Tag: Jealous

165. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal

1 Kings 19:9  There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Isaiah 24:17-18    Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!  He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

Deuteronomy 32:23-26    “‘And I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend my arrows on them;  they shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured by plague and poisonous pestilence; I will send the teeth of beasts against them, with the venom of things that crawl in the dust.

Doesn’t seem as though some days or periods in our life we just go from bad to worse?  We just seem to climb out of a trial only to fall into the next one. There are times when these are of our own doing and then there are times of God’s refining.  It is always going to be better when it is God’s refining rather than our own undoing.  When God is refining us, He leads us through trials that will grow our faith, strength, hope, reliance, and trust in Him.  When our undoing is because of our own consequences, then the trials we face defeat, weaken, and harden, our heart, stiffen our neck, and make us deaf and blind to things of God.

Walking each day with God will keep us from our own undoing.  Walking with God will renew you, encourage you, give you wings like eagles, and give you satisfying purpose in all you do.

33. And the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.

Numbers 25:1   While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor.”

And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting. When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

Exodus 34:14  (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),  lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice,  and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

Numbers 15:39     And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.

Deuteronomy 31:16    And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them.

Judges 2:17    Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so.

Jeremiah 3:9    Because she took her whoredom lightly

Deuteronomy 29:19-21     one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike.  The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.

The path away from God’s love, grace, and mercy – and straight into His anger and wrath is one of choice.  Choosing to not only to do what seems right in their own heart and their own eyes and pleasing to them, but they do so thinking they are ok enough to be outside the disciplining hand of God.  It does not take long for the weeds of deception to overtake the mind and soul of man.  Neglect and complacent attitude with God’s word will give fertile soil for weeds of lies, deception, and false belief.

Matthew Henry commentary: The national covenant made with Israel, not only typified the covenant of grace made with true believers but also represented the outward dispensation of the gospel. Those who have been enabled to consent to the Lord’s new covenant of mercy and grace in Jesus Christ, and to give up themselves to be his people, should embrace every opportunity of renewing their open profession of relation to him, and their obligation to him, as the God of salvation, walking accordingly. The sinner is described as one whose heart turns away from his God; there the mischief begins, in the evil heart of unbelief, which inclines men to depart from the living God to dead idols. Even to this sin men are now tempted, when drawn aside by their own lusts and fancies. Such men are roots that bear gall and wormwood. They are weeds which, if let alone, overspread the whole field. Satan may for a time disguise this bitter morsel, so that thou shalt not have the natural taste of it, but at the last day, if not before, the true taste shall be discerned. Notice the sinner’s security in sin. Though he hears the words of the curse, yet even then he thinks himself safe from the wrath of God. There is scarcely a threatening in all the book of God more dreadful than this. Oh that presumptuous sinners would read it, and tremble! for it is a real declaration of the wrath of God, against ungodliness and unrighteousness of man.

24. According to the riches of his grace

Numbers 14:17   And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

Exodus 34:6-7     The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,  keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Psalms 103:8   The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Micah 7:18     Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.

Nahum 1:2-3    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.  The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Romans 3:24-26     and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 1:7-8     In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,  which he lavished upon us

It is hard to explain forgiveness of sin to those who do not believe in God, Sin, Judgment, Anger, Wrath, Redemption, and Salvation.  As a believer we have had our heart and mind opened up to know God and the need of salvation.  I wonder if we limit our understanding of what this means.  God reached out, He called us, He demonstrated His love for us, He opened our understanding, knowledge, and wisdom, He showed us the need for redemption, He provided a sacrifice for our sin, He sent Jesus Christ His only son to die for us, He forgave us, He gave us new birth, He promised to never leave us or forsake us, He promised eternity with Him, He gives us peace, rest, joy, faith, hope, and love, He filled us with His Holy Spirit, He leads us, and He has plans and purposes for us.

We should never become complacent and neglectful of time with Him and His word.  Commit to reading it everyday.

Jealous and Avenging

“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!  Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve!  O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?  They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.

Deuteronomy 32:41-42     if I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand takes hold on judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay those who hate me.  I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh— with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.’

Isaiah 35:4    Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Isaiah 59:17     He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.

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.

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.”

2 Thessalonians 1:8    in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

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

Revelation 20:11  Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.  Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

John 3:18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

A day is coming when all mankind will be judged.  Dying without trusting in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin will be eternal torment.  Those with Christ shall be with Him the minute they die.  Those without Christ will realize what total separation from God’s love, peace, rest, joy, holiness, righteousness, patience, and every loving steadfast presence. They enter a place of fully understanding their error, but it is too late.  They see clearly what their ultimate doom to come will be.  If for a second they think the separation from God is bad, it only gets worse. This is compounded an infinitesimal  times worse.  At the final judgement they are cast into the Lake of Fire where they experience torment for eternity.  Never dying, only forever torment of the worst kind.    The proud say there is no God.  The foolish say I will wait.  The hypocrite says I am good enough.  The complacent and neglectful always think there is sometime in the future when they will commit to humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying God.  Their doom awaits. The wrath of God is to be feared.  His vengeance is to be feared.  His anger is to be feared.  Rejecting His Son, who gave His life to redeem those who would believe is a very big mistake with eternal consequences.  Those who  trust in Christ, rest in God’s grace, mercy, love and promise of eternity with Him.  Forever in His presence. Be a light of the gospel of good news.  Speak the saving grace of Jesus Christ into their lives.  Be a a light used by God for His choosing, calling, and direction.

Decisions for each Day

““Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD”

 

Joe 3:14
Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Isaiah 34:2
For the LORD is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.

Ezekiel 38:23
So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.

Revelation 16:14
“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”

Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Zephaniah 3:8  “Therefore wait for me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up to seize the prey. For my decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, all my burning anger; for in the fire of my jealousy all the earth shall be consumed.

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. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers;
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.

We make decisions all the time, what to eat, what to wear, where to go, what to say, what to dwell on….. and so much more.  Many of these decisions determine the course of our daily life.  And, of course, there are decisions of others that intersect our decisions.  There are daily decisions that can make all the difference in the world for your day.  Those decisions are; “Will I submit my life to God today, to humbly serve, honor, and glorify Him?”  “Will I listen to Him through His word and leading of the Holy Spirit?” “Will I obey this leading?” “Will I lean on my own understanding?” “Will I love others as myself?” “Will I give to those in need?”  “Will I put others needs above mine?” “Will I choose to desire God with all of my heart, mind, and soul?” “Will I meditate on Him?” “Will I be thankful?” “Will I look for opportunity to speak of Him?”  Yes everyday we make decisions and many times we start the day without God in mind. Our day will be so much more full of peace, joy, hope, rest, and love if that first decision is to start the day as a thankful and humble servant of His

 

I will

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”

Joe 2:18  Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people. The LORD answered and said to his people, “Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations. “I will remove the northerner far from you, and drive him into a parched and desolate land, his vanguard into the eastern sea, and his rear guard into the western sea; the stench and foul smell of him will rise, for he has done great things. “Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Fear not, you beasts of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit; the fig tree and vine give their full yield. “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. “The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.  You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

Psalms 46:5
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

Isaiah 12:6
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Leviticus 26:11-12
I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.

Deuteronomy 23:14
Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

“I will be among you,” “I will help you”, “I am jealous for you,” “I will deliver you,” I will walk among you,” and “I will restore you.” These are all promises of God.  Do you ever think God doesn’t care or seems distant? He is ever present and is very near.  There are many things that can separates us from understanding His presence, love, mercy and grace. Scripture states “if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us,” “if we knock He will open the door,” and “if we seek we will find Him”.  When things around us are going well do we seek Him, or draw near to Him?  More than likely it is when the things around us are falling apart, or facing a trial, or something has happened we don’t understand, or when we have tried to handle it on our own and failed.  This is when we start seeking, knocking and trying to find God in the chaos.  What would it feel like to be friends with someone who never has anything to do with you until the day they are in trouble?  Time and time again never wanting anything to do with you until you are their last resort.  The point I am trying to make is that this type of behavior is one sided and is not a relationship. God wants to be the Lord of our life – all of it – all of the time.  He has done great things and had them recorded so that we might know of His power, might, strength, love, mercy, and grace.  He is worthy of our praise, honor, glory, and humble service.  Do you want to know Him more – read His word with desire.  Do you want to see His hand at work in all of your life – Seek Him.  Do you want to have peace, joy, love, rest, and hope – choose to serve Him sincerely every moment of every day.

Jealous and Avenging

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty

Joshua 24:16
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.

Exodus 20:5
You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

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.
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.

Romans 2:5
But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well- doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self- seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil.

We talk much about God’s grace and mercy but we seem to forget to mention that He is a jealous, avenging, and wrathful.  Just reading these scriptures should give us a renewed perspective on this.  Wrath and fury on every human who does evil.  Issuing punishment of fathers to the 3rd and 4th generation of children.  Yesterday we read about the benefits of following / serving God and consequences of not.  Today these consequences are even more proclaimed.  The question we have to ask our selves is “am I limping along or am I fully committed to living a life that honors and glorifies God”?  There is no middle ground in serving God.  Notice how Joshua responded to the people when they said “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods” – He said “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God”.  I think Joshua, over the course of His life saw how many times their commitment was shallow and how easily, in times of peace and blessings, they so easily drifted away from God.  It is absolutely critical for us to examine our heart, mind, and soul on a daily basis and alignment with God’s word and the leading of the Holy Spirit – “ARE WE OBEYING”, “ARE WE FULLY COMMITTED”, “DOES MY WHOLE LIFE HONOR AND GLORIFY GOD”, “DO I SET MY MIND ON THINGS ABOVE AND WHAT IS PURE, HOLY, AND GOOD ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE AND NOT CULTURE”, and as one friend said to me recently, “ARE YOU ASKING GOD TO SERVE YOU OR ARE YOU SERVING GOD”.  God open our eyes, heart, mind, and soul to your holiness and lead us on paths that honor and glorify You.