moab – Page 2 – Praying Pint

47.y. “Wilderness” – 12.d. “Balaam refuses to come with us.”

Num 22:7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message. And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the LORD speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the LORD has refused to let me go with you.” So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”

Immediately, the heart of Balaam was revealed. Though he was obviously a man with significant spiritual gifts, he was not a man with a genuine heart after God. He was “seeking God’s will” regarding something that was plainly not His will. Balaam began on a dangerous course – entertaining, planning, setting his heart on something he knew to be sin, and looking for a spiritual excuse to pursue the sin. Because of his love for money, Balaam tried to manipulate God into granting him a special exception. God had no obligation to respond to a greedy, self-seeking heart like Balaam’s. But in mercy God did respond, warning Balaam to have nothing to do with these men. Balaam did know these were evil men who had come for an evil purpose – to hire a prophet – but Balaam did not act accordingly. (Guzik)

If Balaam had been a true prophet and a faithful servant of Jehovah, he would at once have sent the messengers away and refused their request, as he must then have known that God would not curse His chosen people. But Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness. This corruptness of his heart obscured his mind, so that he turned to God not as a mere form, but with the intention and in the hope of obtaining the consent of God to his undertaking. And God came to him in the night, and made known His will. (Keil)

When we know God’s Word and it is clear on right and wrong, and yet, we try to come up with a way to lessen our sin or tolerance of what is wrong, we fall into a path that will allow human reason and logic to cloud the Word of God. We do well to stand firm against taking part in any plans that we know are not of God, God-honoring, being an example for others to follow, or that cause us to lose unity within our fellowship with other believers. Just because we are weak in our understanding and knowledge does not give us room to play in the realm of what is wrong in God’s eyes.

47.x. “Wilderness” – 12.c. “Balak and Balaam”

Num 22:1 Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the people of Amaw, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

Israel was, at this point, on the move. They had basically finished their 38-year exile in the wilderness, and then progressed towards Canaan, coming closer than the previous generation of unbelief. They would remain in this general area (the plains of Moab…across from Jericho) for about a year, when the book of Joshua describes their crossing the Jordan and attack on Jericho.

A man named Balaam suddenly appears in Numbers. We do not know how he came to be regarded as a prophet or a man with spiritual powers, but King Balak certainly knew Balaam’s reputation. As the account continues, it will be clear that Balaam had some knowledge of the true God, the God of Israel, that went beyond a vague spiritual connection (such as the specific mention of the LORD in Numbers 22:8). How Balaam came to know the true God is unclear; he was (in this regard) like Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18) and Jethro (Exodus 18), men who were not Israelites, but they came to some knowledge of the true God. King Balak wanted Balaam to curse Israel, to cripple them spiritually so they could be defeated in battle. Balak seemed to know the strength of Israel was spiritually rooted, and they had to be cut off from their source of power if they were to be conquered. (Guzik)

None had so great a reputation as Balaam; and Balak will employ him, though he send a great way for him. It is not known whether the Lord had ever spoken to Balaam, or by him, before this; though it is probable he had, and it is certain he did afterwards. Yet we have abundant proof that he lived and died a wicked man, an enemy to God and his people. And the curse shall not come upon us if there is not a cause, even though men utter it. To prevail with Balaam, they took the wages of unrighteousness, but God laid restraint upon Balaam, forbidding him to curse Israel. Balaam was no stranger to Israel’s cause; so that he ought to have answered the messengers at once, that he would never curse a people whom God had blessed; but he takes a night’s time to consider what he should do. When we parley with temptations, we are in great danger of being overcome. Balaam was not faithful in returning God’s answer to the messengers. Those are a fair mark for Satan’s temptation, who lessen Divine restraints; as if to go against God’s law were only to go without his leave. The messengers also are not faithful in returning Balaam’s answer to Balak. (Henry)

38.g. “Because of the greatness of your arm”

Genesis 35:5 And as they journeyed, a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

Exodus 15:15-16   Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.  Terror and dread fall upon them; because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone, till your people, O LORD, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased.

Exodus 23:27   I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.

Psalms 14:5    There they are in great terror, for God is with the generation of the righteous.

Deuteronomy 11:25   No one shall be able to stand against you. The LORD your God will lay the fear of you and the dread of you on all the land that you shall tread, as he promised you.

2 Chronicles 17:10    And the fear of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah

Joshua 2:9    and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.

For most of our lives, we will be unaware of the protecting angels or of God’s protection. It is there even though we do not see it or know of it. There are those times we are keenly aware of it because there is no other reason for the outcome. I still wonder how many we miss – (thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions hundreds of millions?)

Our God is all-powerful. He has no limits in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He is ever-present and all-knowing. He has steadfast love for His children. He has plans and purposes far beyond our understanding. These plans and purposes are for our good and not to harm us. There is peace, joy, comfort, and rest for the soul that clings to and humbly relies on and trusts in God through Jesus Christ.

36.w. “For the look on their faces bears witness against them”

Genesis 19:30 Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He did not know when she lay down or when she arose. The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I lay last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and lie with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.” So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

Proverbs 20:1  Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

Proverbs 23:29-35    Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?  Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine.  Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.  In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.  Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.  You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.  “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.”

Habakkuk 2:15-16 “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!  You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!

Isaiah 3:9     For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves

See the peril of security. Lot, who kept chaste in Sodom, and was a mourner for the wickedness of the place, and a witness against it, when in the mountain, alone, and, as he thought, out of the way of temptation, is shamefully overtaken. Let him that thinks he stands high, and stands firm, take heed lest he fall. See the peril of drunkenness; it is not only a great sin itself, but lets in many sins, which bring a lasting wound and dishonour. Many a man does that, when he is drunk, which, when he is sober, he could not think of without horror. See also the peril of temptation, even from relations and friends, whom we love and esteem, and expect kindness from. We must dread a snare, wherever we are, and be always upon our guard. No excuse can be made for the daughters, nor for Lot. Scarcely any account can be given of the affair but this, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? From the silence of the Scripture concerning Lot henceforward, learn that drunkenness, as it makes men forgetful, so it makes them to be forgotten. (Henry)

Although, upon the whole, Lot was a righteous man, and possessed of many amiable qualities, yet it evidently appears that his principles also, as well as those of his daughters, had suffered some degree of contamination by the society of evil-doers, otherwise surely he would have withstood every temptation to excess of drinking. Here the history of Lot ends; after this we hear no more of him or of his daughters. (Benson)

If it was not lust, therefore, which impelled them to this shameful deed, their conduct was worthy of Sodom, and shows quite as much as their previous betrothal to men of Sodom, that they were deeply imbued with the sinful character of that city. (Keil and Delitzsch )

12.t. “And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.”

Zephaniah 2:10 This is what they will get in return for their pride, for insulting and mocking the people of the Lord Almighty. The Lord will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the earth. Distant nations will bow down to him, all of them in their own lands.

Isaiah 16:6     We have heard of the pride of Moab— how proud he is!— of his arrogance, his pride, and his insolence; in his idle boasting he is not right.

Daniel 4:37    Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

Daniel 5:20-23     But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him.

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?”

1 Peter 5:5    Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Isaiah 37:23    “‘Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel!

This shall they have for their pride,…. This calamity shall come upon their land, for their pride, which often goes before a fall; and has frequently been the cause of the ruin of kingdoms and states, and of particular persons; and indeed seems to have been the first sin of the apostate angels, and of fallen man. Because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts; they looked with disdain upon them, as greatly below them; and spoke contemptibly of them, of their nation, and religion; and “made” themselves “great”, and set up themselves “above” them, opened their mouths wide, and gave their tongues great liberties in blaspheming and reviling them: what was done to them is taken by the Lord as done to himself; (Gill’s Exposition)

A little pride is enough to drag a person into the pit of arrogance and self-reliance and self-worth. Humility is replaced by that which glorifies self rather than God. Pride is deep rooted in our sinful nature. It will battle for control of our thoughts and actions. It will make unrighteous statements that bring no glory or honor to Jesus Christ. How do we recognize pride in ourselves? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could see it cleary when we look into the mirror? We would be able to address it the minute it appears. But that is not the case. We can’t see it in the mirror. Others might see it in us in how we talk but for sure we will not. The only way to clearly see pride in our lives is through the Word of God, desiring Him to show us, having a willing heart to receive His Word, and humbly seeking the Holy Spirit to be active in our lives. There is no other way for pride to be exposed so we can repent and turn away from it. Ask God to show any prideful ways in your heart and be willing to confess and turn away from them.

11.b. “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.”

Micah 5:15 And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey. Hear what the Lord says: Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, you mountains, the indictment of the Lord, and you enduring foundations of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against his people, and he will contend with Israel. “O my people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 32:1    “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

Luke 19:40    He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

Jeremiah 22:29    O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!

Isaiah 1:2   Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the LORD has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.

Give ear creation for God is proclaiming His anger against disobedience. God asks a very good question, “How have I wearied you?” “What have I done to you?” He is asking them what part of life is detrimental when following and obeying God? What part of being in the protective, powerful, and loving arms is bad for their life on earth? What part of promised eternal life with Him is not worth giving Him all our hearts, minds, and souls? What part of His provisions is so bad that we want to turn away and shun Him? If we give this any thought at all and look into how we are living our lives we might be ashamed of how we honor, glorify, follow, worship, obey, trust, and rely on Him.

10. h. “The people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’”

Obadiah 1:1 Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: “Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!” Behold, I will make you small among the nations; you shall be utterly despised. 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?” Though you soar aloft like the eagle, though your nest is set among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord.

Proverbs 16:18    Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 29:23    One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

Jeremiah 48:29-30    We have heard of the pride of Moab— he is very proud— of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance, and the haughtiness of his heart.  I know his insolence, declares the LORD; his boasts are false, his deeds are false.

Malachi 1:4    If Edom says, “We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,” the LORD of hosts says, “They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called ‘the wicked country,’ and ‘the people with whom the LORD is angry forever.’”

Obadiah wrote this shortest book of the Old Testament probably soon after the armies of Babylon destroyed Jerusalem (586 b.c.). During this conquest, the people of Edom helped capture fleeing Israelites and turn them over to the Babylonians. They even took up residence in some Judean villages. This angered the Lord, for the Edomites, as descendants of Esau, were related to the Israelites (Gen. 25:21-26, 30) and therefore should have helped them. Obadiah prophesied that Edom would be repaid for mistreating God’s people. Obadiah also asserted that God is sovereign over the nations and that the house of Jacob would be restored because of God’s covenant love for his people.

The spirit of pride is a parasite upon the souls of men. It never forgives. Nor will it receive forgiveness. So the human hearts over which it rules remain “unforgiven”. The Edomite nurses his anger; he “keeps his wrath forever”. And he never surrenders to God. He remains “unforgiven”. He never finds peace with God, peace with his fellow man, or peace with himself. Unless he repents, he cannot be saved from the wrath to come. He goes to the judgment shaking his fist at God. And descends into the fires of hell in a torment that will last forever.

9.z. ““Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people “

Amos 7:7 This is what he showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel; I will never again pass by them; the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste, and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

2 Samuel 8:2    And he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.

2 Kings 21:13    And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria, and the plumb line of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.

Isaiah 28:17    And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.”

Isaiah 34:11    But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.

If you have ever done any construction “plumb line” would mean something to you. A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure is centered. As they always find the vertical axis pointing to the center of gravity, they ensure everything is right and centered. Of course, now we use lasers to do this but the end result is the same, finding the center between two vertical points. David used a horizontal line to say who was to live and die amongst the Moabites. In Isaiah, we see a line of justice and a plumb line of righteousness.

This got me to thinking about what we use to ensure we are centered in relation to God’s righteousness. How can we know? The Word of God will and does center us. The problem is I think we wait until we are way too far from the center before we seek center. Too often we use the plumb line of worldly expectations and definitions of what centered means. Health, wealth, prosperity, busyness, and ease of life seem to scream out this is what being centered means. God says, seek and desire me with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength. Love your neighbor, help the orphan and widow, and humbly serve honor, follow, obey, trust, and rely upon Me. Our center is found in His Word when our hearts, minds, and ears are opened with a hunger and thirst for its leading in our lives. To be centered with God requires an intentional surrender of self and an intentional choice to keep focused on Him alone. Grab hold of the plumb line and never let go. Keep centered. Rely on, cling too, and trust in Him alone.

9.r. Thus says the Lord: I will not revoke the punishment,

Amos 1:3 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have threshed Gilead with threshing sledges of iron.

Amos 1:6 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom.

Amose 1:9 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they delivered up a whole people to Edom, and did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.

Amos 1:11 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever.

Amos1:13 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of the Ammonites, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have ripped open pregnant women in Gilead, that they might enlarge their border.

Amos 2:1 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Moab, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because he burned to lime the bones of the king of Edom.

We read of Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammonites, and Moab. All of these did great sins against the Lord God. In their power, prosperity, pride, greed, and lack of concern for God they went about their day by day, month, by month, and year by year with every day taking more and more steps away from God. The first few days, weeks, months of a new king would define how the people reacted. So easily were they led away from God until He would punish their sin and draw them back. How long did God wait? Sometimes it was short and other times it was long, but in the end, God’s punishment came. It is not as though He did not send messengers (prophets) to warn them. It is not as though He did not give them a written word to guide them. It is not as though He did not do miracles in their presence to show His great power and love. All of these acts of disobedience have been recorded so that by them we might become aware of the sinful nature of man and how easy it is to turn away from God. When we grow in Christ, it is precept upon precept, line upon line, and word upon word, but only if we intentionally choose to be guided by it. When we surrender our lives to Christ we find wisdom, understanding, and knowledge in His word that gives us joy, hope, peace, power, courage, patience, and rest. Our soul is satisfied and yet hungers for more. We hear His whispers of guidance in our lives. We see lies being proclaimed and sin whitewashed and tolerated. God’s Word will speak to us just as in the days of prophets if we open our hearts and minds to it. It will teach us to see things in this world for what they are and give us hope for eternity even in the midst of trials that come.

197. How would our life change were we to give our whole heart, soul, and mind to God?

2 Kings 23:4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the keepers of the threshold to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven. He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel. And he deposed the priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun and the moon and the constellations and all the host of the heavens. And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. And he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah. And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beersheba. And he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on one’s left at the gate of the city. However, the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech. And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-melech the chamberlain, which was in the precincts. And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. And the altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, he pulled down and broke in pieces and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. And the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.

Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned, reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the word of the Lord that the man of God proclaimed, who had predicted these things. Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” And he said, “Let him be; let no man move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. And Josiah removed all the shrines also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the Lord to anger. He did to them according to all that he had done at Bethel. And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Deuteronomy 13:5 But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

We read all of the actions Josiah took after he made a covenant to walk after the Lord. We went city by city and destroyed the false idols, altars, and anything that was a compromise in serving God with their whole heart, mind, and soul. What a testimony to a changed life. What a testimony to humbly serving, following, honoring, trusting, relying on, and obeying God.

How would our life change were we to give our whole heart, soul, and mind to God? What would be changing in how we think? What would change in where we go? What would change in what we say? What would change in how we act? What would change in what we allow to influence our lives? What would change in how much time we spend in His word? What would change?

When we come to God’s word with hunger and thirst for it, when we come to God’s word with a seeking and a desire, when we come to God’s word with a want to hear and be led by the Holy Spirit, we will filled with a continual hunger for more and more knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of Jesus Christ, and we will be able to discern the deceptions and illusions this world has to offer.