Tag: olive trees

50. Wilderness – 14.f. “Take care lest you forget the LORD”

 

Deu 6:5-12 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. “And when the LORD your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

What God most wants from us is our love. We often think God demands a hundred other things from us – our money, our time, our effort, our will, our submission, and so forth – but what God really wants is our love. When we really love the LORD with all of our heart, soul, and mind, then everything else is freely given to the LORD. If we give the LORD all the rest – money, time, effort, will, and so forth – without giving Him our love, it is all wasted – and perhaps, all is lost.

God planned to bring Israel into an abundant, prepared land. In this abundant blessing God had for Israel, there was an inherent danger: That they would forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt. This cycle would be repeated through the history of Israel, especially in the time of the Judges. God would bless an obedient Israel, and they would prosper; they would begin to set their heart on the blessings instead of the LORD who blessed them; God would allow chastisement to turn Israel’s focus back upon Him; Israel would repent and obey again, and God would again bless an obedient Israel and they would prosper. (Guzik)

7.i. These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

Revelation 11:4  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.

Zechariah 4:11-14     Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?”  And a second time I answered and said to him, “What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the golden oil is poured out?”  He said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”  Then he said, “These are the two anointed ones who stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

The two witnesses for God have been given great power in their testimony to those who live in and have overtaken Jerusalem with abominations, (horror, disgrace, obscenity, evil, crime, hatred, hostility, and contempt)  During this 3 1/2 years they will perform many signs and wonders as often as they desire to change the hearts of the Israelites and to cause judgment on those who would try to harm them.  The Holy Spirit is gone, Christians are gone, and the world is in chaos.  People have turned to their most basic sinful selfish desires.  There is no want to serve God, know God, or repent from this evil.  These two witnesses, like Moses when he performed signs and wonders before pharaoh are given the power to do that which can only be done at the hand of and authority of God.  We know the outcome of this, hardening of the heart, retaliation, denial, and rejection of the message/witness of these two sent by God.  Think of all that has transpired on earth already; the rapture of Christians, wars, death, earthquakes, sought, famine, disease, high costs of living, the mark of the beast, vegetation destroyed, etc….  In all of this people still will not acknowledge God’s judgment, wrath, and anger.  In all of this, they still reject Him with all of their soul.

Jump back to our time now.  We have it just the opposite.  We live in the time of the presence of the Holy Spirit on earth and within those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ with all of their heart, mind, and soul.  We live in a time of grace, peace, mercy, and love.  We live in a time of God restraining His wrath and anger and judgment.  And yet, there are fewer and fewer people seeing the need for forgiveness, salvation, redemption, and Jesus Christ.  It seems as though He is rejected in both prosperity and hardship.  We have been given these words of God so that by them our hearts might see our sinful nature, hope found in and through Jesus Christ, and what is in store for those who reject such a great salvation.