Exodus 39:21: "They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod-as the LORD commanded Moses."
The high priest, as intercessor for the people of Israel before the Lord, had to wear very specific garments when he entered the Lord's presence in the Tabernacle. Two of these garments were the linen ephod (made with strands of gold and blue/purple/scarlet yarn) and the breastpiece. The purpose of the ephod was to present the names of the 12 tribes before the LORD when the designated priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer the atonement sacrifice for the sins of the covenant community. Specifically, the names of the tribes were inscribed on two onyx stones in gold filigree settings mounted on the shoulder pieces of the ephod so that the priest could 'bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD [Exod. 28:12].'
The breastpiece was made like the ephod; it contained gold, blue/purple/scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen. The breastpiece contained four rows of 3 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel, and it contained the Urim and Thummin so that the priest 'would always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord' [Exod 28:30].
So why would the Lord command that the breastpiece and the ephod be tied together? One could see the practical significance in that the priest would be sacrificing items on the holy altar, and thus he did not need to have the breastpiece swinging out wildly thus encumbering his ability to perform his duties. And the priest certainly did not want the briestpiece to touch inappropriately the altar of the LORD . . . . this would have brought desecration to the altar (and possibly the priest's death as well).
We can see another symbolic reason for this dictate from the LORD. The ephod was the garment piece that the intermediary would wear to bear the names of the chosen people and in effect represent them and their sins before the LORD. The breastpiece was used to represent the people in discerning the will of God. One can see the symbolic significance of the two being tied together, namely that when the Israelites were in a spirit of contrition and confession for their sins, they are able then to seek God's will concerning the direction that they were to take as a people.
We can find a parallel in the Christian walk today. Jesus Christ, our High Priest, is the one through whom we are able to receive forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 8:1-2). . . and He is the one through whom we ultimately find the answers to life's questions (Jeremiah 33:3) . To separate our decision making away from the one who provides forgiveness of sins is to seek solutions without the help of God Himself. This is because the Lord is unresponsive to those who would perpetuate their sinful rebellion against Him as Lord (see Psalm 66:18; I Peter 3:12; 4:7; Ezekiel 8:16-18).
Because the Lord Jesus Christ has made the solely sufficient sacrifice for our sins (I John 2:1-2), we like the high priests of ages past now can approach the "throne of grace with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16); still, we must remember that we need to approach the Lord with a heart of confession and contrition for our sin. When we receive forgiveness for our sins, we then are able to find God and His will for our lives (Jeremiah 29:13). God, who is rich in mercy and love (Ephesians 2:4) will never let the righteous fall (Psalm 55:22). He will pour out His wisdom to the pure in heart so that they can follow Him in obedience and receive His Divine blessings for their faithfulness to Him as Lord.
Let us never forget that repentance and discernment of God's will go hand in hand. Just as the linen ephod and breastpiece were inseparable, so too are we to never separate our contrition and our petitions for wisdom.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
How Would the Lord Teach Us to Pray?
Luke 11:1-4: "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord teach us to pray just as John taught taught his disciples. He said to them, when you pray say, 'Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins. And lead us not into temptation.'"
In this gospel account, Jesus and his disciples had just been in Bethany near Jerusalem, and Jesus had found a certain place to pray. Whereas we don't know exactly where this certain place was, we do know that Jesus made it a discipline to find a secluded place to pray, unencumbered by the distractions of both His disciples and to the crowds that sought His miracles (see Mark 1:35 & Luke 6:12). Jesus was modeling for his disciples the need to have focused prayer with the Father. Whereas breathed prayers throughout the day are appropriate, if our prayer life is relegated to these brief exchanges, then we will find ourselves devoid of intimate fellowship with our loving Lord. Prayer should never be a low priority in our hectic lives; rather, we should long to have focused time with the Lord each day and feast upon the fellowship that we have with Him.
Jesus' disciples were impressed with the way John the Baptist's disciples prayed, and they wanted to pray with the same power and eloquence that their counterparts demonstrated. Knowing that the disciples had just been arguing amongst themselves as to whom would be the greatest in God's kingdom (see Luke 9:46), we are led to believe that the disciples did not have the purest of intentions when they presented this petition to the Lord. Most likely, they wanted to be as effective in their prayer life as John's disciples so that they could increase their notoriety in the Jewish community. Jesus responded with instruction that struck at the very heart of the prideful disposition of His disciples; specifically, Jesus illustrated a prayer that was focused on God and not the disciples egocentric behavior:
"He said to them, 'When you pray say,
Father, hallowed be YOUR name (The Greek word for "hallowed" means, "let your name be regarded as holy." Notice that Jesus was drawing attention to the majesty of the Sovereign Lord of Hosts, not the pray-er).
Your Kingdom come (Jesus wanted His disciples to be focused on God, His will, and His kingdom, not their self-adulation).
Give us each day our daily bread (Jesus wanted His disciples never to forget that God is the Provider of their every need, and so their faith should be in Him alone . . . not their abilities or their circumstances).
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us (Jesus wanted His disciples to remember that they were sinners in need of the pardon of God. In fact, Jesus likely wanted to draw attention to the sinning that the disciples were perpetrating by seeking greatness over each another).
And lead us not into temptation (Jesus wanted His disciples to know the deliverance of God in protecting His disciples from sin).
Jesus then concluded the teaching by emphasizing the need for the disciples to be persistent in their prayer life, yearning for the very things mentioned above. Jesus told them that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who asked for Him. The word "ask" in Greek is continuous aspect, meaning that it is ongoing and persistent; thus, God wanted His disciples to seek Him passionately and consistently. He knew that those who would have such a passionate disposition would appreciate even more the sweetness of the blessing of His presence.
Whereas the disciples were wanting to increase their effectiveness in praying most likely to exalt themselves, Jesus' teaching on prayer was designed to re-orient their focus away from themselves and to center upon worshipping God and surrendering to His Lordship. As we are reflecting upon our own prayer lives, we would do well to hear from the Savior how it is we are to pray.
In this gospel account, Jesus and his disciples had just been in Bethany near Jerusalem, and Jesus had found a certain place to pray. Whereas we don't know exactly where this certain place was, we do know that Jesus made it a discipline to find a secluded place to pray, unencumbered by the distractions of both His disciples and to the crowds that sought His miracles (see Mark 1:35 & Luke 6:12). Jesus was modeling for his disciples the need to have focused prayer with the Father. Whereas breathed prayers throughout the day are appropriate, if our prayer life is relegated to these brief exchanges, then we will find ourselves devoid of intimate fellowship with our loving Lord. Prayer should never be a low priority in our hectic lives; rather, we should long to have focused time with the Lord each day and feast upon the fellowship that we have with Him.
Jesus' disciples were impressed with the way John the Baptist's disciples prayed, and they wanted to pray with the same power and eloquence that their counterparts demonstrated. Knowing that the disciples had just been arguing amongst themselves as to whom would be the greatest in God's kingdom (see Luke 9:46), we are led to believe that the disciples did not have the purest of intentions when they presented this petition to the Lord. Most likely, they wanted to be as effective in their prayer life as John's disciples so that they could increase their notoriety in the Jewish community. Jesus responded with instruction that struck at the very heart of the prideful disposition of His disciples; specifically, Jesus illustrated a prayer that was focused on God and not the disciples egocentric behavior:
"He said to them, 'When you pray say,
Father, hallowed be YOUR name (The Greek word for "hallowed" means, "let your name be regarded as holy." Notice that Jesus was drawing attention to the majesty of the Sovereign Lord of Hosts, not the pray-er).
Your Kingdom come (Jesus wanted His disciples to be focused on God, His will, and His kingdom, not their self-adulation).
Give us each day our daily bread (Jesus wanted His disciples never to forget that God is the Provider of their every need, and so their faith should be in Him alone . . . not their abilities or their circumstances).
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us (Jesus wanted His disciples to remember that they were sinners in need of the pardon of God. In fact, Jesus likely wanted to draw attention to the sinning that the disciples were perpetrating by seeking greatness over each another).
And lead us not into temptation (Jesus wanted His disciples to know the deliverance of God in protecting His disciples from sin).
Jesus then concluded the teaching by emphasizing the need for the disciples to be persistent in their prayer life, yearning for the very things mentioned above. Jesus told them that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who asked for Him. The word "ask" in Greek is continuous aspect, meaning that it is ongoing and persistent; thus, God wanted His disciples to seek Him passionately and consistently. He knew that those who would have such a passionate disposition would appreciate even more the sweetness of the blessing of His presence.
Whereas the disciples were wanting to increase their effectiveness in praying most likely to exalt themselves, Jesus' teaching on prayer was designed to re-orient their focus away from themselves and to center upon worshipping God and surrendering to His Lordship. As we are reflecting upon our own prayer lives, we would do well to hear from the Savior how it is we are to pray.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Trust God When You Are Called
Exodus 3:11-12: "But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?' And God said, 'I will be with you.'"
The verbal exchange between God and Moses in chapters 3 & 4 of Exodus presents us with a interesting display of confident Divine calling and skeptical receipt of such calling. God called Moses (who had been away from his people for 40 years) to return to Pharaoh in Egypt and tell him to release the Israelites from bondage. God approached Moses while he was watching his father-in-law's flock in the desert near Horeb (Sinai). I'm sure that after 40 years tending to the flock in the desert, Moses had resigned himself to a rather uneventful life being a shepherd. Whereas he earlier had been reared in Pharaoh's palace and had experienced the privilege of royalty, he had fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian. This Egyptian had been beating a Hebrew slave, and Moses' "intervention" brought Pharaoh's anger and his edict of death for Moses. Moses knew he couldn't stick around if he wanted to live, so he got out of town to save his life.
Forty years later, Moses was summoned by the Lord to go back to Pharaoh and deliver the Israelites from their bondage. Moses first response to God was "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh . . . " Moses doubted his own worthiness to be God's emissary to the most powerful ruler in the known world at that time. God replied by saying "I will be with you"; then God gave Moses a prophetic sign to confirm his calling.
Moses then questioned his ability to present a convincing message when he got back to Egypt. He asked God, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" Again, God confirmed His calling by changing Moses' staff into a snake; God wanted to show Moses that He would work supernaturally through the messenger. Moses did not need to worry about proving himself to the people in Egypt; he simply needed to be obedient.
Moses then questioned his own eloquence in speaking. He lacked the confidence to speak in the presence of such powerful rulers. God told Moses, "Who gave man his mouth? . . . . Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say."
Finally, with one last desperate attempt to discourage God's calling, Moses simply said, "O Lord, please someone else to do it." This lack of faith brought the anger of the Lord upon Moses, and apparently this response from the Lord was enough motivation for Moses to surrender to God's calling. Whereas Moses had his eyes on his own abilities and believed himself not to be an effective messenger, God had to reorient Moses' focus away from himself so that he would look to the Lord Almighty and His ability to accomplish great things through His chosen servant. Moses needed only to respond in faith to this summons from the Lord.
What is telling is the epitaph that was written of Moses at the end of his life: "No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt-to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel" (Deuteronomy 34:10-12). Even though Moses initially did not believe himself worthy or able to do what God called him to do, when he submitted to the will of God to go to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of captivity, he became one of the greatest prophets that the people of Israel would ever know.
This is a great word for us today. God in His sovereign power can take the ordinary servant and accomplish extraordinary things to accomplish His will. When God calls us, we must take our eyes off of our abilities and circumstances and surrender to the will of the Lord for our lives. When we are obedient to God's calling, we can expect that He will work supernaturally in us and through us to further His glorious kingdom.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Watch Your Towers!
Genesis 11:4: "Then they said, 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'"
This Biblical pericope is brief account of humanity unifying for the purpose of "making a name for themselves." More specifically, these people desired to thwart the sovereignty of the One True God by establishing themselves as supreme rulers of their own lives. Contrary to God's specific command for humanity to fill the earth (i.e. expand outwardly and settle throughout all regions of the earth [see Genesis 1:28]), the people collectively settled in the plain of Shinar (Babylonia). They were unwilling to listen to the will of God; instead, they determined that they would be in control of their own lives and would do whatever their own hearts desired.
Brazenly, the people determined to set up a towering edifice that would reach into the heavens toward God. In effect, these recalcitrant people were saying, "God, we've decided that you're not going to be supreme anymore in our lives. We're going to show you that we can be our own gods, and we can effectively challenge your right to be the supreme ruler of the world. We're going to build a tower up to your throne and prove that we are capable of challenging your claim to Lordship over us."
As these Babylonians began to build their tower, they swelled with prideful arrogance. They were impressed with their own coordinated accomplishments and said, "Look at us . . . . We're making a name for ourselves . . . nothing now is impossible for us. We are as powerful and able as God Himself; in fact, we are becoming like God ourselves. We now challenge God's command to fill the earth, and we now will be unified in purpose here in the land of Babel."
The Triune God would not permit this rebellion to continue; He saw that the people's unification and collective accomplishments were building within them a pompous attitude of defiance against His Holiness. God was able to see that these people swelled with the pride that they had made a name for themselves and determined in their hearts to assert themselves as co-equal with divinity. In response, God went down to the tower that they were building and confused the people's language. Suddenly the people could not understand each other, for each of them were speaking in strange, undiscernable tongues.
Although the people thought that they would vanquish their Divine foe, the Sovereign God would not be mocked. His purposes would be accomplished whether the people were responsive to His will or not; thus, God confused their language and "scattered them over the face of the whole earth." The construction of the brazen tower came to an abrupt halt, and the land was called "Babel," which sounds like the Hebraic word for "confusion."
There is a good word for us in this passage, namely that God has a divine purpose for us to be surrendered to Him as Lord and to follow His will willingly and obediently. Sadly, we are seeing in our culture a people not unlike the Babylonians of Genesis 11 . . . a people who desire to make a name for themselves and desire to assert their own quest for lordship over the One True God.
We can be assured that God is a God of constancy; just as He did not tolerate the rebellion of these Babylonians, so too He will not be mocked by the rebellion of people today (see Galatians 6:7). Anyone who determines to assert his own quest for divinity over the Lord will find himself scattered by the will of the Lord of Hosts! Proverbs 16:18 tells us that "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Let us renounce any desires to assert our own lordship and rather submit to the Lord through repentance and obedience. We will find that the Lord will bless our surrender to Him and will bless us for our faithfulness to Him
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
So Why Aren't You Praying?
Jeremiah 33:3: "(The Lord said) Call upon me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
James 4:2b: "You do not have, because you do not ask God."
Luke 18:1: "Jesus told his disciples . . . that they should always pray and not give up."
Throughout Christendom, there is a dearth of fervent prayer to God. If most professing Christians were honest, they would share that their prayer life is rather trite and routine. Most of the prayers that they offer are brief preludes to dinner or possibly the occasional prayer at bedtime (which only lasts until the head hits the pillow).
As we forsake this wonderful privilege of communing with our loving Lord, we wonder why our life experiences are unfulfilling and why we do not see God working supernaturally in our lives. Maybe we have tried praying in the past only to find that our prayers seemed not to accomplish much . . . maybe we have asked God for His Divine intervention only to find that our prayers were not answered according to our expectations. Maybe we have allowed such experiences to quench our faith to believe that God is our advocate, who desires to answer us when we are in need of Him (see Psalm 86:7). Maybe we think that God is so far removed from our everyday lives that He is not a resource for us when we need His supernatural presence (of course, that is not what Psalm 139:7-10 says). Or maybe we have just become too lazy and self-confident to pray . . . we know that it is important, but we don't want to invest the time and effort to do what we think we can do ourselves.
The fervency of our prayer life is a good indicator of how much we really trust God and believe that He is actively a part of our lives. God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6); therefore, if we are lacking God's blessings, we must look at ourselves to see if we "have not because we ask not." Such introspection gives us reason to ponder just how many blessings we may have missed from God simply because we failed to ask the Lord in faith.
We must remember Jesus' command always to pray and not give up. We too must remember that God's timing in answering us is not necessarily our own, and His delay in answering us is intentional so that He can heighten our dependence upon Him and increase our appreciation of His supernatural work when He does answer us. We must be reassured that God is working all things in accordance with His sovereign purposes, so that we will continue to be transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory (see Romans 8:28-29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). This may mean that His Divine response may be different from what we had expected . . . still, it is ultimately what is best for us, because God loves us even beyond our ability to comprehend.
Let's not give up on what God is wanting to do in our lives. Let us commit ourselves to continual prayer, and expect God to answer us in marvelous ways. And when He answers us, let us offer Him the praise He deserves, for truly our God is a "compassionate and gracious God . . . abounding in love and faithfulness" (Psalm 86:15).
James 4:2b: "You do not have, because you do not ask God."
Luke 18:1: "Jesus told his disciples . . . that they should always pray and not give up."
Throughout Christendom, there is a dearth of fervent prayer to God. If most professing Christians were honest, they would share that their prayer life is rather trite and routine. Most of the prayers that they offer are brief preludes to dinner or possibly the occasional prayer at bedtime (which only lasts until the head hits the pillow).
As we forsake this wonderful privilege of communing with our loving Lord, we wonder why our life experiences are unfulfilling and why we do not see God working supernaturally in our lives. Maybe we have tried praying in the past only to find that our prayers seemed not to accomplish much . . . maybe we have asked God for His Divine intervention only to find that our prayers were not answered according to our expectations. Maybe we have allowed such experiences to quench our faith to believe that God is our advocate, who desires to answer us when we are in need of Him (see Psalm 86:7). Maybe we think that God is so far removed from our everyday lives that He is not a resource for us when we need His supernatural presence (of course, that is not what Psalm 139:7-10 says). Or maybe we have just become too lazy and self-confident to pray . . . we know that it is important, but we don't want to invest the time and effort to do what we think we can do ourselves.
The fervency of our prayer life is a good indicator of how much we really trust God and believe that He is actively a part of our lives. God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6); therefore, if we are lacking God's blessings, we must look at ourselves to see if we "have not because we ask not." Such introspection gives us reason to ponder just how many blessings we may have missed from God simply because we failed to ask the Lord in faith.
We must remember Jesus' command always to pray and not give up. We too must remember that God's timing in answering us is not necessarily our own, and His delay in answering us is intentional so that He can heighten our dependence upon Him and increase our appreciation of His supernatural work when He does answer us. We must be reassured that God is working all things in accordance with His sovereign purposes, so that we will continue to be transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory (see Romans 8:28-29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). This may mean that His Divine response may be different from what we had expected . . . still, it is ultimately what is best for us, because God loves us even beyond our ability to comprehend.
Let's not give up on what God is wanting to do in our lives. Let us commit ourselves to continual prayer, and expect God to answer us in marvelous ways. And when He answers us, let us offer Him the praise He deserves, for truly our God is a "compassionate and gracious God . . . abounding in love and faithfulness" (Psalm 86:15).
Monday, October 20, 2008
Don't Harbor Self Ambition
James 3:14-17; 4:4,6-7; 5:16: "If you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit . . . . (for) friendship with the world is hatred toward God . . . anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God . . . . That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you . . . . Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
As we read through the above cited passage, we are reminded that obedience to God through surrender to Him as Lord and submission to others in love is counter to the prevailing philosophy of the world. Whereas God would have believers renounce any quest for selfish ambition over Him as Master and Savior, the world would advise each person to get all he can (even at the expense of others), for personal desire transcends all other motivations and loyalties in life.
Scripture tells us that a self-absorbed disposition is not only worldly and unspiritual, but it is also "of the devil." When a person is consumed with his personal appetites as the foundational driver for his life, he cannot deny that such a preoccupation is utterly detestable to the Lord. Such sin is abhorrent to the Lord for it attempts to assert one's quest for divinity over the One True God. One need only look at the early chapters of Genesis to see that this craving by man was the catalyst that introduced sin into the world in the first place (see Genesis 3).
What God desires from His devoted followers is a heart inclined to "peace, consideration, submission, and mercy." God wants a people who have renounced everything to follow Him as their Master and will demonstrate the above character traits with those in whom they come in contact. So strong is this imperative from the Lord that He calls those who follow after their wanton desires "enemies of God (whom) God will oppose" in His Sovereign Power. Therefore, Scripture compels the one who is saturated with personal exaltation and satisfaction to forsake such sins and instead submit himself to God. A person who continually recommits himself to God as His Lord will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, be able to resist the temptations of the devil.
If one is asking how he might be able to reorient his life from selfishness to surrender, he need only look at James 5:16 as the antidote. In this passage, God implores us to "confess (our) sins to one another and pray for one another to experience healing." Notice that when a person confesses his sins, he is owning up to the wickedness in his life and in a spirit of humility is renouncing such vain pursuits. Notice too that Scripture compels the person to pray for others. Praying for others takes the focus away from self and puts it instead on loving others and seeking their best. The mind is taken away from what the flesh desires and instead thinks how he can be an agent of blessing to those for whom he is praying.
If we don't want to become an enemy of God, we will forsake the desires of our selfishness and instead put God first in our lives and love others with self-sacrificing love. God tells us that if we humble ourselves before Him, He in turn will bless us by "lifting us up" (James 4:10).
As we read through the above cited passage, we are reminded that obedience to God through surrender to Him as Lord and submission to others in love is counter to the prevailing philosophy of the world. Whereas God would have believers renounce any quest for selfish ambition over Him as Master and Savior, the world would advise each person to get all he can (even at the expense of others), for personal desire transcends all other motivations and loyalties in life.
Scripture tells us that a self-absorbed disposition is not only worldly and unspiritual, but it is also "of the devil." When a person is consumed with his personal appetites as the foundational driver for his life, he cannot deny that such a preoccupation is utterly detestable to the Lord. Such sin is abhorrent to the Lord for it attempts to assert one's quest for divinity over the One True God. One need only look at the early chapters of Genesis to see that this craving by man was the catalyst that introduced sin into the world in the first place (see Genesis 3).
What God desires from His devoted followers is a heart inclined to "peace, consideration, submission, and mercy." God wants a people who have renounced everything to follow Him as their Master and will demonstrate the above character traits with those in whom they come in contact. So strong is this imperative from the Lord that He calls those who follow after their wanton desires "enemies of God (whom) God will oppose" in His Sovereign Power. Therefore, Scripture compels the one who is saturated with personal exaltation and satisfaction to forsake such sins and instead submit himself to God. A person who continually recommits himself to God as His Lord will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, be able to resist the temptations of the devil.
If one is asking how he might be able to reorient his life from selfishness to surrender, he need only look at James 5:16 as the antidote. In this passage, God implores us to "confess (our) sins to one another and pray for one another to experience healing." Notice that when a person confesses his sins, he is owning up to the wickedness in his life and in a spirit of humility is renouncing such vain pursuits. Notice too that Scripture compels the person to pray for others. Praying for others takes the focus away from self and puts it instead on loving others and seeking their best. The mind is taken away from what the flesh desires and instead thinks how he can be an agent of blessing to those for whom he is praying.
If we don't want to become an enemy of God, we will forsake the desires of our selfishness and instead put God first in our lives and love others with self-sacrificing love. God tells us that if we humble ourselves before Him, He in turn will bless us by "lifting us up" (James 4:10).
Thursday, October 16, 2008
God Gives Us Opportunities to Trust Him
Deuteronomy 8:2-3: "Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD."
When we look back at the wilderness journey of the Israelites during the time of Moses, we can see that God tested them to see if their hearts were inclined to Him and would trust Him as their Lord. In fact, it was not long after they had experienced the supernatural deliverance from the Egyptians and had crossed the Red Sea in miraculous fashion that their first test was introduced. They had traveled just three day's journey into the desert when they began to thirst for water. Instead of remembering that the Lord recently had intervened in Egypt and rescued them, they now looked to their circumstances and lacked faith that God would meet their present needs. These Israelites began to grumble against the Lord, and this complaining spirit would be a pattern for many years to come. In fact, Exodus 15-17, which records the Israelite's experiences during this period, is one of the most concentrated sections of complaining in all of Scripture. God placed the presumed obstacle in their way to see if they would trust Him (see Exodus 15:25); sadly, these Israelites would be more inclined to take their eyes off the Lord and look rather at their abysmal circumstances. Complaining was a necessary product of such a lack of faith. Not only did this displease the Lord (Hebrews 11:6), but it also resulted in a loss of blessing that accompanies one's trust in Him.
What is particularly telling is the way that the Israelites responded a few months later when they were hungry and had no bread to eat. The newness of the freedom that they had enjoyed had now worn off and the hardships of wilderness life had set in. Now the covenant people complained against Moses, wishing that they had died in captivity in Egypt. They even conjured up false memories that they had enjoyed the choicest of food while in bondage . . . something that was not true (they were lucky to get the scraps from the Egyptians). Despite the Israelite's grumbling, God promised to provide supernatural bread from heaven, again to teach His people that man must put his trust in the promises of the Lord in order to live. By performing this miraculous act, the Lord would show His people His glory; He would proclaim to the Israelites that He could intervene and bring deliverance no matter what the circumstances seemed to show. Whereas by all physical observations the Israelites should have died of starvation in the desert, by God's Divine intervention they would be saved. God desired that His people put their faith in Him and praise Him for His triumph over their deplorable circumstances. God tested them in this situation so that in fully trusting Him, they would be able to "know that (He is) the Lord (their) God" (Exodus 16:12).
Whereas the Israelites were only to collect enough manna to provide for their necessities and trust that each day the Lord would provide again for their needs, some of the people collected more and tried to store up the excess provision just in case God did not come through for them. What they would find the next morning was that the heavenly food had rotted to the point that it smelled profusely and was full of maggots. God would not allow His people to think themselves self-sufficient and thus not be in need of the Lord's daily provision. He forced them to trust His Providential care so that they continually would be reminded that only by faith in the Lord can a people be saved from otherwise hopeless circumstances.
Years later, Jesus would be tempted by Satan to use supernatural powers to satisfy His physical needs. Satan wanted Jesus to think that God would not meet his needs while he wandered for 40 days in the wilderness, and He wanted to get Jesus to take matters into his own hands to provide for himself. Satan wanted Jesus to lose faith in God and look to His own abilities for personal rescue. Jesus quoted the passage from Deuteronomy above to remind Satan that man ultimately must put His trust in God, no matter what situation he sees before him. When a man takes his eyes off the Lord and starts to be consumed with himself, he loses the faith that is needed to experience the blessedness of the Lord.
There is a tremendous word for each of us in this passage. We are presented with tests to see if we truly will trust that the Lord will provide, even though our circumstances would tell us otherwise. We must remember that our purpose for existence is not to become self-sufficient but to fully rely on God as our Provider, Redeemer, and Sustainer. When we take our eyes off of the Lord, we begin to consume ourselves in selfish introspection and we permit our circumstances to dictate our motivations. In fear and self-centered consumption, we fall prey to the notion that the purpose in life is to get all that we can to consume all that we can to satisfy ourselves. What we must do is renounce such sinful pursuits and permit the tests of the Lord to reaffirm to us that God is in control and will intervene in our behalf if we would simply trust Him. In the end, our trust and obedience in the Lord will result in our blessedness. We will be able to see that the Lord has been maturing us in our faith in Him as our Sovereign Provider.
When we look back at the wilderness journey of the Israelites during the time of Moses, we can see that God tested them to see if their hearts were inclined to Him and would trust Him as their Lord. In fact, it was not long after they had experienced the supernatural deliverance from the Egyptians and had crossed the Red Sea in miraculous fashion that their first test was introduced. They had traveled just three day's journey into the desert when they began to thirst for water. Instead of remembering that the Lord recently had intervened in Egypt and rescued them, they now looked to their circumstances and lacked faith that God would meet their present needs. These Israelites began to grumble against the Lord, and this complaining spirit would be a pattern for many years to come. In fact, Exodus 15-17, which records the Israelite's experiences during this period, is one of the most concentrated sections of complaining in all of Scripture. God placed the presumed obstacle in their way to see if they would trust Him (see Exodus 15:25); sadly, these Israelites would be more inclined to take their eyes off the Lord and look rather at their abysmal circumstances. Complaining was a necessary product of such a lack of faith. Not only did this displease the Lord (Hebrews 11:6), but it also resulted in a loss of blessing that accompanies one's trust in Him.
What is particularly telling is the way that the Israelites responded a few months later when they were hungry and had no bread to eat. The newness of the freedom that they had enjoyed had now worn off and the hardships of wilderness life had set in. Now the covenant people complained against Moses, wishing that they had died in captivity in Egypt. They even conjured up false memories that they had enjoyed the choicest of food while in bondage . . . something that was not true (they were lucky to get the scraps from the Egyptians). Despite the Israelite's grumbling, God promised to provide supernatural bread from heaven, again to teach His people that man must put his trust in the promises of the Lord in order to live. By performing this miraculous act, the Lord would show His people His glory; He would proclaim to the Israelites that He could intervene and bring deliverance no matter what the circumstances seemed to show. Whereas by all physical observations the Israelites should have died of starvation in the desert, by God's Divine intervention they would be saved. God desired that His people put their faith in Him and praise Him for His triumph over their deplorable circumstances. God tested them in this situation so that in fully trusting Him, they would be able to "know that (He is) the Lord (their) God" (Exodus 16:12).
Whereas the Israelites were only to collect enough manna to provide for their necessities and trust that each day the Lord would provide again for their needs, some of the people collected more and tried to store up the excess provision just in case God did not come through for them. What they would find the next morning was that the heavenly food had rotted to the point that it smelled profusely and was full of maggots. God would not allow His people to think themselves self-sufficient and thus not be in need of the Lord's daily provision. He forced them to trust His Providential care so that they continually would be reminded that only by faith in the Lord can a people be saved from otherwise hopeless circumstances.
Years later, Jesus would be tempted by Satan to use supernatural powers to satisfy His physical needs. Satan wanted Jesus to think that God would not meet his needs while he wandered for 40 days in the wilderness, and He wanted to get Jesus to take matters into his own hands to provide for himself. Satan wanted Jesus to lose faith in God and look to His own abilities for personal rescue. Jesus quoted the passage from Deuteronomy above to remind Satan that man ultimately must put His trust in God, no matter what situation he sees before him. When a man takes his eyes off the Lord and starts to be consumed with himself, he loses the faith that is needed to experience the blessedness of the Lord.
There is a tremendous word for each of us in this passage. We are presented with tests to see if we truly will trust that the Lord will provide, even though our circumstances would tell us otherwise. We must remember that our purpose for existence is not to become self-sufficient but to fully rely on God as our Provider, Redeemer, and Sustainer. When we take our eyes off of the Lord, we begin to consume ourselves in selfish introspection and we permit our circumstances to dictate our motivations. In fear and self-centered consumption, we fall prey to the notion that the purpose in life is to get all that we can to consume all that we can to satisfy ourselves. What we must do is renounce such sinful pursuits and permit the tests of the Lord to reaffirm to us that God is in control and will intervene in our behalf if we would simply trust Him. In the end, our trust and obedience in the Lord will result in our blessedness. We will be able to see that the Lord has been maturing us in our faith in Him as our Sovereign Provider.
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