...eyes that see. Before going into the promised land, Moses had a talk with the people. He says some startling things about our eyes. 4The people, God's chosen people had seen all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh, to all his officials and to all his land. 4With their eyes they saw the great trials, miraculous sign and great wonders.
The next phrase is startling..."But to this day, the Lord has not given you a mind that understands, or eyes that see or ears that hear." (Deuteronomy 29:4)
A mind that understands, eyes that see and ears that hear are not something that happens because we've experienced something amazing, they do not happen because we work hard at developing them and they do not happen just because we think it the right time.
The source for understanding minds, seeing eyes and hearing ears is God alone. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind had concieved what God has prepared for those who love him- but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. (1 Cor. 2:9,10)
"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you... (Matthew 7:7)
God desires that we understand, see and hear Him. The paragraph in Deuteronomy goes on to tell what He did to bring this about.
He led His people through the desert. The desert put them in a place for sole dependence upon God alone. Their clothes, food and water. Deserts in my life are very hard places. I don't particularly like them. But they do bring me to a place where my sole dependence in on God alone.
The outcome..."I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God." (29:6) Oh, I do want to be in that place...always. An understanding mind, eyes to see and ears to hear that He is the Lord my God.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
A matter of persepective
Perspective. The twelve spies from Israel and just come back from scouting out the land. (Numbers 13) God had brought them out of slavery, across a dry path through the Red Sea, fed them with manna and birds, and was leading them daily with a cloud of His Presence and nightly with a pillar of fire. He had established these people as His own. They were now on the borders of the land He was bringing them to. Ten viewed the land as inpenetrable. "We can't...they are stronger than we are." Two knew who God was and were ready to move. "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." All twelve men had been to the same land. All twelve had experienced the same miraculous events that had brought them to this point in their journey. Not all twelve men viewed God in the same way. They way they looked at the land was a direct reflection of how they veiwed God. Either He was the Almighty or He was just Almighty sometimes and this time was just more than He could probably handle. The ten were looking at this from that second perspective.
What's my persepective on the challanges in front of me? Is God Almighty? Or is just Almighty sometimes? Either God is who He is or He isn't. There is no sometimes with God. He states of Himself, "I am God Almighty." (Genesis 17:1) One of Job's friends rightly states, "Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens - what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave - what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea." (Job 11:7-9) The seraphs in Isaiah 6:3 call out to one another, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty..." What is our view of God? That is the key to how we view the land before us.
What's my persepective on the challanges in front of me? Is God Almighty? Or is just Almighty sometimes? Either God is who He is or He isn't. There is no sometimes with God. He states of Himself, "I am God Almighty." (Genesis 17:1) One of Job's friends rightly states, "Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens - what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave - what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea." (Job 11:7-9) The seraphs in Isaiah 6:3 call out to one another, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty..." What is our view of God? That is the key to how we view the land before us.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Wait until I find out
Wait until I find out. The Israelites are getting ready to celebrate their second Passover. It has been a roller coaster year for them beginning to learn that they are to be holy because God is holy. The celebration takes place on the fourteenth day for the first month. Prior to this, much time has been spent learning about who and what is clean and unclean. What the causes are, what makes one clean again, and how to be restored to fellowship once one is clean again. A great deal of instruction is also given regarding the restrictions that apply to those who are unclean. One being that they can not participate in celebrations before the Lord.
There was a group of Israelites who were ceremonially unclean (because of exposure to a dead body, you can't really help that one!) at the time this celebration was to take place. They still wanted to present an offering to the Lord so they came to Moses to find out what could be done.
Moses has close with God. He was God's mouthpiece to the children of Israel. He was physically is God's presence, speaking face to face with God's presence more than anyone else I can think of. If anyone knew what God expected or could assume what God would say...it would be Moses. Yet, Moses made no assumptions. Numbers 9:8 says that Moses answered them, "Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you." Powerful! Moses was not going to step out on his own, thinking that he was pretty sure what God would say. After all, he had talked with God more than anyone. All the rules and regulation had come to the people through him. Yet, Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3) Moses knew that God was the one leading, not him, Moses. It is that recognition that causes Moses to respond like he did.
Sometimes we feel like we ought to have the answer. After all, we're pretty grounded in the Word. There's something that should apply. I don't want to keep them waiting.
Moses wasn't even starting to think like he might know the answer. "Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you." Oh Lord, let me be "slow to speak, quick to listen"...to You.
There was a group of Israelites who were ceremonially unclean (because of exposure to a dead body, you can't really help that one!) at the time this celebration was to take place. They still wanted to present an offering to the Lord so they came to Moses to find out what could be done.
Moses has close with God. He was God's mouthpiece to the children of Israel. He was physically is God's presence, speaking face to face with God's presence more than anyone else I can think of. If anyone knew what God expected or could assume what God would say...it would be Moses. Yet, Moses made no assumptions. Numbers 9:8 says that Moses answered them, "Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you." Powerful! Moses was not going to step out on his own, thinking that he was pretty sure what God would say. After all, he had talked with God more than anyone. All the rules and regulation had come to the people through him. Yet, Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3) Moses knew that God was the one leading, not him, Moses. It is that recognition that causes Moses to respond like he did.
Sometimes we feel like we ought to have the answer. After all, we're pretty grounded in the Word. There's something that should apply. I don't want to keep them waiting.
Moses wasn't even starting to think like he might know the answer. "Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you." Oh Lord, let me be "slow to speak, quick to listen"...to You.
Holy
Be holy. That is the simple requirement. There is only one reason given. "Because I am holy!"
God is straight forward with this one. His standards for His people are high. There is now reason in all the universe that His requirement should be any less. Why? Because our ability to be holy, as He requires, rests solely in Him. In and of ourselves, we can not be holy in any way, shape, or form. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. God, in His holiness has made the way for us to be holy. He, as He alone is holy, is the only one who could make that provision. And there could be only one provision. Himself alone. For the provision must be holy if it is to provide holiness. And He alone is holy. "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21. He is the requirement. He made the requirement. He provided for the requirement. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
God is straight forward with this one. His standards for His people are high. There is now reason in all the universe that His requirement should be any less. Why? Because our ability to be holy, as He requires, rests solely in Him. In and of ourselves, we can not be holy in any way, shape, or form. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. God, in His holiness has made the way for us to be holy. He, as He alone is holy, is the only one who could make that provision. And there could be only one provision. Himself alone. For the provision must be holy if it is to provide holiness. And He alone is holy. "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21. He is the requirement. He made the requirement. He provided for the requirement. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
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