Tag: sought Him

47.v. “Wilderness” – 12.a. “When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly”

 

Num 21:7-9  And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

 Psalms 78:34    When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.

 1 Samuel 12:19    And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.”

 Exodus 32:30   The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

 John 3:14-15    And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

 John 12:32    And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

 Isaiah 45:22    “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

“Their quick recognition of its source and purpose, and their swift repentance, are to be put to their credit. It is well for us when we interpret for ourselves God’s judgments, and need no Moses to urge us to humble ourselves before Him.” (Maclaren)

Even among miracles, this was unusual. There was no immediate logical connection between merely looking at a serpent on a pole and living, or refusing to look and dying. But God commanded that such an unusual thing – even a foolish thing – be used to bring salvation to Israel. Jesus referred to this remarkable event in John 3:14-15: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Jesus clearly said there is a similarity between what Moses did here and what Jesus did on the cross. The people were saved not by doing anything, but by simply looking to the bronze serpent. They had to trust that something that seemed to be as foolish as looking at a serpent on a pole was enough to save them. It is likely that some in Israel perished because they thought it was too simple, too foolish to simply look and live. The saving power represented by the serpent could not be exhausted. There was no limit to the number of those who could look and live. Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. We might be willing to do a hundred things to earn our salvation, but God commands us to only trust in Him – to look to Him. (Guzik)

Without seeing a need to repent – people don’t. There is a growing blindness in the world that sees no need for repentance. Sin is just a word religious people use to believe in a fake god that does not exist. Being bitten by a snake with death a certain outcome might give motivation to repent as you see others dying from their lack of repentance and trust in looking at the bronze snake on the pole to save them. Those who did not repent died because of their hardened heart. Though they could see others dying and others living, they gave no thought to belief in what Moses had said to them and they perished for this stubbornness.

Oh that we would see the sinfulness of our sin and the greatness of God’s holiness that would cause us to live out our days with eagerness to know our sin and repent from it for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ

2.b. The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him,

2 Chronicles 15:1  The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, but when in their distress they turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the Lord. And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the Lord his God was with him. They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. They sacrificed to the Lord on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. They swore an oath to the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around.

Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. And he brought into the house of God the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels. And there was no more war until the thirty-fifth year of the reign of Asa.

Asa listened to the prophet.  He had open ears and mind to hear because he sought God with all his heart.  We can know what to do and how to respond to many things from God’s word.  Asa took courage from God’s word and took action accordingly.  When God’s word is received by a person who is seeking God with all their heart, mind, and soul, they are moved by the leading of the Holy Spirit into action that would not have happened otherwise.  Their inner being is renewed, strengthened and that which was worrying them is now faced with courage.

Note how the people of Israel came to live under the rule of Asa because they saw the Lord God was with him.  Note how they responded with sacrifices unto God and entered into a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart and all their souls.  Anyone who would not do so should be put to death.  They rejoiced over the oath that was given with all their heart and how they sought the Lord with their whole desire and He was found by them.  They were given rest from all around because the Lord gave it to them and His hand of protection was over them.

Asa removed his mother from being queen mother because she made a detestable image.  Asa was wholly true all his days.

It is one thing to commit to the Lord Jesus Christ, to come that first time loaded with sin and guilt, to come with a need to be forgiven, to come trusting in and relying on redemption, mercy, and grace through Jesus Christ.  It is another thing to be wholly true all your days.  What does it take to be wholly true?  First is a desire and seeking that comes from deep in your heart, mind, and soul for God.  Second, there is a desire and seeking to hear Him speak into your life.  Third, there is a willingness to follow and obey what He says or has said. Fourth there is a turning away from that which is not pleasing to God.  Following God with our whole heart, mind, and soul is not like making a New Years resolution that slowly drifts away after a time.  No, it is a commitment that is fueled by an absolute need and want to be in His presence and knowing Him and doing that which honors Him.  This commitment is renewed with each breath and brought into focus with each blink of the eye.  This commitment is both the bread of life and living water for the soul.  This commitment gives life to the heart and should and without it, no purpose and satisfaction are found.

So many signs

“because they did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.”

Psalms 78:31  But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,  But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them, and he killed the strongest of them and laid low the young men of Israel.  In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.   So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.   When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly. In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.   So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.   When he killed them, they sought him; they repented and sought God earnestly.

Numbers 11:33    While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague.

John 12:37    Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,

Proverbs 1:32    For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;

Numbers 14:35   I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

Judges 3:9     But when the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel

Judges 10:10   And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.”

Hosea 5:15    I will return again to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face, and in their distress earnestly seek me.

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.

It is our tendency to live for self and deny God access to leading our daily lives.  History is full of examples where man, in the midst of God’s hand at work, turns away from God and doing what seems right in their own eyes.  We so easily follow that which is not of God.  Do we think God has somehow changed and no longer requires our whole heart, mind and soul?  Do we think we are different and God’s commands to humbly serve, trust in, rely on, cling to, honor, follow and obey Him do not apply?  Do we think He has watered down what a dedicated life to Him should look like?  I can remember when you were thought to be a Jesus follower if you went to Sunday School, Sunday morning church, Sunday evening church, Wednesday evening bible study, another bible study during the week, and spoke frequently about God in your life.  Now it seems you are considered a Jesus follower if you attend Sunday morning church once per week.  It seems as though the church has adopted this lower expectation and I fear it is at the cost of many souls forever lost.  Now is the time to repent, return and follow God with an earnest desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him.