What Are We Afraid Of?

The True ROCK

In the closing days of Moses’ life God commanded Moses to write a song for Israel, a song that “When many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them as a witness.” God had shared with both Moses and Joshua the direction, contrary to His commands, the Children of Israel would go once they entered the Promised Land, eventually succumbing to the idol worship they would encounter. “Moses therefore wrote this song the same day, and taught it the Children of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 31-32)

Moses began the song by declaring the God who had brought them out of bondage in Egypt into the glorious light of The Promised Land, “HE is The Rock, His work is perfect… Just and right is He.” Upon recounting God’s leading from the time of Adam to the present, Moses then included in his song a time when they would “forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation… Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.”

The song continued that because of their turning away from God a foolish nation would arise, provoking them to anger, and the Children of Israel would be able to put to flight a thousand of the enemy by one man, and ten thousand by two, made possible only “except their Rock [the Children of Israel’s] had sold them, and The LORD had shut them up? For their rock is not as Our Rock… For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter. Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.”

 In the closing lines of the Song of Moses the Children of Israel would learn was to be sung, “The LORD shall judge His people… And He shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted… Let them rise up and help you, and be your protection.” In full assurance it is then proclaimed, “See now that I, even I, am HE, and there is NO god with me.” The Rock of man’s salvation is none other than God Himself… “Upon This ROCK I will build My Church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it,” (Matthew 16:16-18).

No Other Gods

As the Children of Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses gave them final instructions in possessing the land and faithfully obeying God’s commands who was giving them the land. The Book of Deuteronomy is a record of Moses’ final words to those he had led from Egypt, through the wilderness, and on to their final destination. With Moses’ prohibition from entering the land flowing with milk and honey due to his disobedience of God’s command to speak to the rock to receive water, upon which Moses “smote the rock twice” in anger during the wilderness wandering (Numbers 20:7-13), his words to them were filled with great significance concerning the seriousness of obeying God’s Word.

God’s command to the Children of Israel entering the Promised Land after crossing the Jordan River was to destroy all the inhabitants that were occupied there: the Hitties, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; “Seven nations greater and mightier than thou… For they will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods.” The Israelites were to “destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire,” all of which pertained to the idol worship that permeated the land (Deuteronomy 7).

The very first commandment given by God on Mt. Sinai forty years earlier had been, “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” (Exodus 20:3-5). The commandment included not to make any graven image, bow down to them, nor serve them. The Promised Land they were about to enter was polluted with idolatrous images which were bowed down to and served by those who resided there. God’s judgment was about to be poured out upon those who dwelt there by His Chosen People in destroying the idol worship that God forbids.

Much is written in the Book of Deuteronomy concerning not following other gods, in addition to the Book of Exodus where God further commands, “Make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth,” (Exodus 23:13). In Deuteronomy 13 the Children of Israel were admonished, “If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones… Because he hath sought to thrust thee away from the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wickedness as this is among you,” (Deuteronomy 13:6-10).

“Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”

Look and Live

Once again the Children of Israel were taking the long way around. Upon the crossing of the Red Sea the LORD did not allow them to make a beeline for the Promised Land; instead He guided them to a desert place to regroup and spy out the land before entering. Because of their unbelief in conquering the land with God’s help, He caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 long years until the unbelieving generation died off leaving their descendants to enter the land flowing with milk and honey (Numbers 13-14).

Moses had heard it all before; the people were once again complaining about a lack of food and water but this time they even loathed the manna from Heaven that had kept them alive throughout the previous decades. Not only were the men, women and children of the new generation grumbling against Moses for their present circumstance, they were murmuring against God, too. It was then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people. Those who were sinning in rebellion against the LORD were bitten, causing “much people of Israel” to die from the venomous bites (Numbers 21).

As the people came in repentance, confessing their sin and asking Moses to “pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us,” the LORD instructed Moses to make a serpent of brass, set it on a pole, “and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.” In John 3 Jesus told Nicodemus “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus then spoke the words of the most familiar verse of Scripture, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:14-16).

Look to Jesus in Repentance of Sin

And Live

                                                                                          

Reaping What’s Been Sown

As America celebrates another Memorial Day remembering those who have given their lives for our precious freedoms, our once great nation finds itself in the throes of reaping what has been sown over the last 50 years. Since 1962 prayer has been thrown out of our public schools, the killing of innocent babies in the womb has been legalized, free love and mind-altering drugs of the 60s generation are rampant throughout the culture, and God-ordained marriage is witnessing its demise per those who seek to destroy its 6,000 years of history. For a country that seemingly has turned its back on God upon Whose Word it was founded, may we repent and return to our First Love before it is too late, knowing it is written in His Word, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap,” (Galatians 6:7).

God warned the Children of Israel before taking possession of the Promised Land that if after they had remained long in the land and they were to forget His covenant with them by corrupting themselves and doing evil in the sight of God to provoke Him to anger, they would soon perish from off the land and be destroyed (Deuteronomy 4). It was first King Nebuchadnezzar and his army who conquered and destroyed Jerusalem 850 years later, taking all but those who were sick and feeble captive back to Babylon including the three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the Hebrew prophet Daniel. After 70 years of captivity and the Jews return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city walls, it is recorded in A.D. 70 the Roman General Titus overthrew the city again, burning it to the ground with the people scattering to the four corners of the earth as God had warned them would happen for their disobedience (v.27). It was not until Israel’s rebirth on May 14, 1948, “a nation born in a day,” that God has allowed the Children of Israel to return to the Promised Land where they will remain in preparation for His Second Coming, never to be scattered again (Isaiah 66).

If God brought destruction to the people of Israel for their disobedience to Him, “provoking Him to jealousy with strange gods… with abominations provoked they Him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God… and hast forgotten God that formed thee,” He said, “I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very forward generation, children in whom is no faith” (Deuteronomy 32:15-20), how shall America escape His judgments that are sure to come if we neglect so great salvation? We are doomed as all nations that forget God (Psalm 9:17).

“And that, knowing the time,

That now it is high time to awake out of sleep;

The night is far spent, the day is at hand:

Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness,

And let us put on the Armour of Light.”

Romans 13:11-12

Desiring a King

It was in the sovereignty of God that the Children of Israel were told before entering the Promised Land that there would come a time in their future when they would demand a king to rule over them. For over 2,500 years since man’s creation the LORD had been caring for His own, watching over them, leading them, providing their every need, but a time would come when they would desire to be like all the nations round about them by having their own earthly king to judge them, go out before them, and fight their battles for them (I Samuel 8). God revealed in Deuteronomy 17 how that king would come to rule and the guidelines he would abide by:

1. God would choose him (v.15)
2. He would be chosen from among their brethren (v.15)
3. He would not acquire a multitude of horses for himself (v.16)
4. He would not return the people to Egypt (v.16)
5. He would not acquire multiple wives (v.17)
6. He would not multiply to himself silver and gold (v.17)

Just as prophecy was fulfilled 350 years later in the anointing of the first king of Israel, King Saul, the following chapter of Deuteronomy also foretells of a coming Prophet whom God would raise up from among their brethren whom they should hear. They were further told God “will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him,” (18:15-19). It was outside the little town of Bethlehem shepherds keeping watch over their flock by night were told by the Heavenly Host the Prophet, Priest and King foretold of by God the Father 1,450 years earlier in the Old Testament had finally come. “Unto Him ye shall hearken.”

Unanswered Prayer

The offspring of the Children of Israel who had wandered in the wilderness were moving closer to the Promised Land. Moses was giving final instructions while rehearsing for them the history of what had transpired to bring them where they presently found themselves, on the east side of the Jordan River. It was then he revealed a prayer he had prayed that God was not going to answer in the affirmative.

Moses told the congregation of the Children of Israel he had prayed, “O Lord GOD, Thou hast begun to shew Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy might? I pray Thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon,” (Deuteronomy 3:24-25). It was at the waters of Meribah in the wilderness of Zin where Moses had struck the rock instead of speaking to it as God had commanded, that Moses was denied the privilege of entering the Promised Land with those he had led for 40 years, (Numbers 20:1-13). The nearer they traveled to their destination, the more Moses wanted the opportunity to place the sole of his foot on the sacred soil.

Moses continued to relate the extent of his prayer, “But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter,” (v 26). God’s answer to Moses was very clear… “The answer is NO and don’t ask Me again.” But God was merciful to Moses in His denial of Moses’ prayer, in that He allowed Moses to climb to the top of Mt. Pisgah and take in the panoramic view of the Promised Land from his vantage point, which was quite great reaching unto the Mediterranean Sea (Deuteronomy 34:1-4).

Many prayers that seemingly go unanswered are in fact answered, but not in the way the petitioner pleads God to answer them. In Moses’ case it was his sin that kept God from giving him what he so desired at the end of his journey. For other requests it may be a multitude of different reasons an omniscient God does not respond according to the thoughts and intents of an individual’s prayer. It is then trust must be placed in the hands of God to lead, guide and direct according to His perfect will in one’s prayer life.

Keeping a Promise

A whole chapter of the Bible is devoted to keeping one’s promise. It was Moses who wrote in Numbers 30, “This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded” and continues, “If a  man vow a vow… or swear an oath… he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.” If God is the One who commands promises are to be kept, then breaking a promise or going back on an oath is sin.

The Children of Israel had reached the eastern shore of the Jordan River on their way to the Promised Land, avenging God’s wrath on the Midianites who for centuries had been idol worshippers and refused to worship the One True God. The children of Reuben and the children of Gad, two of Jacob’s sons of the twelve tribes of Israel, “had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land… behold, the place was a place for cattle,” (Numbers 32:1). The descendants of Reuben and Gad asked of Moses if they could remain east of the Jordan, settling their families and livestock in such a lush valley. Being a part of the Israelite army needed to cross the Jordan and continue in the Children of Israel’s quest to obtain the land promised to Abraham’s descendants, the soldiering men of Reuben and Gad promised, “We ourselves will go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place… We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.” The men also vowed, “We will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan, or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side Jordan eastward,” (vs.17-19).

Moses agreed with the men if they would go armed across the Jordan and lead the army against God’s enemies, they could return and possess the land east of the Jordan River as their inheritance. In his agreement, Moses also gave them this stern warning, “But if you will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out,” (Numbers 32:23).

Keeping a Promise obeys God;

Not keeping a Promise is sin.

 

 

Deliverance

Throughout Scripture God always delivered His Children before His wrath fell upon mankind. Paul wrote in his first letter to the believers in the church at Thessalonica in Greece, “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” (5:9). God’s wrath fell at least three times in the early years of recorded history that reveals the truth of Paul’s writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Noah had found grace in the eyes of the Lord but those living around him had not. In Genesis 6:5 it is written, “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The following verses tell of how it repented the LORD that He had made man on the earth and how He determined to destroy man from off the face of the earth. He had given them over 1,500 years to repent and they had not. The cup of His wrath was full and it was going to fall full force upon the earth. Noah and his family were provided an Ark to escape God’s wrath and survive the devastation that was to come.

Lot had moved to the choicest land available when he and Abraham separated, pitching his tent toward Sodom. It was not long before Lot moved his family into Sodom and they became members of the community. When Lot became “vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked” (II Peter 2:7), God sent His angels to rescue Lot, his wife and their two daughters from the city before His destruction fell upon the city and all the cities of the plain in the form of fire and brimstone because of their great wickedness, except Zoar where Lot and his two daughters fled when his wife turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 18-19).

The plagues of Egypt during the days of Moses fell only on the Egyptians, sparing the Children of Israel who were being held in bondage and denied permission of the Pharaoh “To let My people go.” On the night the death angel passed over Egypt, all of the firstborn of the Children of Israel escaped death while there was “a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was not like it, nor shall be like it any more… for there was not a house where there was not one dead” in the Egyptian households (Exodus 5-12).

Before God’s judgment falls on the world He always removes and secures His Children from His wrath that is to come. Before the seven years of great tribulation in the Book of Revelation, God promises to remove those who are His Children, those who have believed and trusted in His Son as their Savior from their sins, and usher them safely into Heaven through the clouds (I Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-11). Just as He “saved Noah… a preacher of righteousness” (II Peter 2:5), “delivered just Lot” (II Peter 2:7), and “did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:51), He will take His Children out of this world before His wrath falls again for the last time because of the wickedness of man who continue to gnash their teeth at God, refusing to bow the knee to Him (Luke 13:27-28).