Numbers 14
Congregation cried against Mosesverses 1-5
And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried
and the people wept that night
And all the children of Israel MURMURED
against Moses and against Aaron
And the whole congregation said to them
Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt
Or would God we had died in this wilderness
And wherefore has the LORD brought us to this land
to fall by the sword – that our wives and our children
should be a prey?
Were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
And they said one to another
Let us make a captain and let us return into Egypt
THEN Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the
assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel
Warning against rebellion givenverses 6-9
And Joshua the son of Nun – and Caleb the son of Jephunneh
which were of them that searched the land
RENT their clothes and they spoke to all the
company of the children of Israel
saying
The land – which we passed through to search it IS an exceeding good land
IF the LORD delight in us – THEN HE will bring us into this land
and give it us – a land which flows with milk and honey
Only rebel not you against the LORD – neither fear you the people of the land
for they are bread for us – their defense is departed from them
and the LORD is with us – FEAR them not
LORD appears with judgment in mindverses 10-12
BUT all the congregation bade STONE them with stones
and the GLORY of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the
congregation before all the children of Israel
And the LORD
said to Moses
How long will this people PROVOKE ME?
How long will it be ere they BELIEVE ME
FOR all the signs which I have shown among them?
I will smite them with the pestilence – and disinherit them
and will make a nation of you a greater nation
and mightier than they
Moses intercedes for congregation: Egyptverses 13-16
Moses said to the LORD
THEN the Egyptians shall hear it
(FOR YOU brought up this people in YOUR
might from among them)
And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land
for they have heard that YOU LORD art among this people
that YOU LORD art seen face to face
that YOUR cloud stands over them – that YOU go before them
by day time in a pillar of cloud
and in a pillar of fire by night
NOW IF YOU shall kill all this people
as one man
THEN the nations which have heard the fame of YOU
will speak saying
BECAUSE the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land
which HE swore them – THEREFORE HE hath slain them
in the wilderness
Moses intercedes: Attributes of Godverses 17-19
NOW – I beseech YOU – let the POWER of my LORD be great
according as YOU hast spoken saying
The LORD is longsuffering – of great mercy – forgiving iniquity
and transgression – and BY no means clearing the guilty
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the
children to the third and fourth generation
Pardon – I beseech YOU – the iniquity of this people according to the
greatness of YOUR mercy – and as YOU have forgiven this people
from Egypt until NOW
LORD replies to Moses: Pardonverses 20-25
And the LORD said
I have pardoned according to your word – BUT as truly as I live
all the earth shall be filled with the GLORY of the LORD
BECAUSE all those men which have seen MY GLORY
and MY MIRACLE which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness
and have TEMPTED ME NOW these ten times
and have not hearkened to MY VOICE
Surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers
neither shall any of them that provoked ME see it
BUT MY servant Caleb – BECAUSE he had another spirit with him
and has followed ME fully – him will I bring into the land
whereinto he went and his seed shall possess it
(NOW the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley)
Tomorrow turn you and get you into the wilderness
by the way of the Red sea
LORD replies to Moses: Punishmentverses 26-30
And the LORD spoke unto Moses and Aaron
saying
How long shall I bear with this evil congregation
which murmur against ME?
I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel
which they murmur against ME
SAY to them
As truly as I live says the LORD
As you have spoken in MINE ears – so will I do to you
your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness
and all that were numbered of you
according to your whole number
from twenty years old and upward which have
murmured against ME
Doubtless you shall not come into the land
concerning which I swore to make you dwell therein
SAVE Caleb – the son of Jephunneh
and Joshua – the son of Nun
LORD replies to Moses: Promiseverses 31-32
BUT your little ones – which ye said should be a prey
them will I bring in and they shall know the land
which you have despised
BUT as for you – your carcasses they shall fall in this wilderness
LORD gives duration of wanderingverses 33-35
And your children shall wander in the wilderness FORTY YEARS
and bear your whoredom – until your carcasses be wasted
in the wilderness
AFTER the number of the days in which you searched the land
even FORTY DAYS – EACH DAY for a YEAR
shall you bear your iniquities – even FORTY YEARS
and you shall KNOW MY breach of promise
I the LORD have said
I will surely do it to all this evil congregation
that are gathered together against ME
in this wilderness they shall be consumed
and there they shall die
Ten men who gave evil report diedverses 36-38
And the men which Moses sent to search the land – who returned
and made all the congregation to murmur against him
by bringing up a slander on the land
Even those men that did bring up the EVIL REPORT on the land
DIED by the plague before the LORD
BUT Joshua – the son of Nun – and Caleb – the son of Jephunneh
which were of the men that went to search the land LIVED still
Moses tells people of LORD’S replyverse 39
And Moses told these sayings to all the children of Israel
and the people mourned greatly
Congregation wants to fightverses 40
And they rose up early in the morning
and got them up into the top of the mountain
saying
LO – we be here – and will go up to the place
which the LORD has promised FOR we have sinned
Moses tells them the LORD is not with themverses 41-43
And Moses said
Wherefore now do you transgress the commandment of the LORD?
BUT it shall not prosper
Go not up – FOR the LORD is not among you
that you be not smitten before your enemies
FOR the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you
and you shall fall by the sword
BECAUSE you are turned away from the LORD
THEREFORE the LORD will not be with you
Congregation goes out anyways to defeatverses 44-45
BUT they PRESUMED to go up to the hill top
NEVERTHELESS the ark of the covenant of the LORD
and Moses departed not out of the camp
THEN the Amalekites came down and the Canaanites which
dwelt in the hill – and smote them and discomfited them
even to Hormah
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 And all the children of Israel MURMURED – against Moses and against Aaron and the whole congregation said to them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! (3885 “murmured” [luwn] means grumble, complain, obstinate, stubborn, blame, or growl)
DEVOTION: We have to watch was we say to those who have been placed in leadership over us. It is hard not to have a critical spirit because that is part of our human nature. We are selfish and lazy individuals when it comes to accepting anyone one over us. We want to do as little as possible with the greatest amount of blessing from the LORD. We want to have it our own way and still say what we are willing to follow those that LORD has gifted to be leaders over us.
Here we have Moses and Aaron trying to direct the people in the direction of going into the Promised Land and conquering it with the help of the LORD. Joshua and Caleb joined in the rally to go into the Promised Land. What was the people response? They wanted to stone them all and return to Egypt.
It was not just a few this time it was the “whole” congregation. Everyone except the four were in the state of rebellion against the LORD. The LORD stated that HE could build a nation out of those who were faithful and kill all the rest.
Moses didn’t want that to happen. This was the second time that the LORD gave Moses this choice and he turned it down and prayed for the nation. He truly was a meek man who wanted what was best for the nation and for the LORD.
Our desire should always be to give glory to the LORD in our actions. There are many times that this doesn’t happen but the majority of time the LORD knows that our hearts desire is to bring HIM glory.
We need to be very careful when we start complaining about how the leadership is leading us in our local church. There are good leaders in many churches. There are some who are not called to be leaders who just want to be leaders.
There were ten in the group of twelve that spied out the Promised Land. I am not sure that the same numbers are true today but they could be. Make sure you are following a leader who truly loves the LORD and is willing to follow HIS leading no matter what the obstacles are in the way of success. There are still a lot of giants in our world that the enemy wants us to fear.
CHALLENGE: Be careful not to have a negative spirit. Work on having a discerning spirit. Ask the LORD to show you the difference.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
:8 If the LORD delight in us, then HE will bring us into the land, and give it us: a land which flows with milk and honey. (2654 “delight” [chaphets] means please, desire, to take pleasure in, to take a high degree of pleasure or mental satisfaction in, to be favorable, or to move or bend down)
DEVOTION: It is hard for us to think about God and all HIS glory being involved in our world It is even harder to think that the LORD can delight in sinful men and women. Finally, it is really hard to think that God can be pleased with each of us.
We are all sinners just like each individual in the camp of Israel. They were all individuals who were not in tune with the LORD all the time. In fact, they were not in tune with the LORD most of the time. This even included the leadership of the people.
Two spies gave a good report while ten gave an evil report. In any church today if the vote was ten to two the ten would win. Does that mean the ten were right in the eyes of the LORD? NO!!
Trusting in the LORD to get us out of real problems is never easy. It is hard for us to trust anyone we can see let alone someone we can’t see in person. HE tells us that HE loves us and want to give us blessing but we struggle like the Israelites.
We walk by sight rather than by faith most of the time. Joshua and Caleb believed the LORD and told the rest of the people to believe. Two people against ten but they were right. We can trust the LORD to lead and direct us in the right places if we are willing to follow HIM closely.
Can we say that the LORD delights in us? If not, then we need to confess any sin in our life until we believe the truth that HE does delight in us because of HIS Son Jesus. HE wants us to trust HIM to lead us in the right direction no matter what is going on around us.
CHALLENGE: If you believe the LORD delights in you because of Christ, follow HIS lead. Step forward!!!
: 11 And the LORD said to Moses, How long will this people provoke me? And how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have showed among them. (225 “signs” [‘owth] means a marvelous event manifesting a supernatural act of a divine agent, often with an emphasis on communicating a message, a military ensign, miracle, or distinguishing mark)
DEVOTION: This is the LORD speaking about HIS own people. HE has done so much for them but they are never satisfied. HE defeated the whole Egyptian army and yet they are concerned about a group of people in the Promised Land.
They only saw the giants but didn’t see how powerful the LORD was throughout their travels. They didn’t believe in HIM after all HE was doing for them. HE had shown them many miraculous signs of HIS power and ability to carry them through every circumstance.
Today we do the same thing in our relationship with HIM. HE provides for us daily and yet we think that HE can’t do it in the future. Each day we wonder about HIS ability to take care of us. Trust is a real issue with most of us.
We are used to human beings saying that they love us and yet they let us down often and we think that God is the same. HE is not human. HE has proved it many times to most of us.
HIS desire for us is that we trust HIM to take care of all our needs. HE has promised this to the children of Israel and to us. Different promises but the same God.
How are you treating God in your life? How am I treating God in my life? I can look at circumstances and think well HE has provided the money to keep Small Church Ministries going for over thirteen years but this next year might be more difficult for HIM because one of the main contributors is having to change jobs and will not be able to support the ministry as HIS family has in the past. Also my mother-in-law who has provided housing for us for the last thirteen years has failing health and so that might not continue in this New Year. Can I think that God is not going to take care of me anymore?
God is still alive and able to do all that HE has promised. HE will continue to provide for our needs. We are not to look at circumstances and think it is impossible for God to continue to do HIS work. You are not to look at God the same as the children of Israel did on this occasion.
CHALLENGE: The temptation is real to think negatively but God wants us to trust HIM no matter what happens in the days to come. Are we going to treat God with contempt?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still. (2416 “lived still” [chay] means to have life, be alive, to be prosperous, to flourish, keep alive, to stay alive, or breathing)
DEVOTION: Of all the millions that left Egypt only two adults would enter the Promised Land. All the others doubted the ability of the LORD to conquer the giants that were in the land. They didn’t think the LORD could defeat the big cities that had walls around them. They didn’t trust the LORD to be powerful enough to help “grasshopper” win every battle when they depended on HIM.
Now none of them would enter the Promised Land. They would die in forty years of wandering through the wilderness. The children they were concerned about losing their lives were going to be the ones who inherited the land in place of their disobedient parents.
The ten spies who gave the evil report died in the first plague that the LORD sent because of their murmuring and complaining. So we see the LORD giving quick judgment to those men. Sometimes HE works quickly in judgment sometimes and sometimes we think HE is never going to judge evil people. It is HIS nature to be longsuffering with some of us.
Now we learn that the two spies who gave a good report and believed that the LORD could conquer the giants are going to live to see the Promised Land conquered by the children of those who doubted.
God has promised us victory while we are here on this earth if we trust HIM to guide us. We need to be like Joshua and Caleb. We need to be strong and of good courage when we face a battle that seems beyond our ability. It is NEVER beyond the ability of the Creator of the Universe.
CHALLENGE: If HE can create a world in six twenty-four hour days and then rest on the seventh day what can be impossible for HIM?
: 44 But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. (6075 “presumed” [aphal] means to lift up, swell, be heedless or be lifted up)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel were a fickle people. They heard the bad report of the ten spies. They cried and wanted to return to Egypt. They wouldn’t listen to the minority report of Joshua and Caleb. In fact, they wanted to stone them and select a new leader to help them return to the land of Egypt.
Then the LORD appears and tells Moses their judgment. HE compliments Joshua and Caleb. HE explains to the people that Caleb has a different Spirit then they do. He was faithful to the LORD. They were not.
Because of their murmuring and complaining, God told them that they would not enter the Promised Land. They were going to wander in the wilderness for forty years. That was a year for each day the spies were in the Promised Land.
The ten spies that gave an evil report were killed by the LORD immediately. That way the children of Israel realized that God meant business. Their reaction was to cry and confess that they were sinners. They thought everything would be OK with that confession.
They decide to go into the Promised Land without the LORD’S help. Moses was warning them not to go but they would not listen. They thought if they had a cry of repentance the LORD would forgive them and work with them again.
The LORD said that they had given HIM a hard time ten times after seeing all HIS signs and miracles. HE decided to only allow the children of these complainers would be allowed in the land with Joshua and Caleb.
They thought they could conquer the land without the help of the LORD. They didn’t even need Moses. They didn’t even need the Ark of the Covenant to follow them into battle. The Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of the LORD to the children of Israel. They were wrong. They were defeated.
Today we have a problem believing the minority report that the LORD is still with HIS people. The minority report tells us that we need the LORD by our side to fight our enemies. We can’t do it ourselves. Many in the church today go to battle with our enemy without the presence of the LORD with them. They lose the battle and wonder why.
Just like the children of Israel needed the presence of the LORD, so we need HIS presence. How do we know we have the presence of the LORD with us? We need to have a close relationship through the practice of the disciples of the faith. Are we practicing the disciples daily or are we going to battle without the presence of the LORD? Are we genuinely confessing our sins and turning in a different direction?
CHALLENGE: Allow the LORD to lead you in your service to HIM. Pray that HE will instruct you on how fast to move in your service to HIM. Trust HIM to lead you where HE wants you to do. Be like Caleb and Joshua!!!
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Prayer of Mosesverses 13-19
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohimverse 2
LORD – Jehovahverses 3, 8-11, 13, 14, 16-18, 20, 21, 26, 28, 35, 37, 40-44
Glory of the LORDverses 10, 21
Power of the LORDverse 17
LORD isverse 18
Longsuffering
Great mercy
Forgiving iniquity and transgression
No means clearing the guilty
Visiting the iniquity to third and fourth generation
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Spiritverse 24
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Murmuredverses 2, 27, 36
Rebelverse 9
Fear of peopleverse 9
Provoke LORDverse 11
Unbeliefverse 11
Disinheritverse 12
Iniquityverses 18, 19, 34
Transgressionsverse 18
Tempted LORDverse 22
Not hearkened to voice of the LORDverse 22
Whoredomsverse 33
Evilverses 35, 37
Slanderverse 36
Sinnedverse 40
Turned away from the LORDverse 43
Presumedverse 44
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
LORD delights in usverse 8
LORD is with usverse 9
No fear of menverse 9
Mercyverses 18, 19
Pardonverses 19, 20
Forgivenverse 19
Follow LORD fullyverse 24
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Murmured against Moses and Aaronverse 2
Joshua and Caleb warn against rebellionverses 6-9
LORD appearsverse 10
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
9 Two things were needful: the people needed to stop their rebellion against the Lord, and they must cease to be afraid of the people of the land. The worthy spies shouted, “Their protection is gone.” The word translated “protection” is ṣēl often rendered “shadow” or “shade.” In the hot and arid regions of the Middle East, the notion of a shadow or shade is a symbol of grace and mercy, a relief from the searing heat (cf. Ps 91:1). Sometimes the wings of a mother bird form the shadow of protection for her young; in the imagery of the poets of Israel, this mother-hen language is used of the protective care of God (e.g., Ps 17:8). God has served as a protecting shadow for the peoples of the land of Canaan; now that protection is gone. Yahweh is with his people. They can swallow their foes alive!
The depth of the faith of Joshua and Caleb is seen particularly in this vivid expression of the loss of the protective shade in Canaan. There are no walls, no fortification, no factors of size or bearing, and certainly no gods that can withstand the onslaught of the people of God when they know that the Lord is with them. Perhaps these words were based on the covenant language of Genesis 15, which incident came to mind in this crisis. At the covenant between the parts, the Lord had assured Abram that his descendants would return to the land in the fourth generation, at the time when the sins of the Amorites had reached a full measure (Gen 15:15–16). (Allen, R. B. (1990). Numbers. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 816). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Num. 14:5–9. At this murmuring, which was growing into open rebellion, Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces before the whole of the assembled congregation, namely, to pour out their distress before the Lord, and move Him to interpose; that is to say, after they had made an unsuccessful attempt, as we may supply from Deut. 1:29–31, to cheer up the people, by pointing them to the help they had thus far received from God. “In such distress, nothing remained but to pour out their desires before God; offering their prayer in public, however, and in the sight of all the people, in the hope of turning their minds” (Calvin). Joshua and Caleb, who had gone with the others to explore the land, also rent their clothes, as a sign of their deep distress at the rebellious attitude of the people (see at Lev. 10:6), and tried to convince them of the goodness and glory of the land they had travelled through, and to incite them to trust in the Lord. “If Jehovah take pleasure in us,”; they said, “He will bring us into this land. Only rebel not ye against Jehovah, neither fear ye that people of the land; for they are our food;” i.e., we can and shall swallow them up, or easily destroy them (cf. Num. 22:4; 24:8; Deut. 7:16; Ps. 14:4). “Their shadow is departed from them, and Jehovah is with us: fear them not!” “Their shadow” is the shelter and protection of God (cf. Ps. 91, 121:5). The shadow, which defends from the burning heat of the sun, was a very natural figure in the sultry East, to describe defence from injury, a refuge from danger and destruction (Isa. 30:2). The protection of God had departed from the Canaanites, because God had determined to destroy them when the measure of their iniquity was full (Gen. 15:16; cf. Ex. 34:24; Lev. 18:25; 20:23). But the excited people resolved to stone them, when Jehovah interposed with His judgment, and His glory appeared in the tabernacle to all the Israelites; that is to say, the majesty of God flashed out before the eyes of the people in a light which suddenly burst forth from the tabernacle (see at Ex. 16:10). (Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1996). Commentary on the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 712). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.)
In most churches, there are two or three chronic complainers who plague the spiritual leaders and sometime must be disciplined; but here was an entire nation weeping over a plight that they had caused by their own unbelief! They didn’t admit their own failings; instead, they blamed God and decided to choose a new leader and return to Egypt (14:3–4). This was rebellion against the will of God.
When the child of God is in the will of God, there is no place for complaining, even if the circumstances are difficult. The will of God will never lead us where the grace of God can’t provide for us or the power of God protect us. If our daily prayer is, “Thy will be done,” and if we walk in obedience to God’s will, then what is there to complain about? A complaining spirit is evidence of an ungrateful heart and an unsurrendered will. By our grumbling, we’re daring to say that we know more than God does about what’s best for His people! “Do everything without complaining or arguing” (Phil. 2:14, niv; and see 1 Cor. 10:10).
There were four men of faith in the camp—Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua—and they tried to change the situation. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and interceded with God, something they would do often in the years ahead (see Num. 16:4, 22, 45; 20:6; 22:31), but Caleb and Joshua spoke to the people and assured them that the Jewish army could easily take the land because God was with them. These two men saw the nation’s sin for what it really was: rebellion against God.
The ten unbelieving spies argued that the land of Canaan would “eat up” the Jewish people (13:32), but Joshua and Caleb saw the Canaanites as “bread” for the Jewish army to “eat up” (14:9). The Jews didn’t appreciate what Joshua and Caleb were saying and decided to stone them along with Moses and Aaron (v. 10). When we walk by sight and not by faith, we don’t have sense enough to know who our real friends are, and we turn against those who can help us the most.
The will of God is the expression of the love of God for His people, for His plans come from His heart (Ps. 33:11). God’s will isn’t punishment, it’s nourishment (John 4:31–34); not painful chains that shackle us (Ps. 2:3), but loving cords that tie us to God’s heart so He can lead us in the right way (Hosea 11:4). Those who rebel against God’s will are denying His wisdom, questioning His love, and tempting the Lord to discipline them. Sometimes God has to put a “bit and bridle” on rebels in order to control them (Ps. 32:8–9), and that’s not enjoyable.
God wants us to know His will (Acts 22:14), understand His will (Eph. 5:17), delight in His will (Ps. 40:8), and obey His will from the heart (Eph. 6:6). As we yield to the Lord, trust Him, and obey Him, we “prove by experience” what the will of God is (Rom. 12:1–2). The Spirit of God opens up the Word of God to us and helps us discern what God wants us to do. But it’s important that we are willing to obey, or He won’t teach us what we need to know (John 7:17). The British Anglican minister F.W. Robertson (1816–1853) was right when he said that obedience was the organ of spiritual knowledge. If we aren’t willing to obey, God isn’t obligated to reveal His will to us. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1999). Be counted (pp. 57–59). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
Ver. 9. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, &c.] Nothing, it is suggested, could hinder them from the possession of it but their rebellion against the Lord; which might provoke him to cut them off by his immediate hand, or to deliver them into the hands of their enemies; for rebellion is a dreadful sin, and highly provoking, 1 Sam. 15:23 neither fear ye the people of the land; on account of their number, strength, and the walled cities they dwell in; they had nothing to fear from them, so be it they feared the Lord, and were not disobedient to him: for they are bread for us; as easy to be cut to pieces, and to be devoured, consumed, and destroyed as thoroughly, as bread is when eaten; and their fields, vineyards, all they have without and within, even all their substance, will be a prey to us, and furnish out sufficient provision for us, on which we may pleasantly and plentifully live, as on bread: see Psal. 14:4 their defence is departed from them; they had no heart nor spirit left in them; no courage to defend themselves, and therefore the strength of their bodies and their walled towns would be of no avail unto them; see Josh. 2:9, 10, 11 or their shadow, which covered and protected them, the providence of God which was over them, and continued them in the land, and quiet possession of it, until the measure of their iniquity was filled up, and the time come for his people Israel to inhabit it; but now it was departed: and the Lord is with us; as was evident by the cloud upon the tabernacle, and by the manna being spread around their camp every morning: the Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan are, “the Word of the Lord is for our help:” fear them not; the Canaanites, notwithstanding the strength of their bodies, or of their cities, the Lord is mightier than they. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 769). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
The Post-Church Christian by J. Paul Nyquist and Carson Nyquist
Paul:
Before I seek to walk with you through this, let me remind you of a few things to rest the context.
First, remember this is family….. Those who have hurt you are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Second, remember this is relational, something you highly value (I like that). You chide my boomer generation for allowing doctrine to trump relationships.
Lastly, know this was not intentional. Boomers may have different values from you, but they aren’t out to ruin your life. (p. 96)
So, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
…..THREE COURAGEOUS STEPS
1. Forgive them.
2. Thank them.
There were over 600.000 501(c) (3) nonprofits organizations in 2009 that were large enough to file forms with the IRS (receipts of more than $25,000). Thousands more exist, mostly mon and pop operations. (p.103)
3. Engage them
Travel Light
In all that experience, I have learned one lesson well: always travel light. Carry along what you need, but no more than what you need. The extra baggage will weigh you down. It will wear you out, sap your strength, and reduce your productivity.
This is my counsel to you on this issue: travel light. You have hurt, pain, and frustration from the past. Consider it like baggage. Each pain is like an extra suitcase you are lugging around. In time, it will exact its toll from your life. It is better – far better – to deal with the extra luggage now and seek to travel light. (p. 105)
Paul is called to be a minister and to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.
INSIGHT
Paul calls his ministry the fulfillment of a “mystery.” In the Bible, a mystery is nothing mysterious but something previously unknown. The mystery was that Jews and Gentiles would join together to form a new entity-the church. This mystery was foretold by Jesus, but the details of the doctrine, walk, and destiny of the church were communicated by Paul and his fellow apostles. Now as a new thing-the body of Christ-we are all to allow Christ to live His life through us. (Quiet Walk)
NO SIN
In him is no sin. 1 John 3:5
There can be no true view of salvation and of the redemption that is possible for us in the Lord Jesus Christ unless we are right about the person. That is why John used such strong and striking language in 1 John 2 when he talked about those people who were leading them astray by denying the person of our Lord. “Those antichrists,” he said in essence, “are liars, and they must be called such because they are robbing us of the whole of our salvation.” If we are wrong about the person, we shall be wrong everywhere.
So as we look at this person we are reminded again in this verse that here is one who has been in this world of ours with all its sin and its shame, but who was without sin. He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He remains unique and separate. He alone is the Son of God. He is not just a great moral teacher, nor just a great religious genius. He is not one who has gone a little bit further than all others in this quest for God and for truth. No; He is the Son of God incarnate—“in him is no sin.”
But not only was there no sin in Him and in His birth—He committed no act of sin. He always honored God’s holy law; He obeyed it fully and carried it out perfectly. God gave His law to man. He intended that the law should be carried out, that it should be honored and obeyed. Let me go further and say this: No one can ever be with God and spend eternity with Him unless they have honored the law. God’s law must be kept, and without fulfilling it there is no fellowship with Him and no hope of spending eternity with Him. What God has demanded from man, man has failed to do; but here is One who does it.
A Thought to Ponder: If we are wrong about the person, we shall be wrong everywhere.
(From Children of God, pp. 53-54, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).
Full Assurance of Understanding
“That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.” (Colossians 2:2)
There are two key aspects to this message. Our hearts need encouragement by “being knit together.” The result will produce a “full assurance of understanding” and an acknowledgment of the mystery of the triune Godhead.
The comforted hearts are to be “knit together.” The Greek term sumbibazo means “to force together, to compact.” Paul uses this term to illustrate the impossibility of teaching God anything. “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Positively, the strength of the church body comes from being “joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth” (Ephesians 4:16). Those “joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God” (Colossians 2:19).
The result of the encouragement is wonderful: We should attain to the riches of “full assurance.” The Greek term plerophoria is only used four times: promising understanding in our text, a full assurance of the gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:5) and of hope (Hebrews 6:11), and the full assurance of faith (Hebrews 10:22).
The Greek synonym plerophoreo identifies “sure belief” among us (Luke 1:1), being “fully persuaded” of God’s promises (Romans 4:21). We should be “fully persuaded” in our own mind (Romans 14:5) while making “full proof” of our ministry (2 Timothy 4:5). All of this makes our testimony “fully known” in the world (2 Timothy 4:17). Perhaps the goal of “full assurance” is that we “may speak boldly, as [we] ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:20). (HMM III, by The Institute for Creation Research)
According to a recent survey, nearly a third of self-described evangelicals do not believe that Jesus Christ is truly God. Arianism, as it turns out, is a heresy that plagues multiple generations of the church, not just the one of the third century.
Well, over and over the church has, in various times and ways, ruled that some beliefs are not acceptable alternatives within Christianity. Adherents are, in fact, outsiders to the faith. For example, nearly 100 years ago, in a book entitled Christianity and Liberalism, Presbyterian scholar J. Gresham Machen argued, in an extensive scholarly treatment, that liberal Christianity was not a version of the one, true faith handed down once and for all to the saints. Liberalism was, he argued, a completely different religion from Christianity.
The Liberal Christianity of Machen’s day focused on a social-reform agenda, fueled by feelings and informed by secular thought, barely draped in religious language. The God it preached was not sovereign over creation and providential over the affairs of men; did not really come in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, who did not really perform miracles or physically rise from the dead. The Bible was not really the fundamental and decisive revelation of God, nor the final authoritative source for morality, but must be understood according to our evolving scientific knowledge and political agendas.
Today, there is also an effort to update Christianity, to adapt and re-form it according to the spirit of the age. From church pulpits to the Christian blogosphere, from once-reliable Christian publishing houses to the campuses of Christian colleges that are Christian in name only, from beautiful and historic churches decorated with gay pride flags and pastored by ordained ministers who “bless” abortion clinics to the “exvangelicals” who become self-styled spokespersons for “what Jesus would really say and do,” there is, in our day too, a Christianity that is no Christianity at all.
Devoid of the truth claims and moral teachings of historic Christianity, what is today called “progressive Christianity” is not another side of the same coin. It is a different religion founded on a different worldview.
Machen’s crucial insights were presented in a largely academic book written for a largely academic audience. Since the progressive Christianity of our day is far more populist than the liberalism of his, I am pleased that a new book, theologically robust and very accessible, is now available to address the ideas deceiving so many Christians. The book is titled Another Gospel: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity.
Alisa Childers grew up in the church and eventually became a member of the very successful Christian pop group “Zoe Girl.” Despite that pedigree, as she told my colleague Shane Morris on his Upstream podcast, she was completely unprepared when she learned her pastor was a skeptic, and confronted her with questions and counterclaims about the reliability of Scripture, the morality of the atonement, whether God answers prayer, or cares about our sexual choices, or even exists.
Flailing in doubt Childers went to work to find answers, studying Scripture, church history, great apologists for the Christian faith (past and present), and critiques of the claims of progressivism. In the process, she found that her beliefs had rock-solid foundations, and answers to the toughest questions. A “progressive Christianity” that denies the divinity of Christ, treats His incarnation and resurrection from the dead as myths, and reimagines human nature away from God’s created design and according to sexual libertinism isn’t just another take on the faith. It’s another gospel entirely.
Childers’s book Another Gospel is an incredibly valuable resource. Every week it seems, I talk with pastors, youth pastors, parents and grandparents watching the next generation buy into a false gospel and questioning the historic truth claims of Christianity. Using the framework of Childer’s story, Another Gospel provides a thorough, rigorous, and entirely readable take-down of progressive Christianity, and a reliable introduction to the non-negotiables of the Christian faith. (Break Point)
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