Numbers 21
Israelites defeat Canaanites at Hormahverses 1-3
And when king Arad the Canaanite – which dwelt in the south
heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies
THEN he fought against Israel
and took some of them prisoners
And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD – and said
IF YOU will indeed deliver this people into my hand
THEN I will utterly destroy their cities
And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel
and delivered up the Canaanites
and they utterly destroyed them and their cities
and HE called the name of the place
Hormah [utter destruction]
Israelites complainverses 4-5
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea
to compass the land of Edom
and the soul of the people was much DISCOURAGED
because of the way
And the people spoke against God and against Moses
Wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt
to die in the wilderness?
FOR there is no bread – neither is there any water
and our soul loathes this light bread [manna]
LORD sends poisonous snakesverses 6-7
And the LORD sent FIERY SERPENTS among the people
and they bit the people
and much people of Israel died
THEREFORE the people came to Moses
and said
We have sinned – FOR we have spoken against the LORD
and against you
PRAY unto the LORD – that HE take away the serpents from us
And Moses PRAYED for the people
LORD tells Moses to make fiery serpentverses 8-9
And the LORD
said to Moses
Make you a FIERY SERPENT – and set it on a pole
and it shall come to pass – that every one that is bitten
when he looks upon it – SHALL LIVE
And Moses made a SERPENT OF BRASS [copper]
and put it upon a pole – and it came to pass
that if a serpent had bitten any man
when he beheld the serpent of brass
HE LIVED
Israel camps on border of Moabites and Amoritesverses 10-15
And the children of Israel set forward – and pitched in Oboth
and they journeyed from Oboth – and pitched at Ije-abarim
in the wilderness which is before Moab
toward the sunrising
From thence they removed – and pitched in the valley of Zared
from thence they removed – and pitched on the other side of Arnon
which is in the wilderness that comes out of the
coasts of the Amorites
for Arnon is the border of Moab
between Moab and the Amorites
WHEREFORE it is said in the BOOK of the wars of the LORD
What HE did in the Red sea – and in the brooks of Arnon
and at the stream of the brooks that goes down to the
dwelling of Ar – and lies on the border of Moab
LORD gives water and Israelites singverses 16-20
And from thence they went to Beer
that is the WELL whereof the LORD spoke to Moses
Gather the people together – and I will give them water
THEN Israel sang this song
Spring up – O well – sing you unto it
the princes digged the well
the nobles of the people digged it
by the direction of the lawgiver
with their staves
And from the wilderness – they went to Mattanah
and from Mattanah to Nahaliel
and from Nahaliel to Bamoth
and from Bamoth in the valley
that is in the country of Moab – to the top of Pisgah
which looks toward Jeshimon
Israelites send message to king of Amoritesverses 21-22
And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites
saying
Let me pass through your land
we will not turn into the fields – vineyards
We will not drink of the waters of the well
BUT we will go along by the king’s highway
until we be past your borders
Israelites defeat Amoritesverses 23-24
And Sihon would NOT suffer Israel to pass through his border
BUT Sihon gathered all his people together
and went out against Israel into the wilderness
and he came to Jahaz
and fought against Israel
And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword
and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok
even unto the children of Ammon
FOR the border of the children of Ammon was strong
Israelites settle in towns of the Amoritesverses 25-30
And Israel took all these cities – and Israel dwelt in all the
cities of the Amorites – in Heshbon
and in all the villages thereof
For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites
who had fought against the former king of Moab
and taken all his land out of his hand
even to Arnon
WHEREFORE they that speak in proverbs
say
Come into Heshbon – let the city of Sihon be built and prepared
for there is a fire gone out of Heshbon
a flame from the city of Sihon
it has consumed Ar of Moab
and the lords of the high places of Arnon
Woe to you Moab – you art undone – O people of Chemosh
he has given his sons that escaped – and his daughters
into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites
We have shot at them – Heshbon is perished even to Dibon
and we have laid them waste even to Nophah
which reaches to Medeba
Israelites defeat king Og of Bashamverses 31-35
Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites
and Moses sent to spy out Jaazer
and they took the villages thereof
and drove out the Amorites that were there
And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan
and Og the king of Bashan went out against them
he – all his people to the battle at Edrei
And the LORD said to Moses
Fear him not – FOR I have delivered him into your hand
and all his people – and his land
And you shall do to him as you did
to Sihon king of the Amorites
which dwelt at Heshbon
So they smote him – and his sons – and all his people
until there was NONE LEFT him alive
and they possessed his land
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners. (7628 “prisoners” [shabiy] means captivity, taken away, exiled, or that was taken)
DEVOTION: The Canaanites are going to be the enemy of Israel for many years to come. This is the first meeting between the two groups. It was not a friendly meeting.
They fought against Israel and won. The Canaanites took prisoners. Now Israel was interested in defeating a foe. They came to the LORD and asked HIM to help them defeat them and promised the LORD that they would destroy them and their cities.
The LORD answered their prayer and they did what they said they would do. That is important in if we are going to be truly obedient to the LORD. Once you promise the LORD something you should do it. It is better not to promise than to promise and not do it.
Today we need to watch what we promise the LORD if HE will deliver us from an enemy or a circumstance. It is easy to make promises in a foxhole but then forget the promise afterwards.
Have you ever promised the LORD something and not kept your promise. If we can still keep the promise we made it would be better but sometimes that is not possible. The LORD understands but also wants us to confess it as a sin and not do it again.
We can pray for the LORD to help us in a given situation and not add a promise to the request. Change is important in our life and sometimes promises help us grow in our relationship with the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Don’t promise the LORD something you are not intending to keep. Be honest with the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against you, pray to the LORD, that HE take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. (2398 “sinned” [chata’] means to miss the mark, to wrong, offend, be culpable, to bear the loss, go wrong, to err from the mark, be at fault, be blameworthy, or fail to reach)
DEVOTION: Do we know when we have sinned? Do we know what God expects of us and still go in the wrong direction? The answer to these questions is YES! We do know when we sin.
Everyone has a conscience that tells them when they are doing wrong. This is just one way that the LORD communicates with us that we need a Savior, Jesus Christ. No one can face God in the Day of Judgment and say “I didn’t know that I was sinning.” It will not hold water.
The Holy Spirit informs everyone that they are sinners in need of a Savior which can only be Jesus Christ. There will be no excuses given by anyone concerning their actions.
Here we have the children of Israel knowing that they have sinned but they didn’t take action until the LORD had sent serpents or snakes into the camp that was killing the people because of their disobedience.
Moses was willing to pray for these people who rebelled against him and the LORD. He was willing to be a leader who knew forgiveness himself. He wanted the LORD to spare them for HIS future use.
Who have we got praying for us? Are we a praying church? Do we pray for our children on a daily basis concerning their relationship with the LORD? Do children pray for their parents to have a proper relationship with the LORD?
Moses prayed for those who were rebelling against him, as well as, the LORD. He understood that he was a rebel as well.
If we have a good relationship with the LORD; we need to be praying for others in our circle of family and friends. Our prayer life is important to not only us but to those around us if we stay in tune with the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Do you find it easy to pray for those who say things against you? Moses did.
: 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (5027 “beheld” [nabat] means to scan, look intently at, consider, regard, or see)
DEVOTION: Moses and Aaron had not believed the LORD in the last chapter when the people complained of no water. Aaron died and the children of Israel moved on into the wilderness.
They met enemies along the way. First they met king Arad the Canannite who came out against them to war and the defeated him and his army.
However, the next battle the fought was internal. They were unhappy regarding their wandering in the wilderness and the fact that they had no water. They were also tired of the manna the LORD was providing for them each morning.
What did they do? They complained against Moses and the LORD. What did the LORD do? HE sent poisonous snakes into the camp. People were dying because of being bite by the snakes.
The people cried out to Moses saying that they had sinned. Which they had done! Now they wanted Moses to fit it with the LORD. They wanted him to pray for the LORD to deliver them from the snakes.
Moses prayed again for the rebellious people and the LORD granted his prayer. The people who were bitten by the real poisonous snakes were to look intently at the brazen snake that Moses made and believe that they would be healed of the poison. All those who looked at the brazen serpent were given life.
Do you think there were some who didn’t look? I think so. There is poison all around us today. Our lives before Christ were dead. We were dead in trespassing and sins.
It seems that all of the followers of the LORD have a problem staying consistent in their spiritual life. There are good times and bad times. It is normal for those who remember that they still have their sin nature to complain during difficult times. Does that make it right? NO!! If we read the Word on a regular basis we realize that the LORD sends trials our way to strengthen our faith. That is the reaction that HE is looking for in us. That is the reaction HE was looking for in the children of Israel.
They failed and we fail. Praise the LORD HE continues to give us another chance. The children of Israel admitted their sin and asked their leader to pray for them. We have to admit our sin and pray to the Father through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name to receive forgiveness and blessing.
We looked up to Jesus for our salvation. Jesus had to be raised up like the serpent on a pole. HE died on the cross for our sins. Praise HIS name. Are we continuing to look to Jesus daily for deliverance from the bite of our enemy? The enemy is that old serpent the devil. There is VICTORY only in Jesus!!!
CHALLENGE: A daily walk with the LORD is very difficult. It is reported that only nine percent (9%) read their Bible on a regular basis. It is hard to get rid of the poison of this world without the remedy of a daily dose of the Word of God. Read the WORD OF GOD!!!)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 17 Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing you to it. (7891 “sang” [shiyr] means to sing along with words, use the voice as an instrument to voice, musical tones, or song leaders)
DEVOTION: The LORD enjoys us when we are singing. HE even wants us to make a joyful noise to HIM. Here we have the children of Israel in the wilderness wanting fresh water to drink. The LORD provides the water and they break into a song.
Most of us have never been in a place where we were so thirsty that we thought we would die if we didn’t get a drink of something. This happens in many nations around the world. They don’t have good water to drink. They don’t even have good water to bathe in. We have it so good here in this country because all we have to do is turn on a faucet and out comes water that is either hot or cold water. We are spoiled.
The children of Israel praised the LORD for water. Should we do the same each day we are able to just go to the kitchen or bathroom and receive our water? It would be great to have Christians who sang praises for the simple blessings of the LORD rather than wanting to just sing praises when HE gives a great blessing.
Our relationship with the LORD should one where we can sing praises to HIM every moment of every day because of HIS great blessing of salvation.
Don’t just sing praises on Sunday. Many don’t even sing praises on Sunday in church and it is so sad to watch people who come to worship the LORD but are not willing to make a joyful noise unto the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Don’t be one of those people!!!!
: 34 And the LORD said to Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into your hand, and all his people, and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon. (3372 “fear” [yare’] means be afraid, scared of, be frightened of, dreadful, to stand in awe of, or to tremble)
DEVOTION: Now it seemed like all the nations the children of Israel met wanted to go to war with them. The children of Israel were slaves for many years and they were not a fighting people. They were willing to let the Egyptians make them slaves and serve them as slaves.
In fact, the children of Israel kept saying to Moses that they had it better in Egypt than they did following the LORD to the Promised Land. They were having hard times that they didn’t remember in Egypt in the wilderness.
Our memories are fickle. We think it was better years ago when in reality there was just as many problems back then as there are now. If they had gone back to Egypt they would have cried out the LORD again for HIM to deliver them from the Egyptians.
Now the LORD was showing the people of Israel that HE was going to fight for them and deliver their enemies into their hands. They were learning to trust in the LORD to defeat enemies. But remember that humans are fickle and forget real quick how many times the LORD has helped them in the past and don’t trust HIM for the future.
Do you fall in the same type of thinking? I know that I do at times. It is hard to realize that our God is able to do the impossible. HE has done it in the past for us but we allow the enemy to put into our thinking that HE can’t do it at the present or in the future.
CHALLENGE: Stop limiting God!!!
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)
Book of the wars of the LORDverse 14
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SOUL
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)
Children of Israel prayedverse 2
LORD hearkened to voice of Israelverse 3
Children of Israel ask Moses to prayverse 7
Moses prayed for the peopleverse 7
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Israel sang a songverse 17
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Book of wars of the LORDverse 14
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 2, 3, 6-8, 14, 16, 34
LORD hearkened to voice of Israelverse 3
LORD sent fiery serpentsverse 6
God (Elohim)verse 5
Promised victory over Ogverse 34
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
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)
King Arad the Canaaniteverses 1, 3
Spies
Fought against Israel
Took some prisoners
Hormahverse 3
Mount Horverse 4
Land of Edomverses 4, 5
Egyptverse 5
Oboth verse 15
Moab (descendents of Lot)verses 11, 13, 15, 26, 28, 29
Zaredverse 12
Arnonverses 13, 14
Amorites (descendents of Lot)verses 13, 21-26, 29, 31, 32, 34
Beerverses 16-18
Mattanahverses 18, 19
Nahalielverse 19
Bamothverses 19, 20
Sihon – king of Amoritesverses 21-31, 34
Went out against Israel
Was defeated
Og – king of Bashanverses 33-35
Battle of Edrei
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Discouraged complainverses 4, 5
Spoke against Godverse 5
Spoke against Mosesverse 5
Loathing mannaverse 5
Sinnedverse 7
Salvation(Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Vowverse 2
Deliveranceverses 2, 3, 34
Prayverses 2, 7
Answered prayerverse 3
Look on serpent: lifeverse 9
Provision of the LORD: waterverse 16
Singverse 17
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Israelverses 1, 6
Vowed to the LORDverse 2
Utterly destroy cities
Mosesverses 5, 7-9, 16, 32
People spoke against him
Want him to pray for them
Told to make a fiery serpent
Looked at and were saved
Made a serpent of brass on a pole
Children of Israelverses 10-17
Pitched in Oboth
Pitched in Ije-abarim
Pitched in valley of Zared
Pitched on other side of Arnon
Sang a song because of water
Princes dug wellverse 18
Nobles dug wellverse 18
Direction of the lawgiver (?)verse 18
Israel defeated Sihon king of Amoritesverses 23-31
Israel defeated Og – king of Bashanverses 32-35
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Dieverses 5, 6
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QUOTES regarding passage
5 So the people began to complain, speaking against God and against Moses. Again, as their fathers, they asked why they had not been left back in Egypt and why they should be brought to this awful place to die. They did not deny the miracle but disparaged their deliverance from Egypt. Again, they complained about the lack of food and water. But then they went beyond their fathers and mothers. They not only spoke of the monotony of manna, but they described it as “miserable bread” (see Notes). In their styling the “bread of heaven” (see Ps 78:23–24) as something vile and despicable, the people were actually contemning the Lord its giver.
The venom of the people’s anger led them to blaspheme the Lord (v.4), to reject his servant Moses, and to contemn, the bread of heaven. This is the most vitriolic of their several attacks on the manna (see Notes on 11:6). Just as the attack of Moses on the rock was more than it appeared to be (see comment on 20:11), so the contempt of the people for the heavenly bread was more serious than one might think. The Lord Jesus speaks of the manna as a type of himself, that he is the true Bread from heaven (John 6:32–35, 48–51, 58). A rejection of the heavenly manna is tantamount to one spurning the grace of God in the Savior. (Allen, R. B. (1990). Numbers. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, pp. 875–876). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
21:4–5. Once again Moses could see the impossibility of penetrating Canaan from the south. Apparently he even gave up his plan to go north through the Arabah and, led by the Lord, undertook a circuitous route around the eastern frontier of Edom. This would explain why he led Israel from … Hor along the route to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aqabah). The people must have been frustrated by this change so they began to complain not only about that but also about the desert, lack of water, and food (i.e., manna). (Merrill, E. H. (1985). Numbers. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 239). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
21:4–9 The bronze snake. Unable to cross Edomite territory, Israel had to go around, which meant turning back towards the Red Sea (and this in the middle of the fortieth year). Impatience gave way to open rebellion once more and contempt for the manna which God had provided was again voiced. The fiery snakes may have been a kind of adder which is known in the sandy wastes of Sinai, and which is very poisonous. The antidote was to look at a bronze snake held up on a pole. Later, Hezekiah destroyed the bronze snake because it had become an object of idolatry (2 Ki. 18:4). The lifting up of Christ was compared to this incident in the desert, as those who look to him will live (Jn. 3:14–15). It seems that the means of deliverance in both cases was faith. (Naylor, P. J. (1994). Numbers. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 188). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
Their sin (v. 5). The anger and impatience in their hearts boiled over into harsh words against the Lord and against Moses. In both their attitudes and their words, they were tempting the Lord (1 Cor. 10:9), and that was a dangerous thing to do. It was the same old complaint: Moses had brought them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, and there was nothing to eat but manna. In the difficulties of the daily march, they’d forgotten God’s promise that they would enter the Promised Land and claim it as their home (Num. 15:1). A bountiful supply of manna had been sent from heaven each morning since shortly after the Exodus (Ex. 16:1–22), so for forty years, God had been feeding His people the nourishment they needed. Manna was “angels’ food” (Ps. 78:25), but the people had gotten so accustomed to their blessings that they detested it and called it “this good-for-nothing bread.” (See Num. 11:4–6.)
According to John 6, the manna was much more than daily food for Israel: it was a type of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the “Bread of Life” (vv. 32–40). The manna came only to Israel, but Jesus came to be the Savior of the world. All the manna could do was sustain life, but Jesus Christ gives life. When the Jews despised the manna, they were actually rejecting the Son of God. Once more, God had tested His people, and they had failed the test (Deut. 8:15–16).
The Word of God is the “bread of heaven” that God’s people must feed on daily if they’re going to succeed in their pilgrim journey (Matt. 4:4). The way we treat His Word at the beginning of each day reveals whether or not we are yielded to Him and want to obey Him. To enter a new day without first feeding on the heavenly manna is to invite disappointment and defeat. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1999). Be counted (p. 91). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
Ver. 5. And the people spake against God, &c.] Who went before them in the pillar of cloud and fire, for leading them in such a way; that is, against Christ, as the apostle has taught us to interpret it, 1 Cor. 10:9 and is no inconsiderable proof of the deity of Christ; and so the Targum of Jonathan paraphrases it, “and the people thought in their heart, and spake against the Word of the Lord,” the essential Word and Son of God: and against Moses; his servant, for obeying the orders of the Lord, and leading and guiding the people as he directed him: wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? ascribing this equally to God and to Moses; using a strange word, as Aben Ezra calls it, being in a great passion, and not considering well what they said; shewing great ingratitude for such a mercy, and representing it in a wrong light, as if the intent of bringing them from thence was to slay them in the wilderness: for there is no bread; no bread-corn, nothing in the wilderness to make bread of; nothing that they called and accounted bread, otherwise they had manna, as is presently owned: neither is there any water; any fresh water fit to drink, otherwise they were near the sea; what they had from the rock, lately, perhaps was now spent, and it did not follow them as the other rock had: and our soul loatheth this light bread; the manna; this very light, this exceeding light bread, the radicals of the word used being doubled, which increases the signification: if to be understood of light and easy digestion, it was the more to be valued; but perhaps they meant, it had but little substance and virtue in it, and was not filling and satisfying; or rather that it was exceeding vile, mean, and despicable; so they called the bread of heaven, angels’ food, this wonderful gift of Providence; in like manner is Christ, the hidden manna, treated, and his Gospel, and the precious truths of it, by unregenerate men and carnal professors, 1 Cor. 1:23. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 807). 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!!)
Rather it is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit which restores the people of God to normal spiritual life after a period of corporate declension. Periods of spiritual decline occur in history because the gravity of indwelling sin keeps pulling believers first into formal religion and then into open apostasy. (p. 40, Dynamics of Spiritual Life by Richard F. Lovelace)
The CHURCH in an age of CRISIS by James Emery White
Real wisdom is always more than knowledge; it is living according to that knowledge in the most appropriate way. (p. 11)
The great divide between It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story is more than just the radical individualism that marks our day; it is what spawned such individualism. The real divide between the two films is that one retains the idea that Christmas is about the birth of the Christ child and one does not. Unless I have missed it, A Christmas Story does not have a single reference, symbol, or event that suggests Christmas is about the birth of Christ or has religious significance of any kind. (p. 18)
And analysis of 48,000 hours of programming by the NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) found that 90 percent of holiday programming did not have a significant spiritual them; 7 percent had a religious or spiritual theme but did not refer to Jesus or the biblical story of his birth. (p. 19)
I mean we live in a country that is increasingly losing any memory of what it means to even be Christian. (p. 19)
The heart of the secular religion is moral relativism, a functional atheism, if you will, that holds that how life is to be lived is dictated by a particular situation in light of a particular culture or social location. (p. 19)
Years earlier, another sociologist, Peter Berger, quipped, “If India is the most religious country on our planet, and Sweden is the least religious, America is a land of Indians ruled by Swedes.” (p. 21)
It is difficult to think of America as a mission field, having been the exporter of faith for so many generations. But that is precisely what it has become. If the American Revolution was fought to free ourselves from political tyranny, a second revolution is now needed to liberate ourselves from spiritual lethargy. And that would be an American revolution worth fighting for, even more than the first. (p. 23)
We must focus on those things which are pure and good.
INSIGHT
You are what you eat.” Your body reflects what you feed it. Eat well and your body rewards you with health. The same is true spiritually and mentally. We become like what we put into our minds and like what we allow our minds to dwell on. Paul encourages us to think about whatever is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, or of good report (v. 8). If you are unsatisfied with your spiritual, mental, or emotional development, ask yourself: “What do I put into my mind – what do I think about?” You may need a radical change in your spiritual diet. (Quiet Walk)
HATED BY THE WORLD
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 1 John 3:13
Let me put this as a historical fact. This is one of the great principles that we find in the Bible from the beginning. There are many people who have difficulty with this verse. If this is true of you, you have somehow failed to understand the first great essential divisions of the Bible. The difference between Cain and Abel was in Cain, not in Abel. Cain (the world) hates Abel (the Christian). Look at Joseph and his brethren. Look at David and Saul; read the story of how King Saul treated David and tried to get rid of him—the jealousy, envy, and malice. Look at the treatment that was meted out to the prophets, those men of God who were trying to save the nation. It is there everywhere.
Look at the supreme example of our Lord Himself. Here is the Son of God incarnate; here is the eternal life in the flesh. Look at the world sneering at Him, how they picked up stones to cast at Him, how they shouted, “Crucify Him, away with Him!” The world crucified the very Son of God who had come to save it! “Marvel not, my friends, if the world hate you.” The world does not hate you because you are hateful people; the case of Cain and Abel proves that. Cain did not hate his brother because there was something hateful about him. There was nothing hateful in Abel, but Cain hated him in spite of that.
Neither does the world hate us because we are good. Let us be quite clear about that. The world does not hate good people; the world only hates Christian people. That is the subtle, vital distinction. If you are just a good person, the world, far from hating you, will admire you; it will cheer you. And what is true of the individual is true of the whole Church. The world, we are told, hates Christians, not because they are hateful, not because they are good, not because they do good, but specifically because they are Christians, because they are of God, because they have Christ within them.
A Thought to Ponder: The world does not hate good people; the world only hates Christian people.
(From Children of God, pp. 101-102, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Beware!
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)
In spite of the resources available to the twice-born—and in spite of assurance, order, steadfastness, a good walk that is rooted and built up in Him—it is still possible for a Christian to be plundered by the world’s crafty message. We can “fall from [our] own stedfastness” (2 Peter 3:17) or even lose “those things which we have wrought” (2 John 1:8).
The one who “spoils” a believer will use philosophia, a Greek word that means “fond of wisdom.” It is used only one other time, in Acts 17:18 of the philosophers on Mars Hill. Interestingly, the biblical word for “wisdom” is most often used in a negative way when referring to human wisdom. “Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20). Believers can be robbed of their steadfastness in Christ if they become fond of the wisdom of the world.
The spoiler also uses “vain deceit” and the “traditions of men” to plunder the believer. Jesus castigated the Pharisees because they had “made the commandment of God of none effect by [their] tradition….teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:6, 9). Paul warned Timothy that he must avoid “profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: which some professing have erred concerning the faith” (1 Timothy 6:20-21)
The robber will even use “the rudiments of the world.” The term “rudiment” means “to belong to a series, to be in rank” or “to come to an agreement.” Essentially, this technique is using logic to “prove” a point, securing a change of mind. We are told the world’s rudiments will “spoil” us when the logic is “not after Christ.”
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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