Stuck at the Law

Post 239

You’re still stuck in the last post at the 10 commandments aren’t you?

“How do I apply them in the spiritual way God wants?”, “I can’t really buy the whole Sabbath bit, and have lots of good reasons.”, “That’s just too legalistic for me anyway; I’m real confident in my understanding of the doctrine of Grace.”, “Besides, I’m pretty good with all those, so how technical do I have to get to be acceptable?”

Funny how the battle between “law and grace” simply cannot be put to rest though men have tried since the time of the Apostles.

But why have you fully ignored the principle of the ensample 10 provocations resulting in THE Provocations that we are specifically warned about? (Hebrew 3:7-11,15-19+ Nehemiah 9:18-26+Ezekiel 20:28-32) These 10 pre-provocation provocations (Psalm 95:8) are far closer to the real problem in our hearts still today. These wilderness provocations are not laws broken, they are not commandments violated, yet they are what really got God’s blood boiling way back at the beginning of the relationship.  So really, how different was their problem to ours “the people of grace”? Were they not also offensive to God’s grace rather than the law?

And yet we have the advantage to see their whole story and in desire to see them succeed we emotionally cry out to them at the river; “don’t be afraid; trust God; go in to conquer the land!” But we turn the page and they were afraid, and their world changed.

But instead of being afraid for yourself at how this ensample applies to you, you’re just eager to read on to learn more about what happened to them next. So how much good did their ensample do for you? Not much.

You learned about their 10 provocations and the progression of each failure to turn toward God with their hearts even when they couldn’t know how it would work out. You understand how their heart’s and mind’s had been step by step constructing the complex plan to fail by not “getting fully on board with God”, and yet by following Moses they thought they were… though their hears were really back in Egypt the whole time. They failed to use their experiences to correct their lack of faith, so an intended lesson became a consequence, and the hand that carefully designed the lesson in love was seen as a hand of cruelty. Each experience simply confirmed their seated lack of trust and instead of seeing God’s amazing care in each event, they only perceived that God was trying to hurt them, and in their hearts they knew they deserved it so the perception appeared confirmed by guilt. It’s really no different than the four-year-old who throws a fit in the supermarket when the mother will not buy the trinket desired; “YOU HATE ME!” he cries, and in his lust for the forbidden he really believes his conclusion is accurate and supported with facts.

Seriously, Are these not the same reactions you fight with God over when he cloths-lines you; or uses you in a way you don’t like?

1.      “I was afraid this would happen if I trusted you!” (Exodus 14:12).

2.      “I can’t swallow that; it’s too distasteful” (Exodus 15:23-24).

3.      “I’m miserable; life was better before I followed you. Can’t you do better than that?” (Exodus 15:3).

4.      “I don’t trust your daily provision; I need a responsible safety cushion” (Exodus 16:20).

5.      “Hey, don’t confuse me with complex ideas that require faith over familiar observed reality! From my perspective the math of what you’re asking doesn’t add up” (Exodus 16:27).

6.      “Where is God in this mess I’m in now? Didn’t I follow him into this against my better judgment? God owes me relief” (Exodus 17:2-3,7).

7.      “I don’t like the way things are going; I want a god that will lead me more the way I want. God seems to have neglected me anyway so a bit of tweaking the faith may work to my satisfaction” (Exodus 32:1,5-6).

8.      “I’m just tired of the whole thing” (Numbers 11:1).

9.      “I sure miss the pleasures I used to have before I became a Christian, my soul is dry and frankly God’s provision is not all that impressive” (Numbers 11:4-6).

10.   “No, I can’t go there; it’s just too far across the comfort zone and the risk of failure is too high. As much as I want to have the faith to make that leap… I just don’t. And in fact my preacher says I’m right; what you’re suggesting is whacked! You’re one of those fringe radicals, I’ve gone far enough and now I’m going to anther church that’s more ‘normal’” (Numbers 13:31-14:4).

    10.5 “You’re just psycho, and I’m going to make sure you never  preach again!”

    (Numbers 14:10).

Big Consequence of judgment.

11.   “Woah! That’s not what I thought would happen! Let’s re-negotiate that last deal, just take away the consequences for what I did in rebellion! See? Look, here I go just like you said, now you have to bless me, right?” (Numbers 14:40,44).

Where is the substantial breach of the law in these ten provocations?

1.      They followed God for quite a while, except that one single event with the golden calf.

2.      They did pretty good in abandoning all those Egyptian idols cold turkey, until that slip, but it was the same event so that should only count as one breach, right?

3.      But nobody cursed.

4.      And after that first practice test, nobody broke the Sabbath.

5.      It’s not recorded that anyone failed to honor his or her parents.

6.      Nobody murdered anybody that I know of.

7.      It doesn’t seem evident that anybody was sleeping around.

8.      There are no records that anything came up missing.

9.      I don’t remember anybody telling lies.

10.   And it doesn’t seem that anyone had a problem coveting the next guy’s sleeping bag (I mean what else did he have to covet?)

So which of the big 10 are we claiming was the provocation that warranted rejection from the promise? They only broke three. Yet God was still mad enough to destroy them on several occasions of provoking him and eventually drew the line that once rejected, could not be later crossed, even in repentance (Hebrews 12:16-17). Like Esau these Exodus people rejected their birthright so casually for other desires. and this is the warning Paul is making to us.

Why does this not keep anyone awake at night, but wrestling with whether or not we are still obligated to the Sabbath gets mentally worked-over for days?

IT HAS NEVER BEEN ABOUT THE LAW!

Not in the New Testament OR in the Old. The law of works and the law of liberty are simply different forms to see the love in action.

The Jews could show their love in obedience to the declared wishes of the God they claimed to love, but in love of the ways of sin, they just couldn’t swallow the pill (resulting in THE Provocation: Ezekiel 20:18-32, Nehemiah 9:24-46 *1).

The Gentiles could show their love in utter freedom to be creative in how they chose to love God, but even without restrictive laws they too simply could not swallow the pill because of their same love for the ways of sin.

It’s just real hard to fake a love for very long when your love interest is elsewhere. So here is an idea: You Jews and you Gentiles, try this;

Learn to love God like there is not another speck of carbon in the entire universe; Just you and him (with a lot less you). But if you love him like that, he has asked you to show it by reflecting that love to your fellow man (John 21:15-17, Matthew 25:34-40). I have heard more than one woman say; “If you love me, you will love my dog.” It’s just not that hard to figure out. Are you a Gentile believer who does by nature the things contained in the law (Romans 2:14), or are you a Gentile believer who is relieved that you are not required to obey any law? The answer determines whether you will want to dwell in the Kingdom of Heaven or linger on the familiar side of the Jordan. (but this is not the jaw dropping part yet).

One reason for the required displaying actions of love (Romans 2:15+13), is because love is so hard to put on a list or scale that even we can successfully lie to ourselves in thinking we love when we don’t. I really did like that girl but I hated her dog. The relationship didn’t work out. Was it really because of the dog?

The real question finally becomes simple:

“How do I learn to actually love God when I really don’t?”

Now we’re getting somewhere!

* * * * * * *

Oh, by the way: Colossians 2:14-17 should let your mind rest now regarding the Sabbath... until you think about it in light of Acts 15:21. Do you need to read the Old Testament to be a Christian? Nope. Is it necessary for the understanding and a healthy growth of our faith? I think we are beginning to see the complex answer depends on us.

*1 Just What Was The Provocation?

By investigation, there appears to be several “THE provocations” that are all different. The conclusion is that “the provocation” is a principle rather than a single horrific act. To make God so mad he determines to revoke your protected status and instead uses your enemies to stand against you, is THE provocation no matter what you did specifically.

Exodus 12:23, Job 15:20-25, Psalm 17:4, Jeremiah 22:5-9, I Corinthians 10:10, all reveal that when provoked, God sends the destroyer. Yet in disbelief we hunch our shoulder under the burden and push our way through because there is just nothing else to be done while waiting for God to deliver us. And the destruction continues to match our efforts and we never seem to get ahead (Haggai 1:6-7), but God doesn’t want the destroyer take so much that we quit trying to recover, that would ruin the purpose of the events, but that is up to us. We need to recognize the hand of God in our destruction before we simply have no more desire left to continue. This “ragged edge” is so that in broken humility like freshly tilled soil (Jeremiah 4:34), we are prepared to clearly recognize and openly confess our iniquity that is causing the destruction. At this point in brokenness we finally have access to the grace that will allow us to honestly repent and turn wholly to God in the abandonment of whatever it was by which we provoked God.

*

Nine Times Forgiven

Post 238

Required reading: Numbers 13:25 - 14:38

Here in their “Final Exam” we read that the Exodus people failed to obey God and in fear they refused to go in and conquer the Promised Land. But did God keep them out? Did he refuse their entry? NO! They themselves did not want to go in; in fact they REFUSED to go! And further; they intended to stone those who suggested otherwise! (Numbers 14:4,10).

So just what happened that could have resulted in this last minute determined refusal? After all that wandering and labor and experience with God, In great mercy and longsuffering with these people God carefully and laboriously held their hand all the way to the door where they declared with all determination “NO!”

This was not just another trial along the wilderness journey; this was the land promised for generations to their fathers; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; this was THE Land; The Destination; The Promise finally come after so long; the shadow of fulfillment of The Promise that Abraham looked for his whole life in faith but never saw even until he died of old age (Hebrews 11:8-10). How could they not know that to refuse this would really mean something big?!

It was because they had trained themselves to disobey and their own experiences were proof to them that God would forgive them and everything would work out in the end; They had faith! As proof of their correct perspective; they saw Moses kill some deviants (Exodus 32:28) and the “really wicked” among them God himself consumed (Numbers 11:1-3,33-34) and so in “faith” they were confident that they were not as bad as them and at least “good enough” by the evidence of their survival and God’s continuing care. So when the final test came, in confidence they failed to succeed just as they had practiced to fail (Revelation 3:15-16). They relied on the power of Moses’ appeal to God as if that was the whole point of the journey, rather than understand that the appeal of Moses was to grant them grace with God while achieving another goal; of spiritual viability. At this point of the Final Exam; “with many of them God was not well pleased” (I Corinthians 10:5) would be an alarming understatement:

“Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, 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 sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it;” Numbers 14:22-23.

It is vital that we remember; These who are now rejected from entering in were once saved out of Egypt by Moses the image of Jesus the Savior. So what exactly did Moses save them from? Clearly from the bondage of obedience to a power they could not resist; Slavery to Egypt (sin).

Then what exactly did Moses save them to? Anything?

“Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” Romans 6:18.

“WOA there! Hold on!” you exclaim.

Being handed off from one master to another does not diminish or alter the fact of being a servant, and to the self-willed forbidden-fruit-eater of “I have a right to my free informed choice”, that thought really sticks in the craw sideways blinding us to the wonderful gift it is to be freed from the forceful oppression of a wicked taskmaster and now willingly under the protective care of a kind and loving master who allows us participation in the administration our own servanthood much as is represented by Joseph a ruler in Egypt though a slave. God; their new master, in his longsuffering mercy often forgave them their self-willed stubborn deviation from his law while he demonstrated his love and care, expecting them to eventually figure out how to blend their own ruling servanthood. And he does the same for us… IF we can only get past our loathing of being a servant (Proverbs 20:25,21:2-3). A stiffnecked, uncircumcised heart demanding from God the right to know the details to determine if that course is acceptable to us is not a servant but the presumption of an equal partner. Those are the kind God himself dispatched in the wilderness (Numbers 16:1-50).

But like the murmuring followers of Moses; who followed him all over the wilderness, Today’s American Christian feels that going along with Christ Jesus in the “Christian lifestyle of choice” should be reward enough for Jesus to be happy and put up with our moaning of discontent as we do everything in our power to live this Christianity “in my own way”, and then get sore at Jesus for the resulting consequences of diminished success. It is, and has always been, a control issue and God knows that…but do we? Is this not the very essence of “Stiffnecked”? (Exodus 32:9, 33:5, 34:9, Deuteronomy 9:6,13, 10:16, Acts 7:51).

By their (and our) perpetual misapplication of God’s merciful forgiveness, while thinking a lack of punishment is a good sign, they built up against themselves the wrath of God so that although they did not ever return to the Egypt they were saved from, they nonetheless never made it to the Promised Land either. So while your head is spinning wondering where that leaves them spiritually/eternally, let’s examine the details of how this end result happened:

* * *

A quick look at the 10 times God said these people tempted him to destroy them: (Numbers 14:22)

1)  Exodus 14:10b-12   (At first an acceptable cry to God in ignorant fear though lacking in faith from what they had already witnessed [Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 16:8], this went beyond that) “I was afraid this would happen!”

2)  Exodus 15:24   Murmur: The water is bitter “what you give me to swallow is distasteful”.

3)  Exodus 16:2-8,12  Murmur: It’s too uncomfortable. “It was easier before I followed you”.

4)  Exodus 16:20  Disobey: Hording by ideas of self-provision, in doubt of God’s daily provision. “I gotta have a responsible nest egg against tomorrow”

5)  Exodus 16:27  Disobey: Dishonor the Sabbath in confused doubt from the previous lesson “That doesn’t make sense!”

6)  Exodus 17:2-3,4,7  Chide, Murmur, near stoning: “Give us water!” No longer a request but now a challenging demand by familiarity; “is God among us?”.

7)  Exodus 32:1-6  Disobey, idol worship, party in iniquity: Who needs Moses? “Live for the moment and at the moment Moses is not here to complain!”

8)  Numbers 11:1-3  Complaint of the whole journey in general: Tired of it all “I really miss my old life of simple and easy pleasure in slavery to sin”.

9)  Numbers 11:4-6  Lust, Weep, loath manna, long for Egypt: We miss Egypt! “I want to go back”.

10)  Numbers 14:1-4  Weep, Murmur, REFUSE to obey: “We will not go except back!”

10.5)  Numbers 14:6-10  Committed to rebellion even after an appeal: “Stone them for opposing us!”

Can you see the increasing elevated progression of their temptations to God? Nine times God winked at their ignorant sins (Acts 17:30), forgave their confused sins (Leviticus 5:17-19, I John 2:1-2) and carried them as a burden in their stubborn sins (Nehemiah 9:18-20) until even Moses the image of Christ, had about all he could stomach (Numbers 11:10-14) at event #9.

The 10^th rebellion came “coincidentally” at exactly the wrong time for them but perfectly timed for failure in the Final Exam of entering in. Even then in God’s extraordinary extension of mercy he gave them one last “reconsider” (10.5) as Joshua and Caleb appealed to them to change their minds, but they would have none of it; they were already committed to their error far more than they were ever committed to God. Therefore God would not lift *2 them any higher to reach the bar of entrance though he would carry *2 them in their sin at their determined level of failure to the end of their miserable days.

Ten times pardoned, Nine times forgiven.

* * *

Other examples of dramatic change at the 10th provocation:

As is necessary for scriptural support of a particular interpretation; is there another scriptural example of longsuffering endurance through 10 abuses until a dramatic change in the normal results? Yes. We see the pattern provided earlier in Jacob at the hand of Laban his father in law:

“And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me” Genesis 31:7.

“Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times” Genesis 31:41.

Jacob in this case is also a type of Christ and his two wives represent the redeemed of both Jew and Gentile after the ten provocations of their redeemer by their father who represents the authority of sin much as the bondage to Egypt until ten confrontations of Pharaoh (resulting in 10 plagues) released them (read Jacob’s act of redeeming: Genesis 29:18-30). This representation interpretation is made more confident as we see the representation of the Jews in Rachel (the first beloved but the last to be received) while we see the Gentiles in the less desired Leah whom he received in the process by the delay of Rachel (Romans 11:17,19). Yet like Christ, Jacob paid the same heavy price for them both though it seemed light because of his love. (For other “ten times” ending in new results, see also Nehemiah 4:12-13 and Job 19:3+).

Like Jacob’s resulting separation from Laban, and Israel’s separation from Egypt, a similar dramatic and permanent result was taken at the Jordan River where the Exodus people were to cross over but refused in unbelief as the 10^th provocation; Though God did not take them up on their temptation to destroy them on the spot, he did turn them away never to cross over.  Space does not permit me to expound on their powerless cries and attempts to later reclaim what they had rejected in provoking God the 10^th time (see Numbers 14:39-45, Genesis 27:34+Hebrews 12:16-17), but to declare there is a far distant “line in the sand” at which when crossed by a long trek of persistent error and recovery, the results are dramatically and permanently different.

Since we are told this happened to them for our admonition (3559; i.e. mild rebuke or warning) (I Corinthians 10:11), we can be sure there will be yet another similar dramatic and permanent change of “normal” at a 10^th provocation, and not everyone who has been following and waiting to get in, will be ready and willing to go:

“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (2897 transliterated; excess), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares”… Luke 21:34-36.

Are you negotiating successfully around general excess and drunkenness? How about the cares of this life? Ouch! That strikes home hard! “There are eternal consequences for our hearts being overcharged with the cares of this life?  Wow”. God has no compassion on being squeezed out because life is just too busy to give him time; that is a clear sign of a deeply flawed perspective

(Mark 4:7,18-19).

* * *

So in light of the Exodus narration as our Christian ensample  

(I Corinthians 10:11); That list of ten provocations is a whole study in itself as it perfectly parallels the personal wars we face as we follow after Christ. Spend some time working through that list and easily see your selfish nature fighting with God at each point. The scary part is to see the growing progression of rejection at each failure, when the steps were designed to draw us closer to God!

The death of self-will is utterly necessary before the Caleb spirit of following hard after God can be found. And the sooner you can recognize and put to death that self-will the sooner you can avoid progressively provoking God until you find yourself loathing the thought of entering the Kingdom of Heaven!                                    

So what might be our suggested set of 10 provocations by which our Christian “nation”  (i.e. Church age) tempts God to destroy us while his mercy remains? And where might we find our current position on the list as we approach our own “Final Exam”?

I will use the actual Christian nation of America as a direct comparison, but don’t miss that this is written to all Christians globally as well: how is Christianity doing as a whole in contemplating the Church age coming to an end?

The only other list that comes to mind by Matthew 5:17 is the same 10 they were also given for governance by the finger of God himself. So lets start at the last and work our way to the top looking for how we are doing, and lets be generous with ourselves and only claim guilt when it’s really, really obvious:

DEUTERONOMY:

10) “Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor’s wife…” 5:21. Rats! Guilty.

9) “Neither shalt thou bear false witness…” 5:20. Are you kidding? Guilty.

8) “Neither shalt thou steal” 5:19. Trillions of Dollars of unpayable debt as starters… Guilty.

7) “Neither shalt thou commit adultery” 5:18. As a nation from God’s view? Guilty!

6) “Thou shalt not kill” 5:17. Abortion alone without all the questionables… Guilty.

5) “Honour thy father and thy mother (in righteousness)…” 5:16. Rigghhhht. Guilty.

4) “Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it…” 5:12. Does Sunday count? Show me where; Guilty.

3) “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain…” Guilty on two counts.

2) “Thou shalt not make thee any graven image…” 5:8. Very shaky. In grace; barely waved.

1) “Thou shalt have no other god’s before me” 5:7. “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation, at least not just…” - now acting President Obama.  Officially Guilty!

Now while I am personally convinced we have already emotionally crossed the line on line item #2 with all our toys that we treasure above even our wives and kids, the Exodus example shows God’s incredible willingness to extend the rope until we hang ourselves before declaring it so, and so I call #2 a clerical pass but expect to soon see actual idols of gods spring up all over our land similar to the Catholics bowing down and praying to images of men (see how easy it is to make idols legitimate?). Yet without argument each of the other 9 line items are shattered both nationally and personally across this land which indicates we are literally, at best, on our last leg before we cross that unrecoverable #10. Waiting to see the rain before getting on the Ark was a bad idea!

But by reviewing a sterile itemized list, did we forget that it was not God who in punishment for their sins kept the Exodus people from going in once they completed their accomplishment of failure? It was THEIR CHOICE; They didn’t want to go. In their very hearts and minds and wills they did not want to go in although through the whole journey they imagined that they did.

So provoking God ten times didn’t keep them from going in as punishment, but rather were simply ten landmarks showing them their progress toward failure. Provocation #10 was just the demarcation line that once drawn could not be erased, and they drew it of their own free wills. The Angel that led them here would not pardon their refusal to go in (more in later posts).

Likewise, by our perpetual abuses of the other nine commandments without getting smoked, we have trained ourselves to believe that God is OK with it; “Jesus will forgive it, that’s what he does”. Even those greatly concerned about our national leader’s prolific public rejection of God on behalf of our entire nation, are curiously surprised to see the continuation of business as usual. It’s pretty hard not to shrug in confusion of evidence and join the crowd assuming there simply isn’t going to be a day of reckoning after all (II Peter 3:3-4), but the black storm clouds are on the horizon for all to see if we would just see them, yet they have been building so slowly over time that we have learned to ignore them and we don’t take them serious anymore.

It is this very mentality, supported by misinterpreted evidence of facts, that allowed us to cross each previous line one at a time, and in God’s merciful restraint at the pleading of Christ, we continue to grow in brash confidence and false security that will allow us also to cross that last line when we get there, expecting the same forgiveness as usual. But all the crying and repentance and eager efforts to obey after that, once the storm of consequences falls, will do no good at all because at that point, at the end of training, it will still be from self-preservation and not love of God (Hosea 7:13-16, Numbers 14:40-45).

“And thou his son, O Belshazzar (Christian), hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this; But has lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven… and thou has praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, has thou not glorified:…God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it… Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” Daniel 5:22-27.

* * *

Contemplations:

Since the Exodus narrative is written nationally I chose to interpret it nationally for this post, but in so doing it is easy for the guilty to ignore the individual accountability it also provides. As is our nature we are very good at ignoring the obvious and imagining the unrealistic, so I offer some extra observations as we contemplate our personal standing in the list of 10 provocations:

#10 and #7 of the above list are easy for many “good Christians” to proudly declare; “Not me!” But Jesus, rather than erase the Law as we have been taught to suppose, throws gas on that fire by declaring; “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” Matthew 5:27-28. Now tell me honestly dear Christian minister; would you watch that otherwise really stupid movie or TV program if that actress were not so darn hot? - Guilty on four counts.

#6 of the above list, is easy for nearly everyone to breath a sigh of relief and smile in God’s obvious favor knowing; “at least I am a long ways short of failing there!” But again Jesus (who is supposed to be our advocate for cry’n-out-loud) gets out the Jet Fuel to toss on this fire as he says;

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: (and then he goes even further): and whosoever shall say to this brother, Raca (4469 worthless), shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore…if (thou) rememberest thy brother hath aught (anything) against thee; …(stop your worship activates) and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and… (resume worship)” Matthew 5:21-24.

And as if that isn’t enough, the Apostle John adds this bit as well:

“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now...he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes…Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him…whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?...If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” I John 2:9-11, 3:15,17, 4:20.

Verdict on “Don’t kill”?  Guilty.

#4. For so long we Christians have held Sunday as a sacrament and gone to church. This is by all means a good and honorable thing of great benefit. The problem is that it’s not Sabbath and never has been. Does God allow this ignorant deviation of the letter while we apply the concept in principle? You bet he does! (Romans 14:5) this is not my argument. BUT. In our ignorant misapplication of assuming we are indeed keeping the Sabbath we fail to understand why the consequences of breaking the Sabbath are building up while we attend Sunday worship, and so in that diminished state of confusion we easily loose sight of the value of Sunday worship and so casually violate Sunday worship too with no consequences (since it is not a commandment) until today very few Americans actually see Sunday as sacred but rather a day to take off from work and enjoy in our own socially acceptable lusts of pleasure and gluttony except for the obligatory hour at church we all bear as a burden to God (Isaiah 58:13).

Breaking the Sabbath in misuse of even our own deviation of Sunday application? Guilty with complexity! (Solution: Numbers 15:24-26 applied in Christ’s blood with knowledge).

We really are not looking good here, and noting that is the whole point of a checklist.

* * *

Of all the 600,000 men, exclusive of the children (who later made it in) and most probably exclusive of the women who did not (Exodus 12:37), only 2 individuals made it into the Promised Land. That’s a very conservative 300,000:1 ratio. If there are as reported a rounded down 300,000,000 people in the population of America

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population),
that means by comparison, about 500 Americans can reasonably assume such a faith as Caleb as to make it in. NOW how do you figure your relationship with God stands in regards to that short list? (Please read these: I Corinthians 9:24-25, II Timothy 2:3-5, Luke 18:8).

“Incredible!” You say incredulously.

“Terrifying” I say (I Corinthians 9:24,27, I Peter 3:20+II Peter 2:5).

Of course this specific number ratio example may not be binding and is here only as a means to awaken serious contemplation of one’s true condition as opposed to imagined condition. How do you stand among the nation’s top 500 truly faithful?...(as opposed to any other kind of faithful~).

By our self-preserving nature we tend to believe that God loves us all so much that he really wouldn’t let us ultimately fail. This self-important perspective refuses to allow our comprehension that in truth only 2 of the 600,000 men actually made it into the Promised Land. Only eight people of all the world’s population made it into the Ark. Not because God kept them out, but because they would not get in when they had the opportunity as Noah preached for years in the sunshine days while he built his monster boat before their eyes. Sure they all had a change of heart and wanted in after the door was closed and the water began to flood their homes, but the opportunity had passed and all Noah could do was look out the window in great sorrow. This is a hard saying.

“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence (happy to let God lead them out of Egypt) steadfast unto the end (when it came time to go in); While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses (two, plus lots of children made it later). But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief” Hebrews 3:14-19.

“Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” Hebrews 4:11.

* * *

I somewhat belabor the examples of this post to bring to your full attention that the transition from “slavery of sin” until we enter “the kingdom of heaven” is not a free ride on the back of him who carries us with our iniquities so that we can continue lounging in sin until we arrive. Rather, this short transition on earth in these last days, is a period of grace and mercy by the appeal of Jesus Christ our savior who persuades God the Father not to immediately destroy us for our provocations until we get our feet under us in preparation of dwelling as compatible citizen in that Kingdom we anticipate.

How many appeals beyond ten are you already without learning the purpose for the mercy?

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” Ephesians 5:15-16.

But I have not even come to the hard part yet. The days of speaking with soothing words is past as we can smell the moist breeze from the Jordan now (Matthew 3:2,4:17,5:3,10,20,6:10,7:21,8:11-12,10:7,13:11, and then all the parables of the kingdom; Matthew 13:3-9,24-33, before the similes of the kingdom of heaven; 13:44-52,16:18-19,18:1-4,23,19:12,23). We are in fact now studying the kingdom of heaven (explained in future posts).

* * *

We have only begun to scratch the surface of all the Old Testament reveals about our Uncommon Christian Walk as we journey through this wilderness of life. I hope that I have opened the door of comprehension as you now read your Old Testament with new eyes in understanding its very great value for us today.

I eagerly anticipate continuing this journey with you in book 2, because while your eyes are still set on the very real and tangible destination; that City of God created without hands (Hebrews 11:10+Daniel 2:34), I don't think you have yet comprehended that by departing our life of slavery to "Egypt", we have already entered...

The Kingdom of God

* * * * * * *

Laws of Faith and Liberty

Post 237 

Now remember it was the Apostle Paul who told us in I Corinthians 10:6&11 to use the Old Testament Hebrews as an ensample for our own New Testament Gentile faith in God, not because it was just a reasonable coincidence but because what they experienced happened specifically for our education. And the context of Paul’s instruction was to be understood in the attitude (spirit) of gratefulness that leads to action (chapter 9) as opposed to their feelings of resentful obligatory compliance.

Paul made it clear that although all of them received the representing benefits provided by God that we received *1, not all of them pleased God very much and many were overthrown in the wilderness. We learn later that only two of that first generation actually entered into the Promised Land to possess it *2 so its safe to say that excluding a tiny remnant, All of that generation were lost to the wilderness in spite of Moses’ successful intercession not to destroy them on the spot when their sin stirred up God’s wrath (Exodus 32:9-14). So while the Exodus Hebrews were in name under the law, were they not also as we; under the grace of Christ through Moses who meditated between God and sinners? And yet they failed to attain the prize; are we really so different then? (I Corinthians 9:24-27).

It is this same Paul who told us to use them as an ensample, that also wrote the famous Romans 5,6, and 7 chapters extensively used by those who promote the devil’s doctrine to be content in sin because we are no longer under the law. Clearly Paul had something else in mind as is made evident by his many other writings regarding our “obligation” to works as I have shown, but since their ensample of trusting in the law obviously didn’t work for them thereby condemning our own turn to the Jewish law of works, what could he have had in mind; We must do works but works wont save us?

* * *

The Laws of Faith and Liberty: (Romans 3:27+31, James 1:25+2:12)

The early history of our once great nation is as good an example as has ever been to date. The very reason why the Gentile Christian pilgrims came to America was to escape the law of the king of England. That king was a tyrant and cruel and oppressive as evidenced by the itemized list of the Declaration of Independence, and yet by scripture the king (and thus his law) was ordained by God (Exodus 22:28, Habakkuk 1:12, Romans 13:1-2, Hebrews 13:17, I Peter 2:17). So in the fullness of time and the leading of God they were blessed to set sail away from that law of bondage (a type of Egypt), through the wilderness of the sea to far away regions of unknown events and hardships. But their prevailing focus (law) was faith in God though they struggled to know how to implement that faith practically in those unfamiliar events (trials and tribulations; James 1:1-5).

      

One such early implementation as a result of social difficulty encountered was the Mayflower Compact. Was the Compact a law? Well kind of, but more accurately it was a pledge that collectively was agreed to keep for the good of the whole. It was a first law of liberty sourced on the law of faith that motivated their common goals.

And so goes the structures of the legal systems of the new nation until finally culminating in a federal unifying government of protection for the independent states. That unifying government was made firm and sure by the Constitution of the United States; a law of liberty built on the Declaration of Independence; a law of faith. Where then is anarchy, Where is lawlessness in this new nation who fled from the law of kings? (I Chronicles 16:21-22) It is not found but in the wicked and hurtful factions that would not have such laws rule over them (Luke 19:14).

Yet America did not just replace one oppressive law for another in kind; the laws of this land were of another sort; these are of the law of Liberty based upon the law of Faith unlike the oppressive religious laws of the Church of England supporting the will of the king. Like the law of works and the law of liberty, In structure they have similar first appearances but the results are nothing alike. The very foundation of these elevated laws of faith and liberty are the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-40). On these two commandments hang all the laws of liberty and faith as well as Moses and the prophets.

But laws of liberty built on the law of faith by their very nature cannot work for a wicked people who have neither godly faith nor its kind of liberty. So laws of Do and Don’t Do are written for a wayward people who need external restraints (I Timothy 1:9); and so we see our federal government, originally created for our protection from others, now writing ineffective laws attempting to protect us from ourselves. And since our form of government is derived and implemented from among the people then it is of our wicked selves whom we vote into office to write new laws. These wayward men misapplying and misusing this form of government by the law of liberty without the foundation of faith, are now by its nature destroying us because we are no longer righteous. The result is declared in tangible reality by the destruction of the twin towers on 911 *3 as God withdraws his spirit of protection.

While our founders understood that liberty is not the right to do what you want (anarchy) but rather the freedom to do what you should (law of faith), today our people and thus our Statesmen have no knowledge of our original documents or the deeper meaning behind our founders’ work (available only in part in the Federalist Papers) so we cannot understand what made the system so great in the first place and have no idea how to heal our land as we write faithless law after law in the confusion of anarchical liberty. And so by our own lawlessness against the law of faith by misapplying the law of liberty the land is now about to vomit us out of it (Leviticus 18:25) just as did the Promised Land of those Jews who eventually possessed it under the law of faith and works. The law of works is also built on the law of faith for a people with less internal law, but then like us they forgot the actual law of faith and replaced it with tradition and so failed to use the law of works properly. But I get ahead of myself.

If the law of faith in God is the bedrock foundational focus, then the laws of the structure’s foundation of liberty or even works can be anchored to it as evidenced by Jesus’ declaration of the greatest two commandments. That footing will last forever unless the bedrock faith is intentionally dynamited or slowly chiseled away by someone foreign or domestic (Numbers 14:36),

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” Hebrews 11:6.

This is the reason why we can confidently build on that foundation seemingly any ol’ thing we want and it will remain until the judgment fire of the end where it will be judged of its worth, but until then who can judge it? (Romans 8:1) excluding of course full perversion which was immediately dealt with on the spot in the wilderness. This is why the Exodus people made it all the way to the final exam of entering in but failed at that judgment. Therefore what you build on that foundation should be seriously considered if it is of the faith or something else (I Corinthians 3:15 as opposed to John 15:6).

* * *

Following Moses was not enough:

Did not all the people experience the salvation of the Passover? And did not all of them follow the savior Moses out of Egypt? Did they not follow him through the Red Sea in baptism? Did they not follow him into the wilderness where God himself fed them and watered them with provision unavailable but by the power of God? Did they not see the cloud of God and follow Moses wherever it led? Its true that along the way a few of them fell in the wilderness but in fact most the people successfully followed Moses right up to the river where he instructed them to go in and possess the land promised! Bravo! Good job! You made it!

Almost.

After experiencing God’s mighty miraculous care provision and protection on the journey, why would they now fear to go in and take possession of what God himself declared was theirs and the conclusion of the journey? Was not the plagues of Egypt enough to teach them the power of God to rescue? Was not the dry sea pathway enough to show his limitless power to save? Was not the leading cloud by day and the protecting pillar of fire by night enough? Was not the bread of heaven just waiting to be collected without tilling and planting and harvesting enough? Was not the Rock which miraculously split when struck producing water for man and cattle in a land virtually desolate of water enough? Was not the burning mountain, the voice of God himself or the glowing face of Moses enough!?  In longsuffering God pardoned them 10 times for their heartless, will-less following in the spirit of complaint (Numbers 14:22) *4. How much forgiveness is enough?

What would it take to make these people believe that God was there with them and would not let them fail if they would but believe God in faith? But that is just the point; it wasn’t about proof it was about desire, and they just wanted to follow their wayward heart… though as former slaves they were willing to go along wherever led, so long as it was not too uncomfortable.

After all that proof and experience with God who forgave their sins repeatedly (Numbers 14:19b), they failed to believe God, and in the same heart and spirit and might they displayed the entire journey, they failed when the final exam came (Numbers 14:1-4, Deuteronomy 1:26-28,32), and so although God pardoned them again, he would not forgive them this time (Numbers 14:19a, 20) but turned them away where they all died in the wilderness though it took 40 years of aimless wandering to do the job (Numbers 14:33-35).

Moses was still their leader (Numbers 14:25, Deuteronomy 2:1). God still provided guidance (Numbers 16:42-17). It was still the same wilderness (Deuteronomy 1:40). In fact immediately after giving them their death sentence Exodus 15 begins by God giving Moses more laws for them when they eventually do enter the Promised Land *5. To them this was just one more forgiveness in a now long list of familiar forgiveness’s; “No big deal, that is what God does”. In all appearance nothing had changed, but they were all nonetheless dead men and would never see the Promised Land let along possess it. They had been rejected by God, and all their apologetic crying and tardy “attempts to do the job instructed because they didn’t like the alternative”, were too late and to no avail (Numbers 14:39-45, Deuteronomy 1:41-45) giving deeper meaning to both layers of Hebrews 12:17, which of course was written for our New Testament age today as was the history of the Exodus people.

Remember all those verses saying plainly that God is always the same, and yet the irreconcilability of the vast differences between the Old and New Testament rules? Somehow its now a lot easier to see both Testaments are indeed from the same God who never changes.

So if going through the motions and following Moses all the way to the Promised land did not get them in, will doing the same with Jesus himself get us into the Kingdom of Heaven?

So why not kill them on the spot? (Numbers 14:15)

Why did God further waste his time and Moses’ life, and delay the two faithful from entering in? Knowing this end, why did he not kill them all back when they wanted to stone Moses in disbelief (Exodus 17:4)? What good was the baptism of water and cloud? What good was the bread of heaven? What good was the Rock of water to them but to delay their death in that same wilderness where they wandered, which is what they feared all along? (Numbers 14:28-29). It did them no good at all but to extend their existence in a harsh land. But remember your life is not about you, and neither was theirs *6; “Now these things were our ensamples, to the intent we should not...”, So in fact the delay in their destruction was of great worth on several points though it did little for them but let them die off in old age.

Great among the list of benefits is that they produced the next generation of Hebrews (Deuteronomy 1:39). If God had destroyed them early on then the race and people would have been wiped out and God would not have kept his promise to Abraham. Therefore we see that Moses’ continuing labor of care was not for them but for their children; the generation that would enter in by faith.

How do you suppose those children learned what was necessary though their parents did not? Perhaps in part by the education of the parents mistakes they taught their children. For the next 40 years you can imagine the common phrase among the people was; “We were right there at the door!” (Luke 13:23-27). Likewise, after America is rejected from the land for the same reason and our people become as all the other suffering third world nations and worse, we will be constantly remembering how good we had it but were too self absorbed with pleasure, lethargy and tolerance of wickedness to keep it. We will desire to tell our children about the land of dreams and plenty for all even as they hold their hungry tummies and snuggle up to us against the cold as we try to get some moments of sleep from the long day of laboring for our taskmasters, but we will not be given that privilege as our children will be imprisoned elsewhere.

America will be the sweatshops of the nations as our products will be sold in glorious Babylon’s WallsMart and Ameriostco stores, and the world will love our cheep prices. But our children will not hear our remorseful instruction because they were not given the promise to return as were the Jews. But again I get ahead of myself, my point here is our national foundations on the laws of Faith and Liberty were what made us the “promised land” of the Gentile era, or better said; The prototype of the Kingdom of Heaven. We lived in that place! But we were not content to dwell there in faith as reasonably obligatory by the magnificent gifts of our God. Like the Exodus people we complain against God because his ways are too burdensome and go against our lusts, which “everyone” says are OK.

How much more the wrath of God on those who have actually lived in the improved prototype kingdom of heaven under the New Testament laws of Faith and Liberty than those who never got to the Promised Land by works? (Hebrews 2:2-3, 4:1, 10:17-18, 26-27, 29,38 etc.) But I get ahead of myself again; the scriptures still have much more to show us on this matter.

* * * * * * *

*1 Why This List of Four Things?

As a type, Salvation took place at a single point in time; the Passover in Egypt and the people were freed to depart from sin and worship God (Exodus 12:13,21-23,31). This is a one time event for every believer who applies the blood of our lamb Jesus Christ to the heart soul and might doorposts of our life (Deuteronomy 6:5). But after that we are shown more of the faith:

·       Baptism through the Sea unto Moses is a type of the baptism of water unto Christ. This happens one time for each believer very near the beginning of his spiritual journey (Acts 8:35-38).

·       Baptism in the cloud unto Moses (Exodus 19:9,16 + 20:18-19, Numbers 11:25) is the type of dwelling in the shadow of the almighty (Psalm 91:1). This is being constantly under the care and watchful eye of God the Father as we follow what he tells Christ (John 8:28, 12:49, 14:10).

·       Daily provision of Manna is a type of the Bread of Life; Jesus’ body. This is the daily word of God which Jesus taught his disciples to pray for (Matthew 6:11), it is the needful daily sustenance for all believers (Matthew 4:4) until we enter the kingdom of heaven (Exodus 16:35).

·       Water from the Rock is a type of indwelling of the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things (John 14:26), that prophetically is most always represented as flowing water. This is received through the broken body of Jesus Christ the Rock that was struck (I Corinthians 10:4) and this one time dose is perpetually refreshing (John 4:14).

*2 Two First-gens Did Enter In:

Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 13:8,16, 14:24, 30, 37-38). There is a great clue in why they made it; “But my servant Caleb because he had another spirit within him, and hath followed me fully…” Numbers 14:24. Joshua was barely of the first generation (Numbers 11:28) and his mission was different from the twelve (Numbers 13:16).

*3 The Destruction of the Twin Towers

was made possible by the misapplication of our laws of liberty which allowed our known enemies the freedom to dwell among us, use our resources and programs to learn how to fly our own airplanes, full of our own people, into our own buildings. The misuse of our law of liberty is what opens our borders to those who would kill our farmers steal their lands and destroy our people with drugs and violence. The misuse of our law of liberty allows us the freedom to kill our own unborn children without shame or remorse. It allows wickedness to run free and do what wickedness does which is to oppress the law of faith in God. The law of liberty in the hands of the wicked is self-destructive but not before it sets up the framework for a more violent law of religious oppression as was found in England from which our forefathers fled in hardship. But having been freed of England once, we can only expect what comes to be seven times worse (Matthew 12:43-45).

*4 Ten Times Pardoned, Nine Time Forgiven: (Numbers 14:22) Expanded in post 238 “ Nine Times Forgiven” (http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2012/03/nine-times-forgiven.html).

*5 These “Numbers Chapter 15” Laws

that were given after the rejection, were for the next generation, but the transition was so smooth it was not noticed even as many reading that history don’t even see it. Note that these laws were of sacrifices for sins of ignorance as they were the young generation.  While sins of ignorance is readily forgiven in 15:24 as well as I John 1:9, Numbers 15:30-31 declares that presumption is unforgiven and is confirmed in Hebrews 10:26.

*6 We Too Are Ensamples For Still Others:

Philippians 3:17, I Thessalonians 1:7, II Thessalonians 3:9, I Peter 5:3, Hebrews 12:1.

*

Are We There Yet?

Post 236

I think we have all been on a long drive when heard from the back seat is the regular query; “Are we there yet?”  I find this question very applicable within the church today from those who have not studied the roadmap of the faith. We all know salvation is the beginning but what lies ahead is for anyone to guess… or is it? (Matthew 13:11,35).

I Corinthians 10:6&11 reveal to us how we are to read the historical record of the Hebrews in the Old Testament scriptures as Paul’s short narrative ends with verse 5 before going on to expound on his point. So we find verses 6 and 11 are pivotal between the instructional events of the past and our application of them here in the End Times;

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (*1): and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” I Corinthians 10:11.

We need to know “what things” Paul speaks of, so lets review his first four verses;

“Moreover, brethren…” I Corinthians 10:1

Again we see the nature of scripture to be such an integrated message system that it is very difficult to break out just a portion without loosing something. Yet for now I simply must over shoot the concept of chapter 9 that leads into chapter 10 except to say that with receipt of anything of value there is payment that is reasonably obligatory (Romans 12:1). Some recognize the justification of the obligation and give it in gratitude of what was received while others stumble at the “obligation” forgetting they received something of worth.

In I Corinthians 9:16-17 Paul shows that even those providing the service also have their own obligation to this principle in their service; having themselves received from elsewhere what they offer. Without wishing to limit the meaning, we see that Paul is actually teaching an attitude rather than a rule; i.e. the law of liberty. Attitudes are very hard to teach from paper and ink. This attitude of gratefulness for service is shown in the principle of tithe and offering (Genesis 14:20, Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18:24, Deuteronomy 26:12), but that is an entire study of its own so lets move forward having established that the attitude of recompense for something valuable received should be given with joy and gratefulness and is therefore no longer payment but a gift of love. With this perspective of importance for a grateful heart moving us to action, we move into Chapter 10 with “moreover, brethren”:

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them (came later): and that Rock was Christ”

I Corinthians 10:1-4.

Without an intimate familiarity with the Old Testament history of the Hebrew’s journey from slavery in Egypt - through the wilderness - to the Promised Land, the previous verses are just so much poetry and not a specific list of something very valuable received for which recompense of gratitude is needfully obligatory. We need to know this history of services provided, which is why it was written in scripture (Exodus chapters 3-24,32-34).

I anticipate perhaps writing a whole book on Abraham and Moses as their lives acted out in type-and-shadow the representations of God the Father and the Son of God respectively. With the huge volume of scriptural documentation revealing this I am surprised I have not seen such a book already written and surely there must be.

Likewise, the Hebrew people making that journey were acting out the representation of all believers in Christ as we follow Christ through the wilderness of this life making our way to the true Promised Land we now know as the Kingdom of Heaven that will literally come down from heaven and remain among men (Revelation 3:12, Daniel 7:27). In the prophetic pattern of onion layers they also represented their last days direct descendent Jews as Christ himself finally gathers them to the true Promised Land at his second coming (Genesis 49:1, Deuteronomy 4:30) But I get ahead of myself (Deuteronomy 31:29) we’re not there yet.

As you read the interesting Exodus “story” and find some very strange Out Of Place events documented there (OOP  Google it!), you will find yourself asking; “Why in the world would THAT be written in scripture?”(example: Exodus 4:24-26 explained in later posts). This is the same question the Jewish children of later generations asked regarding the pile of 12 stones taken from the Jordan River; “What mean ye by these stones?” (Joshua 4:3-7). Therefore I have coined these strange passages of scripture and similar temporal landmarks; “Jordan Stones” because they are there precisely to make us ask the question and search out the forgotten but important educational point that alters our perception. The name Horse Latitude is just such a Jordan Stone of our own age as I have shown in post 175 The Four Winds 3-21-11

(http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2011/03/four-winds.html).

* * *

The Meaning Of Life?

Now getting back to our first four verses of I Corinthians 10; Do you suppose these people who endured the hardships of the long journey through the desert wilderness had any idea they were living out a representation of the deeper spiritual reality common to the timeless redeemed of Christ and were a message of spiritual instruction to all believers thereafter, as well as a prophecy of a deep level journey for the Jewish people still to come? Of course not; They simply lived their lives one day at a time in the hardship of wilderness living where they found themselves, (though albeit with some very unusual events). Will you be surprised to learn that you too are a similar instructional message to an age and dimension not your own? “…which things the angels desire to look into” I Peter 1:5-12. Such knowledge should inspire you to be the best ensample *1 possible, for your life really isn’t about you.

But while the Exodus narrative gives far more detail of those experiences and their reactions for our education, Paul’s I Corinthians 10 passage focuses on the highlights of God’s miraculous provision at that time for a specific instruction to us.

What was Paul driving at?

All those Hebrew people (described as the forefathers in faith of the modern generation of Greek believers he was addressing; [I Corinthians 1:2]) experienced the same events and the same provisions individually and collectively:

1)     Every one of them dwelled in the shadow of the guiding pillar cloud of God (Exodus 13:21) representing the leading of the Holy Spirit.

2)     Every one of them actually and personally walked across the dry sea floor with the walls of the seawater on either side as they followed Moses (Exodus 14:21-22) representing our baptism unto Christ our Savior.

In so doing we are told here that all these people by these experiences were baptized unto Moses, a type of Christ, who led them through it representing salvation protection and guidance from the Pagan control of their former Egyptian life of slavery that represents our bondage to sin. All they had to do was follow Moses wherever God told him to lead and judge them as a representation of Christ (John 5:19-23,30, 8:28).

Now having permanently passed over in salvation from Egypt, evidenced by the physical and public baptism through the sea and by the cloud, these people were forever free from the bondage to Egypt (Mark 16:16) and were now the servants (followers) of God through their redeemer Moses the image of Christ. Could they go back the way they came even if they wanted to? No! and in fact most of them actually came to want to do just that because the way seemed hard to them (Exodus 16:3) and God foresaw that problem and made special arrangements to help them (Exodus 13:17)! But I get ahead of myself again *5.

Although these forefathers received the miracle of salvation from Egypt and were baptized unto Moses, they had not yet entered the Promised Land rest and we see by Paul’s narrative that these all experienced even more miraculous provision through that continuing difficult journey:

·       Every one of them ate the angel’s food that God provided in the wilderness, the type of the daily Word of God instruction so necessary to our lives (John 6:31-35).

·       Every one of them drank of the water that flowed from the Rock in the desert where there was no water. And just so we don’t miss this very important point, Paul simply declares that Rock was Jesus Christ who would come later; And so he came and so we drink unto spiritual life while existing in an environment (culture) where there is no life giving water *2. Such a drinker is Iranian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani who thrives on Jesus Christ while in prison awaiting the probable execution for his faith. Please pray (right now) that God would release him to continue his service for our Lord, if God wills.

Paul is showing that ALL these people as a type of believers after salvation had been given the same miraculous provision through the events of their same life experience in the difficult journey DESIGNED BY GOD for a purpose. Today we call this the Christian life after salvation on our wilderness journey to the Kingdom of Heaven. All of them had reached this point while the non-believing (Egyptians) were left behind in destruction of the plagues and of the sea. The events after the Red Sea are only for and about the believers we now call Christians in one onion layer of instruction that Paul addresses here.

* * *

Wilderness of Sin (*3):

For brevity sake I need to quickly skip over the somewhat topically irrelevant murmuring of the whole congregation only 30 days after their freedom from Slavery (Exodus 16:1-3+Numbers 33:3), as well as God’s provision of bread for them in the wilderness and its true purpose beyond feeding them (Exodus 16:4b). It is evident by scripture that God did not rebuke them with punishment for this murmuring and we can reason that he was longsuffering with their getting used to this new life of following God after so long complaining in choice-less bondage; of course there will be some mental, physical, emotional and spiritual gymnastics at first. Just note that this first “training” was made regarding the Sabbath and how they would obey the commanded observation of it in their practical lives as they acquired their sustenance to live (Exodus 16:4-31+ 20:9-10) “…that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no”.

Paul leaves this out of his Corinthians 10 narrative because learning this lesson is not what offended God even when they failed (Exodus 16:20, 27); it was simply a thing of education to instruct them to obey in trust (faith) (Exodus 16:28-31). But that instructional period in the Wilderness of Sin came to an end though the journey did not (Exodus 16:35-17:1). By the beginning of Chapter 17 these representational people should have learned by now to trust God, as they left behind the Jr. training ground of the Wilderness of Sin. God now expects more from them than he did at the beginning because they have experienced his provision and care and guidance in real life circumstances (Hebrews 6:1-3) that He himself brought on for that purpose. In fact they should now be finding themselves rejoicing in and anticipating God’s miraculous care (James 1:2-4), Yet again we see that God had mercy on their complaint of being thirsty in a desolate land and here is where the representation of Jesus the Rock was struck (crucified) and the living water (blood of sacrifice) flowed for the people (Exodus 17:1-6) which Paul referenced in our I Corinthians 10:1-4 passage of discussion declaring that ALL were given these things (*4) but their implementation of them was less than glorious;

“But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown (2693) in the wilderness” I Corinthians 10:5.

Overthrown 2693 katastronnumi; from 2596 and 4766; to strew down, i.e. (by implication) to prostrate (slay):- overthrow.

(This is the root of our present word catastrophe!)

This wording makes it seem as if they simply did not have the ability to overcome bad circumstances and were destroyed by something far more powerful as a catastrophe. How can God blame them for that? Paul tells us by his narrative it was because not everyone was overthrown though all had the same provision. In only a few more verses Paul makes it clear that God had given all of them the provision they needed to succeed (I Corinthians 10:13) but some were nonetheless overthrown and God was not real happy (well pleased) with them.

So what was the catastrophe that brought them down? We read in Exodus 32:1 that it was Moses’ absence while he was on the mountain of God, representing Christ’s temporary return to the Father in heaven. They felt that Moses (the image of Christ) had neglected them to themselves, and so in the waiting they made other gods from their Pagan days to add to the faith they now had while they waited with diminishing expectation (Exodus 32:5-6). It was Moses who stepped in as a type of Christ and appeased God’s wrath against them (Exodus 32:10-11) but lest you imagine this gave them liberty to continue in sin under Moses protection, we see that Moses as the type of Christ went down from the mountain of God and divided the people into two groups and himself commanded the immediate slaying of some of the wicked and reserving the rest for later (Exodus 32:26-35 / Matthew 25:31-34,41, Luke 18:8).

Now I don’t want you to miss the whole point that ALL THESE WERE SAVED AND BAPTISED BELIVERS as it were, on their way to the Promised Land, yet many were nonetheless overthrown. But I shouldn’t worry that you might miss this point as Paul jumps right in to make it;

“Now these things were our ensamples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them, as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play (the idolatry of self indulgent boundless pleasure). Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. (Do not generalize all these into one sin, they are different with different types of destruction though the end result of all is the same failure to enter in.)

Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples (*1): and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” I Corinthians 10:6-12.

Wow, and we’ve been wrongly taught that salvation was the end game with nothing left but the waiting! You thought the Old Testament was irrelevant obsolete history! What else does the Old Testament tell us about our Christian journey? We need to consider;

“Why the long wilderness between salvation and the Promised Land?” (*5).

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*1 Ensample 5179 tupos; from 5180; a die (as struck), …specifically, a sampler (“type”), i.e. a model (for imitation) or instance (for warning)…

*2 America’s Spiritual Water of Life:

I suggested that we are in a desolate culture dry of the spiritual water of life. Well frankly though the drought has now hit, America still has some remnants of that spiritual water in our remaining righteous laws and customs based on Christ’s commandments. Yet unlike many nations, our nation is not yet destitute of righteousness, but the drought is relatively new and the effects still becoming evident as the 7 years of plenty were eventually completely consumed by the 7 years of famine in the days of Joseph (Genesis 41:30-31). America’s remaining wells of living water are being filled in just as the wells dug by Abraham in the Promised Land while under control of godless men (Genesis 26:15).

The potential recovery of life giving water to the spiritually dry soil of America is found in the representational actions of Isaac who came along after Abraham and re-dug them (Genesis 26:18). But while this universal principle remains accurate and true for any and all that would follow it, this representation is actually and specifically provided for the nation of Israel as it is prophesied that they will return to their former days when they dig again the spiritual wells that once made them great, just as is the case in their physical world with water today; The desert land is again in bloom, but the spiritual land is still desolate because they do not remember where those spiritual wells were.

Regarding America’s application of spiritual water:

In the severity of the drought of Joseph’s Egypt (Genesis 49:30) and in the pattern of the conquest of Belshazzar’s Babylon (Daniel 5:1), I have shown in posts like 148 America in Scripture

(http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2011/01/america-in-scripture.html),

and 149 America in Prophecy

(http://when-did-reason-die.blogspot.com/2011/01/america-in-prophecy.html),

that for America we did not have just wells; we were given an entire river of flowing spiritual water (the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ), and in prophetic pattern of Belshazzar, the wicked have diverted our river and our soil is quickly drying up.

While Christians in desperate hope point out every little patch of spiritually green life as evidence of recovery, I remember not long ago when the entire nation was alive in spiritual vegetation with only patches of barren soil here and there. I am labeled a defeatist by pointing out this reality in observation of a persistent drying trend and a few strands of green grass on the edge of the Dust Bowl does not impress me much though I rejoice in their life.

See Wallbuilder’s: America’s most biblically hostile administration (http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=106938)

*3 Wilderness of Sin:

“And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and (Mt.) Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt” Exodus 16:1.

Are you serious!? It is almost comical, No; it is actually comical how God arranged temporal reality to represent the true reality in such a way; The wilderness of Sin was actually named this. Along with Elim and Mount Sinai it is located in Northern Saudi Arabia East of the Gulf of Aqaba on the way after the Hebrews crossed. This is not analogy. And it was in this Wilderness of Sin that the entire congregation of people fell into murmuring (sin). Yet the real lives of these real people living in this real place, plays out like a Pilgrims Progress allegory! This is going to be hard for many to accept but the truth is that our “real life” IS an allegory of a reality more real than what we perceive we are experiencing.

The whole of the written scripture reveals this truth, and finally the best of modern science is just now catching up to this understanding in the field of Quantum Mechanics and others, but that is a whole other topic for another day. Just note here that this history of these people shows that the entire population of believers after salvation and baptism also experience the Wilderness of Sin as they find themselves in new and unfamiliar circumstance in the faith; I am not saying Christians spend time living in sin, but that the environment where they find themselves is where sin is natural and they must learn to overcome. This is training ground. How obvious does God have to make it beyond sending his representational people actually through a place called the Wilderness of Sin!? These are the sins of learning, which we can be readily forgiven for as shown in I John 1:9 and rejoice that God will not hold them against us as we learn how to trust him (Romans 8:1+).

*4 Where is the Lord?

Don’t miss the revealing comment at the end of Exodus 17:7 regarding the actual cause of their striving against thirst; “…they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?”

We must understand that they really were thirsty. They honestly could not survive long without water and yet the LORD actually led them to this desolate place and let things go until they knew they were seriously in trouble (Exodus 17:4). “What was the point?”

Knowing this Rock in the desert struck to provide flowing water was the image of Christ, we see that God also later answered their descendant’s thirsty cry by sending Jesus the Living Water; the Word-of-God-in-the-flesh actually among them as requested! (John 1:1-2,9-11). This was, as yet another foreshadowing of the thirsty cry of desperation he is still waiting to hear which will result in his second coming! (Luke 13:35). Affliction promotes a cry to God (Hosea 5:15) and as his children, God will arrange our circumstances to eliminate virtually all our other options until we have no choice but to cry out to him for our very existence. This he does for those saved from the bondage of sin and baptized unto Christ! You belong to him now and he is going to help you figure that out through the wilderness journey… if you do not fail the grace of God and be overthrown in that wilderness (Hebrews 12:12-17 vs. Matthew 11:28-30).

It was not this thirsty complaint of desperation that offended God as we see in the historical passage and we see yet another type and shadow of this onion layered desperate cry in the modern history of the holocaust that again caused them to cry out in suffering as before (Exodus 3:7, Nehemiah 9:7-15), and as before, God heard their cry and delivered them to their promised land in 1948 as a “test run” of the real deal yet to come (Jeremiah 31:33-34) from yet another period of bondage again due to rebellion (Psalm 106:43-45, Nehemiah 9:28-37. How many times of bondage and deliverance can you find in Nehemiah 9? What are the specific differences?).

“…But (unlike those people of history) ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Kingdom of Heaven), and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn (Jesus), which (members) are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel (who was killed for Cain’s rejected sacrifice as the first shadow of Christ)… for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth (Moses), much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven (the risen Christ; John 5:46-47)…wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved (that thing of great value), let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably (reasonable recompense) with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” Hebrews 12:22-29.

*5 “Are we there yet?”

God himself answered the question of why it is taking so long to get to the true Kingdom of Heaven; “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt: But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea…”  Exodus 13:17-18.

And of course God was right because they still seriously considered returning to Egypt before the sea (Exodus 14:11-12), and also shortly after crossing through the sea (Exodus 16:3). Even after the long journey they found themselves in fear of war when told to take the Promised Land (Numbers 13:30-14:4) and in fear they would not go in (Numbers 14:10), in spite of all that God had carefully taught them about his power while in the wilderness of training (Numbers 14:11). And so God rejected that generation (Numbers 14:20-23), but yet saved the next Hebrew generation, by sending them away for 40 more years of training their children, beginning with the memorial of the Red Sea baptism (Numbers 14:25); a year for every day they failed God in the final exam (Hebrews 3:8, Numbers 14:34), “and ye shall know my breach of promise…So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it”

Hebrews 3:19-4:1. (The promise is NOT an unconditional guarantee!)

Today in law we have a phrase “Breach of Contract” which voids all obligation to the contract of the non-offending party because the other party has not kept up his part. God has indeed made a promise that we should (could) enter in. But he has shown with great detail the dangers of presuming upon that promise. It is greatly worth the time to search out the point of Hebrews chapter 4 in this light. And all this before they even got into the Promised Land!

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