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

* * * * * * *