Tag: Keep it

46.j. “Wilderness” – 10.p. “LORD’s offering at its appointed time”

 

Num 9:1-13  And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. And there were certain men who were unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the LORD’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.” The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the LORD. In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the LORD’s offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin.

 It was not a surprise for Israel to hear that Passover must be kept every year. When Passover was first instituted, God told Israel they were to keep it throughout their generations. “The long stay at the base of Mount Sinai was not a time of inactivity or indolence. It was a time of great activity in celebration of the goodness and mercy of the Lord and in preparation for what was expected to have been the soon triumphal march into the land of Canaan.” The blood of the lamb, applied to the door posts of the home, was seen by the angel of God’s judgment – and seeing the blood, the angel “passed over” and spared the home covered by the blood of a lamb. Passover was kept as a continual reminder of this occasion of judgment passed over, and of the deliverance from slavery that followed. Jesus fulfilled the Passover sacrifice by His death on the cross (1 Corinthians 5:7). The covering of His blood causes the judgment of God to “pass over” His people. We are commanded to continually remember our occasion of being spared judgment and the deliverance that followed, by remembering Jesus’ work on the cross through the Lord’s Supper. Israel was properly obedient to God. We don’t find any significant disobedience against God of distrust of Him on Israel’s part in the first 10 chapters of Numbers, while they camped at Mount Sinai. This makes their distrust of God and rebellion against Him even more shocking and without excuse from Numbers 11 on. (Guzik)

But lest any one should pervert this permission, to celebrate the Passover a month later in case of insuperable difficulties, which had only been given for the purpose of enforcing the obligation to keep the covenant meal upon every member of the nation, into an excuse for postponing it without any necessity and merely from indifference, on the ground that he could make it up afterwards, the threat is held out in Numbers 9:13, that whoever should omit to keep the feast at the legal time, if he was neither unclean nor upon a journey, should be cut off. (Keil)

Remembering how God, in the time of judgment, passed over the Israelites is no small thing. God’s judgment was announced and carried out.  There was no waiting, no stopping, or turning away from it so that it did not affect those it was intended for. Remembering God in His deliverance, mercy, and grace being saved from the slavery of sin and judgment is upon all who believe. It is no small thing that God has done. It should always be in the front of our minds. He deserves all honor and glory and praise, for He has done great and wonderful things.

6.e. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Revelation 3:1  “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

Sardis was rebuked with “you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” We see a similar warning as Isaiah 29:13-14; And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”   Sardis Christians were called dead.  It is like they were being told you have a very nice and beautiful casket but what is inside is nothing but dead bones of what used to be alive. They were physically alive and spiritually dead.  Paul said this to the Christians in Corinth “But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready”   The problem was for these Christians in Sardis and Corinth and, as well, each of us today, they died spiritually inside and were not even aware or conscience of the fact they were dying.  How does a person get to this state in their lives?  They stop living to humbly serve, honor, glorify, follow, need, trust, rely on, and obey God.  The word of God has become void in their lives. They have shut their ears to hear the Holy Spirit speak truth into their lives.  We do well to examine ourselves and hear these words of Jesus Christ.  The activity and ability to hear and act on the Holy Spirit leading dies when neglect and complacency of God’s Word are present in our lives.  This very well may be the final warning for some.  Take heed and repent.  Turn back to Christ and walk worthy of Him.

2. Be Doers

James 1:22   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.

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

Matthew 7:21-25     “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’  And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Luke 6:46-48    “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Luke 11:28     But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Romans 2:13     For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Obadiah 1:3    The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”

Galatians 6:7    Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.

It does not take much reading of scripture to be reminded of being “Doers of the Word” – “Keepers of the Word” – “Keeping oneself Unstained from the world”  God speaks to us through His word from either reading it or hearing others read it.  If we spend the time in it we find hope, peace, guidance, and encouragement for the trials that surely follow each day. 

How are we to keep unstained if we are not aware of what causes the staining?  How are we to be doers if we don’t know what to do?  Do we think for a second that we are guiltless or won’t be judged for neglecting His word?

Satan implants lies into our minds.  He tells us we are ok enough.  He tells us we are better than others.  He tells us that we are too busy. Too tired. He tells us we get enough of God’s word on Sunday.  He tells us we are content with how we are living for God.  He tells us we are not good enough or know enough to be of any value in spreading the Gospel or making disciples.  He tells us tomorrow we will have more time for God.  He tells us we deserve a break from serving God.  He tempts us with stuff that will never satisfy our soul.  He looks to confuse and cause division.  He deceives us with partial truths and we have not spent enough time in God’s word to know we are being deceived.

Be hearers – read and study God’s word

Be doers – obey God’s word

What to Confess

“If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

“Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.”

“Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions.”

Psalms 32:1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.  Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.

Luke 11:28  But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Revelation 22:14  Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.

2 Corinthians 5:19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Jeremiah 31:18  I have heard Ephraim grieving, ‘You have disciplined me, and I was disciplined, like an untrained calf; bring me back that I may be restored, for you are the LORD my God.  For after I had turned away, I relented, and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh; I was ashamed, and I was confounded, because I bore the disgrace of my youth.

Hosea 7:14  They do not cry to me from the heart, but they wail upon their beds; for grain and wine they gash themselves; they rebel against me.

Lamentations 3:8  though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer;

Luke 16:15  And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

Jeremiah 2:35  you say, ‘I am innocent; surely his anger has turned from me.’ Behold, I will bring you to judgment for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’

1 John 1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Proverbs 28:13  Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

Psalms 38:18  I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.

Psalms 51:3  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

There is much for us to learn about sin.  Throughout our lives we continue to learn how we sin against God.  That is, we do, if we stay in His word and seek to follow Him.  How do we know if we sin if our heart, mind, and soul is focused on what our culture says is acceptable, permissible, and lawful if we are not feeding on God’s word with a desire to humbly serve, honor and glorify Him.  Don’t we sound a lot like those who do not confess, do not acknowledge, try to conceal, or say I am innocent of sinning against God?  Do we think we can plead ignorance when God’s word is so readily available? Certainly not.  Look at those who cry out to God and have not acknowledged their sin before Him.  “He shuts out my prayer”.  Scripture says if we confess our sin He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Believing in Christ also means following Him and following Him means we want to know how to serve, honor and glorify Him, and this means we want to know our sin, confess it and do it no more.  Do you want to grow closer to God?  Ask Him to show you your sin while you are reading His  word, while you are thinking about His word, and while you are living out everyday.