Blessing and Cursing

Deuteronomy 11:26-29, 32 “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:

And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

And it shall come to pass, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.

And ye shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which I set before you this day.”

This was what the Lord had commanded Moses to tell Israel, on the far side of Jordan; right before he died.

Now Israel had come in to Canaan by crossing Jordan…..been circumcised (for during the time in the wilderness, they were not),…

…held the first Passover since Egypt,…

…and taken and destroyed Jericho, and Ai.

Then,…..though there was hardly any land that was theirs….

……they believed God and went to Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim…..all of them….all Israel went up to the place appointed.

Here the blessings and the cursing was to be read before all the people.

Joshua 8:30-34 “Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal,

As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lifted up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings.

And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.

And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord,….half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursing, according to all that is written in the book of the law.”

Here on mount Gerizim, they were to read aloud the blessings God would perform if they were obedient….in the land He was giving them.

(Deuteronomy 28:1-14, it is a beautiful record of prosperity, and fruitfulness to themselves, each other, and the nations around them, in their obedience and devotion to the Lord their God.)

Here on mount Ebal, they were to read aloud the cursing God would perform if they were rebellious and disobedient.

(Deuteronomy 28:15-68; it is a terrible record of people gotten “fat” or comfortable in their lives, so that they forget God and His goodness….coming under the hand of idol worship, famine, diseases, and then their enemies…all because they forgot and forsake God:

Deuteronomy 28:47 “Because thou servest not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;”)

It is a beautiful thing to see Joshua so diligent and eager to perform this duty, which Moses commanded them to do.

(Joshua was a diligent servant of the Lord, both in heart and in battle. And here is an example of his love of God’s Word.

At the end of his life, he stated his life’s determination:

“….but as for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15)

And there, on mount Ebal (where the curse was read) they sacrificed burnt offerings,….offerings for sin, and whole burnt offerings, showing they were completely His.

There they sacrificed peace offerings, showing that they celebrated the peace they had with God….even before their enemies.

It was a spiritual seal, on the land God gave them.

It was to show that God’s Law and commandments were now to rule in this land.

All would hear about it, and know these Israelites were different…(in the middle of the conquest of the land, they were claiming it in the name of God, and His Principles)….

….their God was different….He was letting everyone know that He would be honored in this land.

Joshua wrote the words of the law upon the stones he used for the altar, so all could read….and remember them.

(You will notice, when you read Joshua, how many times they wrote on stones, or piled up stones for remembrance of a mighty act of God for them.

These would have been a great comfort, if they had done what was told them: teach your children what God has done for us….talk of the Lord, when you are walking, or in your house. Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

This honoring God’s Word, would have taken a whole day, at least; maybe more, for all of them went.

Their camp was at Gilgal, yet they were at Mt. Ebal and Gerizim.

The enemies could have come up against the women, children, as well as the troops among them….

….but according to God’s Word, they went up and honored the Lord…and His law, here in Canaan….and God honored them.

God has set before each man by His Word the blessings in His Son, Jesus Christ….

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

….and the cursing by refusing Him.

Mark 16:15-16 “And He (Jesus) said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature:

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.”

They are written plainly for all who will read and see….to come to Him.

And we Christians, as Joshua, are to be diligent in our duty of manifesting the Word….

….even in the midst of our battles….we are to honor the Lord’s Word….that they might be seen and heard of all.

How am I filled with the Spirit?

Years ago, I asked the Lord this very question. Feeling a need in my ministry…I prayed and kept praying till I got this answer:

“To be filled with My Holy Spirit…you need to be emptied from the fullness of yourself.”

I said, “I have consecrated my life to you….I have given my life to be your preacher; I witness and pray for others, I work at being obedient to Your commands…..what more should I do?”

(Did you notice how many “I”s there are? Ouch! Obviously, being emptied of self is a tall order!)

So I asked….”How do I empty myself out?”

The answer was quite simple….I cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and bring everything that says, “This is me…my way of doing a job, my way of preaching on a text, my way of saying things”……to God….until, everything I am (habits and characteristics) and everything I do, says “This is Him.”

He showed me that this is my life’s work….to me conformed to His image, here and in all my days.

He must reign in my life, by a deliberate act of my will….my willing it, for all the things of my life.

Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Subjection has become a “bad word” today. (Of course to the wrong elements, it is.)

But subjection to Christ is freedom.

“What!, you say, that can’t be.

Subjection is bondage;…..you have to do.”

But the reality of the subjection to Christ, is a love relationship.

(In all the conversation which I shared with you, between the Lord and I….there was the knowledge of His Presence, both in rebuke…”You are a preacher, and you do not know this?”

And in a sense of a love-calling…..”Do this for Me.”)

It is to know that He loves….you

(No, it is not just the knowledge of the head, having heard it so many times).

It is a closeness of His Spirit,…..a sweetness of His Voice (even when He corrects us),….and such a sense of rest of heart, and mind (and my mind usually goes around in circles pretty good).

Hosea 11:4 “I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.”

Jesus Christ came as a man to show us the great love He had for us:

By His life in subjection to His Father. (“…for I do always those things that please Him.” John 8:28-29)…

By His sacrifice to save us from our sins (and they are the real bondage)….

And by His resurrection, to give us all things in Him.

Song of Solomon 8:7 “Many waters can not quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.”

We can not give anything for the Love of God, for He has loved us with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3).

Before we were born, God loved us; by the Love of His Will.

It was not because there was anything in us that drew Him to us (definitely not as far as I am concerned).

Nor was it because He saw what we would do for Him, after conversion. Or because of what we would become.

No, He loved us because of one reason: He willed to do so.

Matthew 6:10 says, His kingdom come, His will done in earth, as it is in heaven.

And Jesus taught that we should pray this.

In heaven it is done willingly, joyfully, completely. But also with fullness of power.

He has this sort of power for us; but to get it down here into us we need to have His kingdom come with in us.

He showed me, that we should not ask……How much do I have of God?

But, how much does He have of me?

For we are filled with the Holy Spirit to the degree or extent, that we are willingly emptied of ourself life.

Imagine jars filled with water. Now, imagine you are going to fill them with another liquid.

They won’t mix, so one of them will “push” the other out.

The one comes in; and the water flows out.

This is the filling of the Holy Spirit. He flows in, at new birth.

But if we just let Him have that much of us, it is like a skim of oil on top of the water.

But when we yield to Him, be obedient to His direction, and give up our way…….then He keeps flowing in,…..and our self life, flows out.

We have more “want to”, more power to do, and more knowledge and joy in the doing.

This is to be being filled with the Holy Spirit;….and it is only as we submit to Christ’s rule in us; as subjects to King Jesus….

Under His command, doing His Will.

Ephesians 5:17-18 “Wherefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;”

Samson

I want to mention here, that I never thought Samson was a good Bible hero. He was called….even before he was born, and….

He was given superior strength to overcome the enemies of Israel.

But he still did not impress me, for he was not a chaste person….nor one which (to me) really showed much faith….

….after all, what did he do, but embarrass and fight the Philistines?

But I was wrong…..for Samson was in the faith chapter (Hebrews 11:32)….and there are only fifteen named people there.

And here, I want to mention the fact what the Lord showed me about our calling:

What we are called to is important….for God will surely give us the ability to do what He has called us to do.

It does not matter whether it is a great work, for many years…..or a work where no one sees, in prayer….or the calling to witness….

…every work needs God’s enabling….every work fulfilled, brings reward.

(Even the one talent servant would have gotten a reward, had he chosen to use it….Luke 19:12-27)

The Lord showed me that Samson had faith……faith to follow his calling to be a Nazarite.(Numbers 6:2-5)

Here was the warning and prophesy to his mother, before he was born:

Judges 13:4-5 “Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:

For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

And that is the fact about Samson…..he did what he was called to….and did it well, saving Israel from the oppression of the Philistines, for twenty years (Judges 16:31).

As a child, the Lord blessed him….for the Spirit of the Lord came upon him for his work…

Judges 13: 24-25 “And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.

And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him….”

When he grew up, God caused an “occasion”, where he would fight the Philistines:

Judges 14:2, 4 “And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughter of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.

But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the Lord, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.”

This occasion was over a riddle….which he would have won; but they would not have an Israelite win….so they threatened his fiancé with death…and she betrayed him…..later they killed her.

This became the occasion where he fought the Philistines, every time they came against him.

One time it was thirty Philistines, then more, than a thousand. He mocked them every time they wanted to capture him….once letting his countrymen tie him up and deliver him….only to break free and destroy them.

Once carrying the city gate and it’s posts from the wall up to the top of a hill.

On it went for years….

…Until Delilah….three times he mocked her attempts at taking his strength….but she kept at it….and then…he told her all his heart.

Judges 16:17 “That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.”

Now I have always thought Samson pretty dumb….after all he had told her three other things….and she did them to him.

But confidence in ourselves….in the ability to keep ourselves from being tricked, is found in all of us…..and it costs us.

And then, I must think….how “dumb” I have been when I have continued to use means that God was not blessing….or continued looking for an answer, when the Lord already told me….

Samson was caught….blinded….and put to work grinding grain in the prison house.

But God still used Samson….when he again fulfilled the Lord’s requirements:

Judges 16:22 “Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven.”

And when we sin, and do “dumb” things…..God will restore us when we seek forgiveness, and cleansing….and be obedient to what He said.

Judges 16:23 “The the lords of the Philistines gathered them together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon their god, and to rejoice: for they said, Our god hath delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.”

They brought him from the prison to make him wander around in the arena….blinded. The great Samson….now a joke.

They laughed and drank….about three thousand…..and Samson was placed between the two pillars that held the house up.

And Samson, in faith, prays to the Lord:

Judges 16:28,30 “And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be a once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.”

Samson prayed…..”remember me”…..did he think God forgot him? No, but remember me….the one you called….I am now restored in my hair….and in my spirit of faith…..

….restore now my strength, which is the gift You have promised me.

He prays to be “avenged” for his two eyes…..they blinded him by their trickery…..so he would destroy them, in their blindness to their god.

Samson fulfilled his work….which was to destroy the hold that the Philistines had on Israel….for twenty years.

I can think what I like about the failures of Samson…..but he was forgiven and restored……and finished his work.

What about us, as Christians? Are we finishing the work God has called us to do?

2 John 8 “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought (gained), but that we receive a full reward.”

Amen, let us be watchful against the wiles of the devil, and the snares and tricks of the world around us…..and finish the work God has called us to do…..whatever it is….for His sake.

Lift up the Hands that Hang Down:

Hebrews 12: 12-13 “Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the feeble knees;

And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”

This has to do with the race we are called to finish for the Lord.

God never intends that we go through life miserable.

It is true that we are in a battle with sin, self, and the Adversary, but it should always be a path of Light.

In this part of Hebrews, the writer has just told of heroes of faith (Hebrews 11).

Not just how they had faith….but how they used their faith.

And he calls all who have faith now, to:

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,”

In every race, it is those who lay aside every weight, who will win.

You can not be weighed down, and run well.

This race is not a sprint….but a long distance race; it is the race that compasses our lives.

Weights are those things which we carry, which are unnecessary to our walk with the Lord. In fact, they hinder it.

These can be habits we have picked up, which need to be put aside;

or acquaintance which we have let get an advantage over us;

or ideas from the world which sound right, but are not.

These weights interfere with our race; and hinder our faith’s growth.

We can still run; but with difficulty….and perhaps a fall.

So, the writer says, you need to “lay aside” these; and run with patience the race that is set before us, by the Lord.

A good way to start this is:

Hebrews 12: 2-3 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider Him that endured such contradictions of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

We are to look to Jesus: look at His example, and look at the reason He went to the cross.

Jesus Christ our Lord came from His glory, into humiliation for us; that we might have His life and peace.

We are His joy, and satisfaction.

(Isaiah 53:11 “He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall My righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.”)

It was not just His suffering in death, but the “contradiction of sinners”.

That was in the unbelief of the people he came to;

the anger of the chief priests and Pharisees, who refused to acknowledge Jesus’ authority;…..

…..and in the face of so many proofs, rejected Him and sought to make others refuse Him as well.

Yet Christ Jesus went to the cross to die and save all who would come unto Him.

He ran the race His Father placed before Him, that He might have us with Him for all eternity. Again, we are His joy.

The writer also goes on to say that we should be prepared to be corrected, if you wander from the path of life.

Your Heavenly Father loves you, and seeks to keep you safe.

The further you are from Jesus; the further out of His Light and Love you go; the more in the dark we are.

This is not what Jesus has for us.

Hebrews 12:11 “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yeildeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

“Them that are exercised thereby” are the people who really want to learn.

(A group of people are all training for a big game.

The trainer is working hard with all of them, in order for them to win.

But he will take extra time with those who get bruises, or sore feet, or are failures at first; and still get up and want more of the training, so they can get it right. These are those that are “exercised thereby”.)

When we have seen the value of the life the Lord gives us, and we come to the place where we need correcting (and we all do)…..yet if we go on with Jesus, and learn; we will bare the fruit of righteousness within ourselves….because we stayed with Him.

So in Spiritual Life:

Our Trainer is the Holy Spirit He is come to us to guide us in the Lord’s Way, in grace.

But we are often slow learners; or frightened; or we want to do it another way.

But the Holy Spirit does not give up on us; but rather seeks to point us to Christ; and keeps working in us. (Philippians 2:13)

He tells us: don’t give up, do not get discouraged; but go on with Him.

Hebrew 12: 12-13 “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”

Lift up the hands which hang down in fear or tiredness.

Strengthen the knees which want to just sit down, and forget it.

Make your paths straight, by:

Trusting in the Lord.

Listening to Him.

And holding on to His love.

He is always with us, let us stay with Him.

Ask for these to be shown to you; and be prepared to be strengthened by His Holy Spirit, in peace and joy.

Jonah

I love the book of Jonah, because I, too have tried to run away from God’s demands on my life…..and praise God, like Jonah….God did not give up on me.

Notice all the things “God prepares” in this little book.

It begins with:

Jonah 1:1 “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “

God had a job for Jonah, his prophet, to do. He had spoken to him before, a word that was sent to help Israel, which he gladly did;…..but now God was going to send him to Nineveh.

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel’s hated enemy. So when Jonah heard:

Jonah 1:2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before Me.”

He did not want to go and ask them to repent, which is what “cry against it” means. Instead he wanted them to be destroyed by God….

….and he thought that if he did not go….they would not repent,…..then they would get destroyed….good and simple.

(The Assyrians were terrible: they were a vicious people. And they were coming into a great power. [Israel was taken into captivity about one hundred years later by them])

And why did he think that they might repent?

Jonah 4:2 “And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish:

for I knew that Thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest Thee of the evil.”

Because he knew that God was merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.

So he ran away from God, not wanting to do His will in this.

It is good for us to consider,….if we say we are the Lord’s servants…..can we pick and choose what we will obey?

Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”

So into a ship to Tarshish—to the other part of the known world! (It was in Spain)

That would settle that, he thought. No message of repentance, and there would be no repentance. No repentance, and God would destroy Nineveh.

But God was not done with Jonah (all through this book, this back and forth is wonderful to see. God does not give up on His wayward servants!)

Jonah 1:4 “But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was likely to be broken.”

God sends a storm that scares even hearty sailors.

So much so, they seek for the reason of the storm—which is Jonah.

Jonah 1:7 “And they said everyone to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.”

So he tells them he is running away from the Lord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.

So they ask him, What can be done, to quite the storm?

“Throw me overboard.” Was Jonah’s answer.

But they try and bring the ship to land first, but when that failed, they threw Jonah into the sea.

God’s next move was to awaken His servant to the need of mercy….for himself.

(That very mercy he wanted to deny the people of Nineveh.)

Jonah 1:17 “Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

Three days and three nights Jonah was in the great fish. The darkness, and suffering of smell, touch, and decay around him; was as he said, “…the belly of hell…”.

Spiritual mercy is that kindness of God for sinners, which brings comfort of soul, leading to salvation (Titus 3:5-6).

Jonah 2:7-9 “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto Thee, into thine holy temple.

They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

But I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.”

Jonah had wanted to forsake God, and His call. But now he asks God not to forsake him.

Hear his confession: “they that follow the lies of our imaginations and wishes (lying vanities) forsake their own mercy.”

Jonah had “imagined” and “wished” that he could run away from God, because he did not want to do this particular thing.

But at the same time, he knew the Lord was the God of heaven who made land and sea, which could not be run away from.

(How silly we are to listen to our wishful imaginations, when we are trying to “get around” God.)

God hears Jonah’s prayer, and:

Jonah 2:10 “And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry ground.”

God again sends Jonah to Nineveh:

Jonah 3:2 “Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.”

And this time Jonah goes,……and they do repent!

Jonah 3:5 “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”

This is so much a miracle: for the people of Nineveh would not have cared about anything a prophet from Israel said…..

But God used the very means, they would have normally despised, to start an awakening.

The word came down from the king of Nineveh…..

Jonah 3:8, 10 “But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hearts.

And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and God repented of the evil, that He had said He would do unto them; and He did it not.”

This is a real repentance! “Turn…from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hearts.” And they turned!

Jonah knew God, that He was merciful…..even unto the worst of sinners.

Jonah had gone through several experiences…..but had he learned to give mercy….the mercy he knew God gives….the mercy he, himself had prayed for?

Jonah 4:1 “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.”

Plainly it is hard to give mercy to an old enemy…..even when you know God has forgiven them….

So the Lord showed Jonah another example: God prepared a gourd.

A gourd which miraculously grew up overnight to a large shading place…..large leaves on the vines.

But then God prepared a worm. (God is ever “preparing” things, to teach His children the lessons He has for them.)

And that worm destroyed the gourd. And now Jonah was angry for the loss of the gourd….why would God destroy it, when it gave him shade from the heat?

(As I said, I love the book of Jonah…..he is so inflexible in his attitude….just like me,….just like many of us.

Yet, God is so good, as to take His time and teach…..many times….the same lesson….over and over again!)

When the gourd was gone, God spoke again: “Do you do well to be angry?”

I have found that speaking to people who are angry…..is mostly useless. They do not want to hear, or be reasonable, or to forgive, or to do anything but be angry….

…..but God speaks to Jonah….to bring out from him a response….a petty response…..the same response he gave for a whole city of men, women and children….

….to show Jonah his mind-set. Anger is a terrible emotion.

But it is our mind-set that leads us to be angry.

Jonah 4:9 “….and he (Jonah) said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.”

How ridiculous we sound sometimes!

God is showing Jonah….that he is His servant first…..then an Israelite. As God’s servant, he is to obey, whether he likes the command or not….and he is to accept the decisions of God about his work.

Jonah just lead a great revival, saving thousands of people (and I am thinking of the children first),…..but he was unhappy, because they were Assyrians, Israel’s enemies.

Yet he whines because God destroys his gourd.

How much are we the same way?

Perhaps we do not run away…..but grumble about our calling.

Perhaps we do what the Lord wants….but argue with Him about the outcome.

Perhaps we sit around wondering why God takes from us some little comfort, when we would like to see something taken from others.

I am comforted here, in Jonah, that God has the last word:

It is a exhortation to me,….to all that are His servants….and to all….

….He will have the last Word.

For He will see His Will done…..

….but the question is, for each of us…..what will He have to do to teach us, His Ways?

Jonah 4:11 “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that can not discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?”

God does not give up on us. He speaks, and speaks again.

And shows us many mercies and many corrections….so that we may learn to enjoy all He is and does.

“Salvation is of the Lord.”

Praise the Lord for that.

Thy Kingdom Come

Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Where is His kingdom to come? Where is His will to be done?

In earth….

….not on earth; but in earth….in us who are made of the earth, and formed by God into a living soul….we are to have His kingdom come “in” us….and have His will done “in” us.

This is the second most important thing we are to pray for…..according to the prayer Jesus Christ taught his disciples. (Matthew 6:9-15)

(The first most important thing is to ask that His Name would be “hallowed” or honored.

We know His Name signifies all that He is….so the first thing we should pray for,…..when we pray, is that God would be honored by us.

That His Name would not be ill-spoken of,…..because of our behavior.)

But the second thing we are to pray for, is that we might have His kingdom come, and His will be done within us….it is that important.

Luke 17:20-21 “And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, Lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

The Pharisees thought of “the kingdom” as a place and a time, which would surely include them….because of their lineage.

They did not understand that the kingdom is only where the King is.

And the King, Jesus Christ was standing before them, right then….

….inviting them to come into His kingdom, by believing and submitting to Him.

He is doing the same thing to each of us, today…

There are two principles at work in the universe:

God’s principle of Obedience, and the devil’s principle of Rebellion.

God’s principle of Obedience…..which is to place ourselves at God’s disposal to do, or be what He wants.

This principle was seen in all the children of God, to a decree, down through the ages….

….but especially in His Son, The Son of God/the Son of Man…..Who did always those things that pleased His Father (John 8:29)

Hebrews 5:8-9 “Though He were a Son, yet He learned He obedience by the things which He suffered;

And being made perfect (complete in His Work), He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him;”

Christ Jesus, the Son of God, humbled Himself and became man. Many things He did for others, by the power of God….but…

…..He had to be obedient to Mary and Joseph……for eighteen years—from twelve to thirty (Luke 2:49-51)

…..He was tempted for forty days and nights by the devil….yet without yielding (Matthew 4:1-11)

…..He had to wait for others to bring Him food, and ask for water at a well (John 4:6-8)

…..He was silent before His accusers, as a “sheep before His shearers is dumb” (Isaiah 53:7)

Everything He did, here as man,…every act, every word,…..was in obedience to God His Father.

He did everything in obedience, as man….without the indwelling inclination to sin….but as man….

…..an obedient man….worthy in His Person, for Who He was and what He had done….to be the perfect sacrifice for sin.

Taking away the sin of all who would believe in Him.

And the devil’s principle of Rebellion….where we place ourselves against the things of God….against His will and His way.

The devil would persuade us (“wiles”Ephesians 6:11)…..that we can have things our way and God’s….but we can not.

We must choose:

Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

(Hell was made for the devil and his angels….not man.

Until the day of Adam’s sin, then it was opened up for those who refuse to believe God, and obey Him.

Matthew 25:41 “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”)

I started this with “Thy kingdom come.”

For every Christian, if we do not have Christ’s kingdom come within our hearts, we are leaving things in our lives open to the devil’s wiles to rebellion.

Christ has made a way for us,….to come to God in peace, and have full access to His grace: the unmerited favor of power (Romans 5:1-2)

….to be led by the Spirit of God and be joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14, 17)

….to come boldly to the Throne of grace and obtain mercy (Hebrews 4:16)

….to be saved from the lusts of the world (2 Peter 1:3-4).

He is the Author and Finisher of our faith:

Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God.”

Christ’s Way, is by His kingdom being set up in our lives. He sits on the throne of our lives….and we occupy the footstool, as HIs servant.

It is the second most important thing we are to ask for: Thy kingdom come.

Are we seeking it for ourselves? Are we acknowledging Him as our King?

Paul’s Practical Preaching

Paul had begun this last bit of Romans, not with more doctrine, but with the practical.

How we are to live in this world, as Christians; belonging to Christ.

In Romans 12:1-2, Paul shows that presenting your bodies to God, and refusing to be conformed to the world, will strengthen you to find and do the will of God in your life.

Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

Paul was saying that God has given every man, by His Holy Spirit, a “measure” of faith and grace.

(We can, as Peter said in 2 Peter 1:5 “…add to your faith…”. This will increase our measure, so we “grow in grace”. We learn to use what we have, by the Holy Spirit’s instruction, and are given more.)

Our “measure” is given to us; so we should not be proud that we know something, but instead, we should use that measure of faith to:

Romans 12:6-18: “…according to the grace that is given…” we are to do the work God has given us to do.

Let love be true, and not phony:….turn away from evil……love the good.

Be kind to one another,…..preferring the fellowship of believers.

Working hard to do our job, because we serve the Lord in it.

Yield to the joy of the Spirit, and be steadfast in the trials of the day.

Pray always.

Minister to the needs of others, as you are told: both spiritual and temporal.

Bless those who seek our hurt. Do not seek revenge.

Be honest. And try and live at peace with all men.

How can we do these things?

They seem impossible!

And in our own strength, they are. But God has given, with the measure of our faith….a Leader to show us how and when to do….but also to give us the grace and inclination to do….He has given us His Holy Spirit.

We must go back to:

Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, wholly, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

You see, it all starts with giving ourselves to God. It says “bodies”, here; to illustrate how we need to yield to the Holy Spirit, completely.

The Lord Jesus was given a body to come to earth and suffer and die, and be raised again…..in His body.

But the Holy Ghost, the Comforter,…..has come to earth, without a body….but instead to indwell and empower our bodies (which include our spirit, soul, and body).

Paul is saying here, that we are to “present”…..which in the Greek means to “stand by, to be at hand, to offer something intangible (our friendship, ourselves)” to God the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will then take our offering, and work with us to perform the will of God, and to mold us into the likeness of Christ’s character.

Our hands need to be His; not doing things which they should not.

Our feet need to be His; not going places we should stay out of.

Our mouths need to be His; not saying unkind things or lying.

We could go on,……but you see the reason Paul said this.

We need to give ourselves, inside and out, to the Holy Spirit; so we are no longer under our own management….but fully yielded to Him.

But thankfully when we do: we are “transformed” (changed) in motive ,…..in the inner most thoughts and attitudes of my being.

And then given power to “prove” His Will…..by doing it, in the circumstances of my life, day by day.

How good and acceptable it is in our lives!

He wants us to get “our measure” of all we need,…..to live the life He has for us.

A life of goodness and power.

Will we present our bodies to Him?

Habakkuk 2:20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

There was a time when we read this before each service in our church. A time to bow our heads and consider that we were gathered together to worship God.

It is a good practice to do the same thing, sometime during the day….to bow the head, and consider the Almighty God.

We often think of His attributes: His mercy, grace, His unchanging love, His power….

….but to contemplate God, in His majesty…in the fullness of His splendor….Who created and upholds the universe, and all that is in it…is helpful.

Psalm 104:1-3 “Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honor and majesty:

Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment: Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

Who layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters: Who maketh the clouds His chariot: Who walketh upon the wings of the wind:”

For me, it keeps me small.

I can get stuck into the middle of many things….and get to think that all I need to do is keep moving.

But God says: be quiet….stop…let the silence of your awe and reverence for Me, still your soul.

And it works.

Psalm 46:10-11 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord of Hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”

I love these verses….they remind me of when Israel was standing at the Red Sea…with the most powerful army of the day behind them, with vengeance;….

….yet God says, “Stand still, and see…”

So when I have these verses….I think that God knows what is around me….I must stop….watch, and wait on Him to speak….

….to speak about what I need to deal with.

….to speak about a battle ahead (John 16:13)

….to speak about Himself.

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Psalms 93:1-2 “The Lord reigneth, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith He hath girded Himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

Thy throne is established of old: Thou art from everlasting.”

Our God is the Almighty God….full of power, mercy, goodness, strength, wisdom, knowledge,…

Psalms 91:1-2 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.”

I believe that “secret place” is the quiet times before Him, when we know He is God Almighty, for us.

Habakkuk 2:20 “But the Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him.”

One day the whole earth will do so….the whole of mankind will have their mouths stopped,….from excuses, curses, and lies….(Romans 3:19, Matthew 12:36-37)

….but for us Christians, who belong to Him, we can stop and be still, now…..and know His majesty and power…..

….and find our rightful place before Him: at His feet.

Which gives order and perspective to everything else ahead.

Ruth, Naomi, and Orpah

Ruth 1:1 “Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.”

Background:

In the land of Israel, at the town of Bethlehem, there was a famine.

So a man and his wife, with their two sons, left there home there, and went into the near country of Moab.

They thought they would “sojourn” there till the famine was over.

(They could have sought the Lord, for the cause of the famine; but instead they left that to others, and in doing so missed a blessing.)

Their “sojourn” turned into ten years! During that time Naomi’s husband died. Her sons married two women of Moab, but soon also died, leaving her alone in a strange land, far from her God, and home.

She longed for her country; and she had heard that the famine was over in Israel…”the Lord had had visited His people in giving them bread.” (Ruth 1:6)

So she “arose”, always the first move in returning to God. Arise from where you are, to come home to Him.

She started to leave Moab to return to Bethlehem.

Her two daughters-in-law followed her; and how far they went is not told…but after a while, Naomi realized it would be a hardship for them if they followed her.

They had parents they could return to, for they would certainly take them back.

They could have new lives: marry and have children among their own people.

If they followed her to Bethlehem, she did not know what would happen there.

For herself, she could at least die among Israelites, back home with her God; but for them…..she could not say whether there would be even a place to lay their head.

Ruth 1:8-10 “And Naomi said unto her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each unto her mother’s house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.

The Lord grant that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.

And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.”

Naomi prays for them here…using the name Jehovah (the Lord) twice. Seeking for them kindness from the Lord, and in doing so, gives witness that all true good comes from the Lord.

Both had real affection for Naomi. And both declared that they would continue the journey with her.

An old woman alone, is a sad thing; and they felt her kindness in so speaking to them.

“Surely we will return with thee.”

But again Naomi spoke. Seeing them as young women, able to live full lives with other husbands, and have families. She would not have them return with her out of duty, but out of a real determination, having seen the cost to them…and choosing this way into her nation and with the Lord.

She spoke for their benefit, not hers…for she loved them.

Ruth 1:11, 13 “And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? Are there yet anymore sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?

Would you tarry for them till they were grown? Would ye stay for them from having husbands? Nay, my daughters; for it greiveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.”

Here Naomi confesses that the Lord had dealt with her this way. Her family should have stayed in Israel, the promised land, and sought unto the Lord for removal of the famine and the reason for it.

(Israel often followed after other gods, to their hurt. And the Lord often had to use circumstances to awaken them to His voice. Judges 2:14-16)

Naomi told Ruth and Orpah, that she could not give them a life like they had.

She again suggests that they go back where you can have an easier life for young women.

Now both had said that “Surely they would return with her”; but now…..

(There comes a time in each life where we choose the thing we love most.)

For Orpah, though she had affection for Naomi, her choice was her nation, her people, her god.

She wept over the situation, but the decision became easy….she would go no further.

A life of relative ease is what her heart loved most…..and so she went back, and left Naomi.

There are many who have an affection for Christ, because of Who He is and what He has done.

But who do not love Him enough to go on with Him in all of the sufferings and situations which come, by following Him.

Many, therefore, go back to the world. For that is where their hearts are.

Ruth 1:14-15 “And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law; but Ruth clave unto her.

And she said, Behold, thy sister-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her god’s: return thou after thy sister-in-law.”

But Ruth hung onto her. What ever would come, she was staying right beside her….to suffer want, or to get by; Ruth would not leave her.

She would return with Naomi.

Here she takes Naomi’s God as hers.

And instantly calls upon the Lord to be her witness, of her decision.

(“The Lord” as a name here is very important. It is Jehovah, the personal name of God. Jehovah means the ever-existent, becoming One…the Almighty God becomes what we need.

She was not just acknowledging a god of Naomi’s nation….but she was placing her whole life into the hands of The Lord, Who was Naomi’s God)

Ruth 1:16-17 “And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:

Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: The Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.”

Ruth instantly calls upon the Lord, now her God, to be her witness of her decision.

And the two go on together.

Was there hardship? Yes, for they only had food by Ruth gleaning the fields…but by doing so, she met a man who first gave her permission to continue after his reapers all the harvest, insuring food for some time.

And then a blessing; he called upon the Lord to bless her.

Ruth 2:12 “The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”

This man would become her future husband, putting Ruth into the genealogy of Christ. (Matthew 1:5)

She was the great-grandmother of David. (Ruth 4:17)

The lesson here is: Who or what do we love enough, to leave everything else for?

Affection for Christ Jesus is wonderful….but only leads us so far.

The real determined choice of whether we will continue with Him, in all situations, is the crossroads of our lives.

Temptation, in the form of an “easy life, or normal life”, comes. And we must choose what we love the most.

Will we like Orpah turn back….

Or will we cling to Christ?

Yet If we choose the Lord; though there are hardships(and there are), there will be blessings as well…now and for eternity.