Tag: turn

49.e. Wilderness – 13.k. “The LORD did not listen to your voice or give ear to you”

 

Deu 1:40-46  But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’ “Then you answered me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’ So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country. Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah. And you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD did not listen to your voice or give ear to you. So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.

The great excuse of Israel for their unbelief at Kadesh Barnea was, “If we go and take the land, our children will be killed” (Numbers 14:3). God answered their unbelieving excuse by saying, “You will be killed, and your children will possess the land.” “Anything, in fact, will serve as an excuse, when the heart is bent on compromise.” It is sobering to consider how easily, how quickly, and how completely, God sees through our excuses. We often feel confident in our excuses because other people can’t really challenge them – but God sees right through them. After hearing the consequences of their rejection of God, Israel had a change of heart. Yet they went forth in the flesh and not in faith, because God did not lead them. They did this in the midst of their supposed repentance. Their sorrow was not over grieving the heart of God but over forty more years in the wilderness. God therefore saw through their shallow repentance. After their total defeat, then they wept and wept – but again, this was over the consequences of getting caught, not over grieving the heart of God, and not over their sin of not believing the great love of God. (Guzik)

The Word of God must find purpose, meaning, reverence, and be more precious than gold and silver. If there is a lack of this in your heart and mind there will be room for tolerance, denial, and compromise which leads to and gives root to disobedience. Being lukewarm to God’s Word results in neglect and complacency. Things of this world become more enticing and things of God become less and less important in your life. Rejecting the leading of God will always put you on a path away from God. 

Keep His Word ever before your eyes, feast on it, meditate upon it, learn what God has said and is saying to you. Our Christian lives should be ever-growing in our knowledge and understanding of the things of God so that we will honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do.

34.b. “Do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.”

 

 Matthew 18:1  At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

 Psalms 51:10-13   Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.

 Acts 3:19   Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,

 Acts 28:27    For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

 1 Corinthians 14:20     Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

 Psalms 131:1-2   O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

 Isaiah 57:15    For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

 Luke 14:11     For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 James 4:10     Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

I have much to say about humbleness, repentance, belief, grace, mercy, etc… However, as your read these Scriptures of God’s Word, let the Holy Spirit guide your thoughts accordingly for they are full of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the Holiness of God and the lowliness of man. For with the right heart and mind, these Words of God will speak into your life.

22.d. “Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn”

 

 

1 Corinthians 2:14  The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

 Matthew 13:11-17    And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’  But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.  For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

 Romans 8:5-8    For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

The natural man – one who lives in a natural state, and under the influences of these natural passions, lives in opposition to things of God and things taught by and through the Holy Spirit.  Instead of living with knowledge and understanding, they live void of God.  They have blocked their own eyes from seeing and their ears from hearing things of God.  Their heart has become like a stone to things of God.  They choose to live in this state of blindness and deafness.  Everything they do is void of doing it for the honor and glory of God.  Even the good that they do is done out of selfish desires. All of us were born in the natural state, with natural desires, and lives that were in opposition to and void of understanding things of God.  There is not a single person who can claim a birth other than this.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”

The amazing and awesome Good News of Jesus Christ is that, in the grace, mercy, and love of God, He made a way, a mystery, for us to have a “New Birth”, “Born Again”, “A New Creation”.  This mystery can not be understood or found by the wisdom and understanding of the natural man.  The heart and mind of the natural man are void of this understanding.  Somehow, God, is able to soften the heart and mind of the natural man with the “Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I have no comprehension of how this works, but I know the most stone-hardened heart can be changed by hearing the Good News.  I was lost but now am found, I was blind but now I see, I was deaf but now I hear.  Somehow the Gospel penetrates through the hardness and the heart and mind are able to understand the Gospel.  At that moment, in that very second, that person makes an intentional choice to believe it or reject it.  In that very moment a once hardened heart, that intentionally chooses to believe, trust, and rely on Jesus Christ, is changed and is “Born Again”, becomes a “New Creation”, and is a “New Birth”.   

Everyone will make an intentional decision to believe and trust God or to reject deny or reject Him before they die.  In this decision, they choose eternity in heaven or eternity in hell.  There ought to be a difference in how the lives are lived of those that are “Born Again” compared to those who are spiritually void.  

17.w. “For this reason they could not believe”

John 12:37   Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

Christ enlightens them by signs, wonders, miracles, and words. These testimonies should shine bright in the darkness so that they/we may believe and follow the way of salvation.  For this reason, they who do not choose to look at the light of Jesus Christ and the grace of God extinguish, as far as lies in their power, the light of Jesus Christ which is not only with them but offered to them.  One commentator said, “It is perplexing how they came to be so stupid, that the power of God, though visible, produced no effect upon them.  Their choice blinded them and in this blindness, their hearts are hardened like stone.  We never know what exactly led them o deny Christ.  It could have been pride, selfish-ambition, greed, anger, hate, love of this world, lovers of the desires of the flesh, or a host of other reasons.  The very same things that have kept millions upon millions from believing in Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Salvation. 

Examine your heart.  Is it open to the leading of the Holy Spirit or does it take its lead from your fleshly desires?  Does it seek and desire to know and be known by Jesus Christ?  Does it seek to honor and glorify Him?  Does it hunger and thirst for more understanding of His grace, mercy, and love?  Do not be blinded by things of this world and what it has to offer.  You never know when your heart will become hardened like stone and the light of Jesus Christ will no more be able to enter in.

12.v. ” I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents”

Zephaniah 3:6  “I have destroyed nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are laid waste; they are deserted and empty. Of Jerusalem I thought, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. Therefore wait for me,” declares the Lord, “for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger.

Isaiah 5:4     What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?

Jeremiah 8:6    I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his own course,

Jeremiah 36:3    It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”

Luke 19:42-44    saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side  and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

2 Peter 3:9    The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

God brought His justice to the nations around Judah, and it should have warned Judah what would happen if they rejected God. Instead of learning from the surrounding nations, they dedicated themselves to ungodliness all the more.  Being blind to things of God comes as a consequence of an intentional choice to neglect Him and His Word.  Hearts are somehow easily turned away from God.  Some blatantly, some casually, but they both defy and deny God.  One says surely there is no God and because of this I can do what I want without consequences.  The other says I am a good enough person and does not give any more thought to the consequences.  God shows His hand over nations, toppling them down and people are blind to the fact that it was at His hand they fell.  Rulers, Dictators, and Presidents have been removed from their lofty positions of wealth and power and yet people are still blind to the hand of God directing the course of nations and the paths of man.  When eyes are blinded to things of God, both the promises of blessings and judgments are lost from their vision.  When God is denied and defied eyes and ears are blind and deaf to Him, and yet there is still hope.  Perhaps their heart will soften and their eyes will open and their ears will hear of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  It happened for each of us who were once lost but now are found.  It is not as though we can claim any part of this as our effort other than to say somehow the Word of God pierced my heart and I fell on my knees and surrendered to Jesus Christ.  The scales were taken off the eyes to my heart and mind and I saw a glimpse of the Holiness of Jesus Christ and my sinfulness.  There was no personal effort in this as it was all of Jesus Christ and our believing, yielding, surrendering, repenting, turning away, and trusting.   Somehow there is given to man the free will choice to choose to surrender/yield to God or to defy and deny Him and His grace, mercy, and love.  We get to intentionally choose whom we serve, honor, glorify, follow, obey, and trust.  Sad to say but millions upon millions choose to serve self, honor self, glorify self, obey self, and trust in self.  This is an intentional choice.  Every single moment of every day we are given this choice to make – honor Jesus Christ or self,  glorify Jesus Christ or self, follow Jesus Christ or self, obey Jesus Christ or self, trust Jesus Christ or self, or rely on Jesus Christ or self.  We do well to ask God to show us each day to whom we have surrendered our lives, actions, and thoughts to, Jesus Christ or themself.

58. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

Deuteronomy 29:4     But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.

Proverbs 20:12    The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both.

Isaiah 6:9-10    And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’  Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Isaiah 63:17   O LORD, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants

Matthew 13:11-15     And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

  For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’

John 8:43    Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.

2 Corinthians 3:15    Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.

Ephesians 4:18    They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12     and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.  Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,  in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

James 1:13-17     Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.  But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.  Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.  Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

2 Timothy 2:25    correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,

Ezekiel 36:26   And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

There is quite a bit said in these verses that show the heart of man.  God knows the heart, mind, and soul of each person.  He knows those who do/will and do not/will not desire and seek Him.  He knows those who will believe and those who will not.  He knows. It appears to say that God will send a delusion and a hardening of the heart, ears, and eyes to those whose heart and mind and soul are dull to things of God.  It also says that God will give a new heart and new spirit to those who truly seek and desire Him.

I get a bit lost in how these two outcomes are applied to people.  If I were to look at my conversion and what it took to bring me to my knees before Jesus Christ, it was only by the grace and mercy of God that my eyes, heart, ears, and mind were opened to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the need for forgiveness and repentance.  I would easily have been one who’s heart was like that of stone, whose eyes and ears were shut to things of God.  Yet God opened them and gave me a new heart.  He gave me understanding and pulled the veil from my eyes.  He opened my deaf ears.  He softened my heart of stone.  He put a new spirit within me.

I know I deserved to be alienated and left in my ignorance for I was living in the pleasure of my sin giving no thought about God.  “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

It is the time to recognize neglect of His word and that complacency that has filled our hearts.   Confess, repent, seek, desire, and run to Him for the time is short for us to serve, honor, glorify, follow, and obey Jesus, the author, creator, awesome, mighty, powerful, loving, and steadfast redeemer of our soul.

How long will you Limp

“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.”

“how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,”

John 10:24  So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me,  but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Acts 2:22     “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—

2 Corinthians 4:3     And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

John 12:37     Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,  so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”  Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,  “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

In the scriptures today we see those who have set their heart and mind not to believe no matter what, those who go between whatever is popular at the time, and those who believe and are fully committed.  Do you wonder what keeps people grouped like this?  What is it that blinds the non-believers to Christ? What is it that keeps the wafflers from committing to fully?  What is it that keeps the believers committed?  Are the non-believers that way because of pride and condition of a hardened heart/closed mind?  Are the wafflers that way because they want to have what seems like the best of both worlds or are they afraid of what others might think?  Are the believers that way because God opened their heart and mind and drew them to Himself?  Hardened hearts and minds, waffling are always possible even to those who believe.  If we are complacent and neglect His word and lose desire to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey we can harden and we can waffle.  Paul said we should guard ourselves.  We need to take every thought captive.  We cannot prevent the first thought that comes to mind but we can certainly get a proper thought put into place.  Paul said to put on the full amour of God.  There is so much more to being a follower than salvation.  It would seem like this – we want a warm bed to sleep in but want nothing to do with the household or maintaining the house.  Our walk to to be so much more than believing and salvation.  We are to reflect the light of Christ, proclaim the good news, be able to give reason for why we believe, able to encourage, able to disciple, able to correct,  and have a daily walk that is filled with joy, peace, hope, kindness, gentleness, and love.  Spend time in His word and grow in knowledge and understanding of Him.  Hear His whispers of guidance and humbly obey Him.