Tag: languages

45.r. “Wilderness” – 9.x. “every man able to go to war in Israel— all those listed were 603,550”

 

Num 1:45  So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers’ houses, from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel— all those listed were 603,550.

 Genesis 12:2    And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

 Deuteronomy 10:22   Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.

 Hebrews 11:11-12     By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.  Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

 Revelation 7:9    After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Including women, children, and old men, together with the Levites, the whole population of Israel, on the ordinary principles of computation, amounted to about 2,400,000. (Brown)

We have here the sum total. How much was required to maintain all these in the wilderness! They were all provided for by God every day. When we observe the faithfulness of God, however unlikely the performance of his promise may appear, we may take courage as to those which yet remain to be fulfilled to the church of God. (Henry)

It is hard to imagine how a small group of ~70 that came into Egypt became greater than 2,000,000 in 200+ years not to mention how these were fed and cared for in the wilderness for 40 years. If you try to math this out it is something only God’s plans, purpose, and will could accomplish. We read in Ephesians that God can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine. This is true here. Our God has more power, might, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and whatever other words of greatness the dictionary has. He is limitless in what He can do and what He does is according to His perfect plans, purposes, and will. The more we read His Word the more we see of His awesomeness. This is the God we serve and for sure we ought to serve Him worthy of who He is. Our thoughts each day should be in line with faithfulness, trust, reliance, obedience, and how we might honor and glorify Jesus Christ more today than yesterday.

7.g. Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”

Revelation 1:8   Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

Ezekiel 2:8 – 3:1  “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a book was in it. And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe. And he said to me, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat.And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey. And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”  Moreover, he said to me, “Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears.  And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear or refuse to hear.”  Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great earthquake: “Blessed be the glory of the LORD from its place!”  It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them, and the sound of a great earthquake. The Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the LORD being strong upon me.

John, like Ezekiel, was told to consume the message of God.  This message was sweet to the taste but bitter to the stomach.  When you think about it there is something sweet and bitter with God’s Word.  Grace, mercy, and love – sweet,  Wrath, anger, judgment – bitter.  Do you ever wonder if today there is enough being taught and preached about the two of these?  We here so much of the grace, mercy, and love without a full understanding of the need to preach the whole Gospel which also speaks of wrath, anger, and judgment.  The Gospel that promises me redemption, forgiveness, salvation, life, hope, peace, rest, satisfaction and eternity in heaven also promises wrath, anger, judgment, unrest, confusion, anxiousness, fear, turmoil, dissatisfaction, discontentment, anguish, disappointment, regret, unhappiness, frustration, chaos, and eternity in Hell.  How many have trusted in a shallow gospel of prosperity, health, and heaven with a single understanding of the benefits of coming to Christ?  How is it they can know the need of forgiveness without knowing of sin and its consequences?  How can they know the depth of the love of Jesus Christ if they do not know of the depth of His wrath, anger, and judgment against those who reject Him?  Preaching and teaching and believing in a watered-down gospel does no one any good.  The need to be saved can only be understood when we know what we are being saved from. Understanding and becoming aware that we deserve hell but have been given a choice of redemption through Jesus Christ is the beginning and all of the promises and blessings after this deepen our faith commitment post being saved (born again).  The sweet and blessed redemption through the Love of Jesus Christ and the bitter consequences of the rejection of this Love must be proclaimed.