Tag: mocking messengers of God

43.z. “Wilderness” – 8.f. “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way”

 

Exodus 23:20  “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.

 Exodus 14:19    Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them

 Psalms 91:11   For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

 Isaiah 63:9   In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

 Malachi 3:1    “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

The Book of the Covenant terminates, very appropriately, with a series of promises. God is “the rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” He chooses to “reward men after their works,” and to set before them “the recompense of the reward.” (Ellicott)

It is here promised that they should be guided and kept in their way through the wilderness to the land of promise, Behold, I send an angel before thee, mine angel. The precept joined with this promise is, that they be obedient to this angel whom God would send before them. (Henry)

 The declaration of the rights conferred by Jehovah upon His people is closed by promises, through which, on the one hand, God insured to the nation the gifts and benefits involved in their rights, and, on the other hand, sought to promote that willingness and love which were indispensable to the fulfilment of the duties incumbent upon every individual in consequence of the rights conferred upon them. These promises secured to the people not only the protection and help of God during their journey through the desert, and in the conquest of Canaan, but also preservation and prosperity when they had taken possession of the land. (Keil)

THE REWARDS OF OBEDIENCE. God always places before men” the recompense of the reward.” He does not require of them that they should serve him for nought. The “Book of the Covenant” appropriately ends with a number of promises, which God undertakes to perform, if Israel keeps the terms of the covenant. (Unknown)

God’s promises for obedience and warnings for disobedience are consistent. 

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.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. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

3.i. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

2 Chronicles 36:11  Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel. All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.

The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Isaiah 28:22    Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord GOD of hosts against the whole land.

Jeremiah 5:12-13     They have spoken falsely of the LORD and have said, ‘He will do nothing; no disaster will come upon us, nor shall we see sword or famine.  The prophets will become wind; the word is not in them. Thus shall it be done to them!’”

Proverbs 1:24-30    Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,  because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,  when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,  would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,

1 Thessalonian  therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.

Proverbs 29:1     He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.

When I read these verses I wonder why it was that people chose not to hear the word of God and follow Him.  What had hardened their heart like a stone?  What filled the void in their life so full that was able to keep them from trusting, following, and obeying God?  It is not as though they did not know what they were doing was wrong.  It appears that they chose not to believe, not to trust, not to obey, not to serve, and not to humble themselves before God.

Then I looked back at my life and remembered how I lived apart from God, choosing to live like He did not exist.  I can not understand the softening of my heart and the grace and mercy God showed toward me in this process of bringing me to a place where I was able to see my lost and sinful soul and His forgiveness and redemption through Jesus Christ.  He opened the eyes of my heart, mind, and soul to fully see my need of redemption.  He opened my mind to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He placed people into my life and led me to a place where I had to choose to believe or reject His grace, mercy, and love in and through Jesus Christ.  Rejecting Him was not even a thought.  Wanting and needing Him was the only choice.  He was knocking at the door of my heart, mind, and soul.

I would like to say that I remained always obedient, always listening, always obeying, always honoring, always serving, always trusting, but this was not what happened.  I bounced along life following and not following, obeying and not obeying, listening and not listening, honoring and not honoring, trusting and not trusting.  Then something happened.  I started to be in and read His word almost everyday.  in His word the Holy Spirit began to expose the raw nerves of self-centered, self-interest, self-seeking, self-serving of my being.  Everyday I am made aware of the great price that was paid for me, a sinner.  I am made aware of God’s great power, might, strength, and the love, joy, peace, strength, power, and courage that He gives to those who choose to humbly serve, honor, follow, trust, and obey Him.

Eternity in hell comes to those who choose to disregard Jesus Christ.  Eternity in heaven comes to those who choose to believe and obey Him.  Now is the time of awareness.  Now is the time of redemption.  Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month or year.  Delaying this choice is very foolish in light of the punishment / reward.  I wonder how many people die unexpectedly thinking they had more time to get right with God and end up in eternity apart from God and in torment forever.

Right now is the time to be conscious of the choice to believe, trust, follow and obey Jesus Christ.