jacob. Jacob had 12 sons and Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt. Joseph was blessed by God and became very promenade and important in Egypt. A famine in the land of Jacob orchestrated a move of the family to Egypt where the family found favor and prosperity. Over time they went from prominence to slaves and remained in this status for 400 years.

God heard their cries and brought forth Moses who after 40 years of age fled Egypt and for another 40 years remind away. At 80 years of age, he was called to lead his people out of slavery. God performed signs and wonders that set the Israelites free from the bondage of the Egyptians.

In the wilderness, God made His covenant with Israel, the Law, the system of sacrifice, and the choice of blessing or cursing for Israel. There were many signs and wonders performed by God to display His awesome power, unlimited might and all-knowing unlimited abilities. His Holiness was demonstrated as well as His justice, grace, mercy, and love.

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, God spoke to Joshua and initiated the move from the wilderness to the promised land.

The Land of Promise

The confidence of God’s power

The confidence of God’s promise (I will never leave you or forsake you)

The encouragement – Be strong and courageous

Meditate on the Book of the Law

Do not let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth

Be careful to follow the Book of the Law – All of it

I will make you prosperous and you will have success

And so we start the journey of the Israelites into the promised land.

53.n. Wilderness – 17.t. “But you shall not go there”

Deu 32:48-52 That very day the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, and because you did not treat me as holy in the midst of the people of Israel. For you shall see the land before you, but you shall not go there, into the land that I am giving to the people of Israel.”

On the day on which Moses rehearsed this song in the hearing of the people, his death was announced to him by God, and the command was again given to him to ascend Mount Nebo, thence to survey the Promised Land, and there to be gathered to his people. Moses, as the last act of his 120 years, would climb Mount Nebo, and die at the summit of the mountain.

We should never take our sins lightly. God’s grace and mercy should not give us free reign to discount the sinfulness of sin in our lives.

God’s Word is profitable for instruction and reproach. It should encourage us as well as convict us of sin so that we would recognize it and repent it. This is no shallow commitment. It is heart, mind, and soul deep. If you are not encouraged or convicted of sin, if there is a seemingly aimless wondering in your soul, if there is a void of God’s Word coming to mind, if there is a longing for something more if there is no Holy Spirit’s leading in your life….. It could be there is a famine of God’s Word in it. Neglect of His Word will always leave you void of comfort, hope, trust, reliance, joy, purpose, and satisfaction…..

It is no shallow commitment – it is an intentional choice and commitment that relies on and feeds on the Word of God.

53.m. Wilderness – 17.s. ““Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today”

Deu 32:45-47  And when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-7    And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Deuteronomy 11:18     “You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

1 Chronicles 22:19    Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God.

Proverbs 3:1-4    My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments,  for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.  Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.  So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.

Ezekiel 40:4    And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.”

Hebrews 2:1    Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

1 Timothy 4:8     for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

And he said unto them,…. By way of exhortation: set your hearts to all the words which I testify among you this day; it was not enough to hear them, but they were to lay them up in their hearts, and retain them in their memories; and not only so, but reflect on them in their minds, and closely apply to the consideration of them, and get the true knowledge and sense of them, and put it in practice. (Gill)

Moses: “I am warning you today”. Mose’s time was about up. He was not going into the Promised Land. He had spent 40 years in the wilderness, leading and instructing them in the Word of God, the Things of God, and the intentional choice to obey and follow God. Unbelief, grumbling, and disobedience were always at the door of their hearts and minds. The older generation of these unbelieving, grumbling, and disobedient people passed away in the wilderness. They were not allowed to enter into the promised land. This new generation was about to enter the promised land and Moses was instructing them on the importance of obeying and following after God; ““Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law.”

I sometimes think how easy it would be to follow after God if there wasn’t so much busyness and intrusion, things that grab hold of my time and concern. (which by the way are nothing more than excuses we use to become complacent) Think about the Israelites. They spent 40 years in the wilderness with very little outside influence. They weren’t building towns or homes or businesses. They were tending their flocks and when God indicated it was time to move they broke camp and moved on to another place. They would see firsthand the provisions of God in their water and food supply in the desert. They would see the could by day and fire by night of the presence of God leading them. They would have seen God’s blessings and judgments. They would have heard firsthand communication from God through Moses. They were taught temple worship, sacrifice, and the Law of God. What happened? They would commit to the covenant of God and then, over time, forget and commit the very things they committed not to do and not do the things they said they would.

I have come to understand that it is not the busyness of life that distracts us into complacency and falling away. Our heart, mind, and soul are not making an intentional choice, a life commitment choice, to follow, obey, trust, and rely upon God. Busyness is just an excuse we use to neglect God’s Word.

Take a look at where you are spiritually. Do you hear the quiet whispers of the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life? Are you hungering, thirsting, and desiring the Word of God so that you can better honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all your thoughts, words, and actions? If the Word of God has become a dry well, and its fruits a dead and dying tree, then recognize it and repent of it, and seek after that which is holy and honorable. The world and its pleasures and lusts will consume the heart, mind, and soul if the Word of God is neglected and not desired.

53.k. Wilderness – 17.q. “For the day of their calamity is at hand”

Deu 32:35  Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’

Psalms 94:1   O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!

Nahum 1:2    The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.

Nahum 1:6     Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

Romans 12:19    Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

Hebrews 10:30     For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

Psalms 73:17-19   until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.  Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.  How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!

Proverbs 4:19    The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

Jeremiah 13:16    Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness.

1 Peter 2:8    and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

2 Peter 2:3     And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Isaiah 30:12-13    Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them,  therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant;

Habakkuk 2:3    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.

2 Peter 3:8-10     But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

The Lord will never disgrace the throne of his glory. It is great wisdom, and will help much to the return of sinners to God, seriously to consider their latter end, or the future state. It is here meant particularly of what God foretold by Moses, about this people in the latter days; but it may be applied generally. Oh that men would consider the happiness they will lose, and the misery they will certainly plunge into, if they go on in their trespasses! What will be in the end thereof? Jer 5:31. For the Lord will in due time bring down the enemies of the church, in displeasure against their wickedness. When sinners deem themselves most secure, they suddenly fall into destruction. (Henry)

It is my office to punish sin, and therefore as I know their sins, so I will assuredly punish them. Their feet shall slide; they who now think they stand fast and unmovable, they shall fall into utter destruction. In due time; though not so soon as some may expect it, yet in that time when it shall be most proper and seasonable, when they have filled up the measure of their sins (Brown)

We read these verses and see the coming of God’s vengeance on those who reject and deny Him and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We might even have thoughts of cheering on the coming of this event. Yet when I read these verses I can only humbly bow my head and reverently say; “Thank you, Lord Jesus”. The verses describe the exact punishment I deserved prior to God exposing my Sin and revealing His Son to me. It is not as though I was on a mindful journey seeking to find redemption and salvation through Jesus Christ. No, I was content in my sin and my life apart from God. God, in His love, mercy, and grace, exposed me to Himself through a painful event that opened my eyes to Him and the need for redemption.

I look back at how the couple across the street invited my wife and I to come to listen to an evangelist on a Thursday night, and how the words of this man spoke deep into my soul, and with utter clarity I was given a clear understanding of the need for redemption, salvation, and forgiveness. God orchestrated it all. Not only that, but the couple across the street were well-grounded and strong believers who continually explained more and more of the bible to us.

I grasp glimpses of understanding God’s vengeance and His grace, mercy, and love. These always bring me to the same place in my thoughts; “Thank you, Lord Jesus”!

53.h. Wilderness – 17.n. “Oh, that my people would listen to me”

Deu 32:29  If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end!

Deuteronomy 5:29     Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

Psalms 81:13    Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!

Psalms 107:15     Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!

Psalms 107:43   Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

Isaiah 48:18-19   Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;  your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains; their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me.”

Hosea 14:9    Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Luke 19:41-42     And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,  saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Amos 8:11. “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.“

Matthew 9:36    When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Romans 11:7-10    What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened,  as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”  And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them;  let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”

The idolatry and rebellions of Israel deserved, and the justice of God seemed to demand, that they should be rooted out. But He spared Israel, and continues them still to be living witnesses of the truth of the Bible, and to silence unbelievers. They are preserved for wise and holy purposes and the prophecies give us some idea what those purposes are. The Lord will never disgrace the throne of his glory. It is great wisdom, and will help much to the return of sinners to God, seriously to consider their latter end, or the future state. It is here meant particularly of what God foretold by Moses, about this people in the latter days; but it may be applied generally. Oh that men would consider the happiness they will lose, and the misery they will certainly plunge into, if they go on in their trespasses! What will be in the end thereof? Jer 5:31. For the Lord will in due time bring down the enemies of the church, in displeasure against their wickedness. When sinners deem themselves most secure, they suddenly fall into destruction. And God’s time to appear for the deliverance of his people, is when things are at the worst with them. But those who trust to any rock but God, will find it fail them when they most need it. The rejection of the Messiah by the Jewish nation, is the continuance of their ancient idolatry, apostacy, and rebellion. They shall be brought to humble themselves before the Lord, to repent of their sins, and to trust in their long-rejected Mediator for salvation. Then he will deliver them, and make their prosperity great. (Henry)

I sometimes wonder if we continue in sin because we are ignorant of God’s Word, lack the desire to study and know it, have less desire to apply it, and have deluded our hearts with worldly wisdom to the point where we are void of the wisdom, truth, promises, warnings, hope, blessings, refuge, strength, and encouragement it proclaims. We know more about worldly stuff than we know about the Word of God. How is Jesus Christ honored and glorified in this? How are we to know if our feet are on the path to righteousness? How are we to know right from wrong, good from bad, and truth from false if the Word of God is not in our hearts and minds? How can we be ever-growing and maturing in our understanding and knowledge of God’s grace, mercy, and love apart from His Word? How are we to live so that Jesus Christ is honored and glorified in all of our thoughts, words, and actions if the desire of our hearts and minds is on worldly pursuits and blind to the things of God?

How is the Holy Spirit to speak into our lives if our ears are deaf? How are we to see things of God if our eyes are blind? How do we understand the signs of the times? How are we to recognize sin? How are we to know that we need to repent? How are we to be light to the lost? How are we to be the salt of the earth? Will people be curious about Jesus by the way you live and treat others?

We make time in our day for many things, things we deem important and need to do. We make time for things that are not so important but these things occupy much of our time in mindless consumption. (TV, Social Media, News outlets, Sports) We pursue things that are important to us. We also allow our minds to be consumed by the unimportant. It seems as if we gravitate toward the worldly and away from things of God. “Oh, that my people would listen to me”