Category Archives: Father / Yahweh

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Father / Yahweh, Guide, Loving / Kind, Obeying God, Speaking, Through Prophets

Is Jehovah Is Too Busy To Get Into Details?

Our human nature typically feels best when we feel we have control of the details of our lives. It can be tempting to believe that Jehovah is too busy to really care about the details of our life, so we will just make all those decisions on our own. After all, He has a lot to look after, right?  Some even teach that we should pray not to the Father, but to dead people that are labeled saints. Somehow, we are to believe, Jehovah is not able to handle it all and must have the help of dead people for us to pray to? The truth is that we are to pray only to the Father, following the example of Jesus Christ. Never did he support or teach that we should pray to anyone except the Father. Jesus did not even teach that we should ever pray to Him… only in His name to the Father.

Jehovah is quite sufficient on His own to hear all our prayer and be involved in intimate details in our lives. Let us consider an example in Exodus. Several chapters provide painstaking detail of exactly what the Father wanted for His people to do in creating an altar and tabernacle in which He would dwell among them in the wilderness.

Exodus 27

The Bronze Altar

      1“And you shall make the altar of acacia wood, five cubits long and five cubits wide; the altar shall be square, and its height shall be three cubits. 2“You shall make its horns on its four corners; its horns shall be of one piece with it, and you shall overlay it with bronze. 3“You shall make its pails for removing its ashes, and its shovels and its basins and its forks and its firepans; you shall make all its utensils of bronze. 4“You shall make for it a grating of network of bronze, and on the net you shall make four bronze rings at its four corners. 5“You shall put it beneath, under the ledge of the altar, so that the net will reach halfway up the altar. 6“You shall make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with bronze. 7“Its poles shall be inserted into the rings, so that the poles shall be on the two sides of the altar when it is carried. 8“You shall make it hollow with planks; as it was shown to you in the mountain, so they shall make it.

Court of the Tabernacle

      9“You shall make the court of the tabernacle. On the south side there shall be hangings for the court of fine twisted linen one hundred cubits long for one side; 10and its pillars shall be twenty, with their twenty sockets of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver. 11“Likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings one hundred cubits long, and its twenty pillars with their twenty sockets of bronze; the hooks of the pillars and their bands shall be of silver. 12“For the width of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits with their ten pillars and their ten sockets. 13“The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits. 14“The hangings for the one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three sockets. 15“And for the other side shall be hangings of fifteen cubits with their three pillars and their three sockets. 16“For the gate of the court there shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver, with their four pillars and their four sockets. 17“All the pillars around the court shall be furnished with silver bands with their hooks of silver and their sockets of bronze. 18“The length of the court shall be one hundred cubits, and the width fifty throughout, and the height five cubits of fine twisted linen, and their sockets of bronze. 19“All the utensils of the tabernacle used in all its service, and all its pegs, and all the pegs of the court, shall be of bronze.

      20“You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. 21“In the tent of meeting, outside the veil which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout their generations for the sons of Israel.

Next time you are facing difficult decisions, whether great or small, know that you can come prayerfully and humbly before our heavenly Father and ask for His help. He is able and willing to help us even in the small details of our lives. He may be the Creator of all, sustaining all things, but He is also our loving Father who cares very much for His children!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Father / Yahweh, Guide, Obeying God, Speaking, Through Prophets

Why Is God So Picky About Details? Is He A Control Freak?

Have you ever heard someone ask if God is a control freak? “Why does He care about details so much? Why can’t I just do things my own way?”  We do well to think of our Creator as a master craftsman. Would we criticize a world renown sculptor for working intricate detail into his work? Would we criticize a master painter like Michelangelo for taking time and paying attention to amazing detail in his work? Do we criticize Apple for all the detail it manages in design and construction associated the iPhone? Of course not! We marvel at their works. We appreciate the end result delivered by the  details in the user experience.

So too we must consider our Creator a master. He has a vision and a plan and it includes many details to bring forth His glory and teach us about His kingdom. Let us not criticize our Creator for His attention to detail, but instead remember He has a plan far beyond what we can see or understand from our perspective. He has the plan, but wants His people to be part of it.  Consider the relatively small example of how He led His people to design and build  the tabernacle for Him to dwell among them while they wandered in the wilderness seeking the promised land.

Exodus 26

Curtains of Linen

      1“Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 2“The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall have the same measurements. 3“Five curtains shall be joined to one another, and the other five curtains shall be joined to one another. 4“You shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set, and likewise you shall make them on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set. 5“You shall make fifty loops in the one curtain, and you shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite each other. 6“You shall make fifty clasps of gold, and join the curtains to one another with the clasps so that the tabernacle will be a unit.

Curtains of Goats’ Hair

      7“Then you shall make curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the tabernacle; you shall make eleven curtains in all. 8“The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the width of each curtain four cubits; the eleven curtains shall have the same measurements. 9“You shall join five curtains by themselves and the other six curtains by themselves, and you shall double over the sixth curtain at the front of the tent. 10“You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the first set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.

      11“You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and you shall put the clasps into the loops and join the tent together so that it will be a unit. 12“The overlapping part that is left over in the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that is left over, shall lap over the back of the tabernacle. 13“The cubit on one side and the cubit on the other, of what is left over in the length of the curtains of the tent, shall lap over the sides of the tabernacle on one side and on the other, to cover it. 14“You shall make a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and a covering of porpoise skins above.

Boards and Sockets

      15“Then you shall make the boards for the tabernacle of acacia wood, standing upright. 16“Ten cubits shall be the length of each board and one and a half cubits the width of each board. 17“There shall be two tenons for each board, fitted to one another; thus you shall do for all the boards of the tabernacle. 18“You shall make the boards for the tabernacle: twenty boards for the south side. 19“You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards, two sockets under one board for its two tenons and two sockets under another board for its two tenons; 20and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, twenty boards, 21and their forty sockets of silver; two sockets under one board and two sockets under another board. 22“For the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards. 23“You shall make two boards for the corners of the tabernacle at the rear. 24“They shall be double beneath, and together they shall be complete to its top to the first ring; thus it shall be with both of them: they shall form the two corners. 25“There shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver, sixteen sockets; two sockets under one board and two sockets under another board.

      26“Then you shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the boards of one side of the tabernacle, 27and five bars for the boards of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle for the rear side to the west. 28“The middle bar in the center of the boards shall pass through from end to end. 29“You shall overlay the boards with gold and make their rings of gold as holders for the bars; and you shall overlay the bars with gold. 30“Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to its plan which you have been shown in the mountain.

The Veil and Screen

      31“You shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman. 32“You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, their hooks also being of gold, on four sockets of silver. 33“You shall hang up the veil under the clasps, and shall bring in the ark of the testimony there within the veil; and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the holy of holies. 34“You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the holy of holies. 35“You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand opposite the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side.

      36“You shall make a screen for the doorway of the tent of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver. 37“You shall make five pillars of acacia for the screen and overlay them with gold, their hooks also being of gold; and you shall cast five sockets of bronze for them.

Prayerfully consider what you are doing in your life. Are you honoring God even in the details? Are you seeking His ways not just for church on Sunday and major celebrations but even for what you watch on television or the internet? Do you consider what He wants when you decide how to spend your time or do you just do what you want? Spend some time reflecting in prayer and asking God to help you identify changes you can make in your life even this week that can help you to follow the world less and follow God more… even in the details. It is the details that ultimately make a good work of art into a masterpiece. Allow the Master to work through you!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Guide, Loving / Kind

Does Jehovah Really Care About the Details of My Life?

At times it seems simply unbelievable that the Creator of the universe, and everything in it, is interested in my life. Who am I that He should be mindful of me? If you find yourself wondering from time to time if Jehovah cares about the details of the lives of His people, be encouraged. He absolutely does. As we study scripture we see over and over again that Jehovah cares about details. He is not too busy. He does not have limits or boundaries to how much He can oversee. If we listen, we will see evidence of His lovingkindness and His desire to guide His people even in details.

Consider, as one example, how involved Jehovah was in leading His people as they left slavery in Egypt and learned to follow Him. He did not tell them just to build Him a temple worthy of Him and then intend to come back later and sit in judgment as to whether they did well or poorly. He showed them and guided them in even the minute details.  Can you imagine how overwhelming it would be to try to design a holy place for Him without His help guiding us in the detail? We would hardly know where to begin. What a loving God!

Exodus 25:23-40

The Table of Showbread

      23“You shall make a table of acacia wood, two cubits long and one cubit wide and one and a half cubits high. 24“You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a gold border around it. 25“You shall make for it a rim of a handbreadth around it; and you shall make a gold border for the rim around it. 26“You shall make four gold rings for it and put rings on the four corners which are on its four feet. 27“The rings shall be close to the rim as holders for the poles to carry the table. 28“You shall make the poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold, so that with them the table may be carried. 29“You shall make its dishes and its pans and its jars and its bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. 30“You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before Me at all times.

The Golden Lampstand

      31“Then you shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand and its base and its shaft are to be made of hammered work; its cups, its bulbs and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32“Six branches shall go out from its sides; three branches of the lampstand from its one side and three branches of the lampstand from its other side. 33“Three cups shall be shaped like almond blossoms in the one branch, a bulb and a flower, and three cups shaped like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bulb and a flower—so for six branches going out from the lampstand; 34and in the lampstand four cups shaped like almond blossoms, its bulbs and its flowers. 35“A bulb shall be under the first pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the second pair of branches coming out of it, and a bulb under the third pair of branches coming out of it, for the six branches coming out of the lampstand. 36“Their bulbs and their branches shall be of one piece with it; all of it shall be one piece of hammered work of pure gold. 37“Then you shall make its lamps seven in number; and they shall mount its lamps so as to shed light on the space in front of it. 38“Its snuffers and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39“It shall be made from a talent of pure gold, with all these utensils. 40“See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.

The next time you find yourself thinking that you must manage all the details of your life and Jehovah does not really care… reconsider. Stop and pray. Ask for His help and guidance in even the details. Then listen carefully. The answer may not come in the manner it came to Moses. Jehovah may speak to you through others or in dreams or through insight He provides as you consider the problem. There are many ways He speaks to His people, when they stop long enough to ask and then listen.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Father / Yahweh, Holy, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind

Is God a Micro-Manager?

To some, you may be surprised that the Ark of the Covenant is real and not just a storyline in a popular movie from a few decades ago. Indeed it is not only real, but Jehovah Himself designed it. In truth, it is one of many good examples that show us Jehovah’s great interest in details. We can have good discussion around why Jehovah gets into the detail of a very specific design… “Is He a micro-manager needing to be in control of every detail? or is it just that He loves His people and has a plan for them. He cares enough to lay out even minute details.” In fact, as we read on through the Bible, we will confirm many other instances where He gets involved and leads on even seemingly small and perhaps insignificant details. We must conclude He cares about His people even to a detailed level. He cares about leading them well. He cares about setting up holy things in a way that distinguishes them as set apart for His purpose and not just a few more items around the camp.

Exodus 25:10-22

Ark of the Covenant

      10“They shall construct an ark of acacia wood two and a half cubits long, and one and a half cubits wide, and one and a half cubits high. 11“You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. 12“You shall cast four gold rings for it and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. 13“You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14“You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark with them. 15“The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be removed from it. 16“You shall put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you.

      17“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. 18“You shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19“Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. 20“The cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. 21“You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I will give to you. 22“There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel.

I believe that Jehovah cares about the detail here in large part to make the point to the people that these things are holy and set apart for His purpose. Details matter. The people are called to follow His direction in every detail. He wants to help people have the right attitude toward Him when they approach Him and the ark and mercy seat are symbolic of that interface between Creator and created.

Since our Creator does not change, we should take note that He wants us to take it seriously when we seek to come into His presence. Scripture clearly tells us He is like a Father and we can approach Him with anything, but let us also not forget that He is the holy Creator of all things. He is to be revered and respected. Let us challenge ourselves not to get so casual in our relationship with Him that we forget who He is and instead redefine Him in our own image and desires. He sets the agenda. He defines right and wrong. He directs every detail. Praise to Jehovah indeed that He also makes a way for us to come before Him and enter into His presence. He loves us!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Giving, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loving / Kind, Money / Finances / Wealth, Speaking, Through Prophets

Jehovah Wishes To Dwell Among His People

Jehovah wishes to dwell among His people. When He first created man and woman, He put them in the garden of Eden where He could be with them. We see again as He leads His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness that He again wishes to dwell among them. It is love that draws Him to His people. Love for His people. He will lead, if only they will follow.

Exodus 25:1-9

Offerings for the Sanctuary

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Tell the sons of Israel to raise a contribution for Me; from every man whose heart moves him you shall raise My contribution. 3“This is the contribution which you are to raise from them: gold, silver and bronze, 4blue, purple and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, 5rams’ skins dyed red, porpoise skins, acacia wood, 6oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7onyx stones and setting stones for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9“According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.

Jehovah wants to dwell among His people, if they will choose to be His people. As we progress through the scripture from Old to New Testament we see again His desire to dwell among us. He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of each believer in Christ. He is our loving Father. We should welcome Him into our lives joyfully and with thanksgiving and praise. Who are we that the Creator of all things should want to dwell among us? For those who accept His offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, we are His children.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Father / Yahweh, Guide, Hearing from God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Promises, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Jehovah Does Not Accept You The Way You Are, He Calls You To Change

Sometimes we talk about our covenant with Jehovah without a clear communication and understanding of what a covenant is and what it is not. To put it simply, a covenant is an agreement between two parties, perhaps a bit like a contract. Each is expected to do their part and meet their commitment. There is no expectation that one side can ignore it and the other is still bound by it.

Others confuse scripture and think we have a separate covenant with Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew). Jesus is the way to the Father, He is one with the Father… He does not offer us a separate and different covenant that somehow accepts us just how we are without repentance for wrongdoing.

A covenant agreement requires commitment on both sides. Typically for Jehovah and His people this comes down to something like the following “If you will be My people and obey my instructions then I will be your God.” If His people break covenant, Jehovah is not pleased and He is not ambivalent or neutral… He is disappointed or even angered.

Leviticus 26

     14‘But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments, 15if, instead, you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, 16I, in turn, will do this to you: I will appoint over you a sudden terror, consumption and fever that will waste away the eyes and cause the soul to pine away; also, you will sow your seed uselessly, for your enemies will eat it up.

People often make the mistake of concluding that Jehovah has committed to “be their God” no matter how they behave and no matter where their heart lies and what they worship. Big mistake. Take note again in Exodus 24 as God calls the people to affirm their covenant with Him. The focus is on their obedience… not His acceptance of them the way they are.

Exodus 24

People Affirm Their Covenant with God

      1Then He said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. 2“Moses alone, however, shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him.”

      3Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!” 4Moses wrote down all the words of the LORD. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD. 6Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” 8So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”

      9Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, 10and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. 11Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they saw God, and they ate and drank.

      12Now the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.” 13So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14But to the elders he said, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them.” 15Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. 18Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Another beautiful theme we see shared in Exodus 24 is that those who submit themselves to Jehovah in obedience will literally be allowed to draw nearer to Him spiritually and relationally. It is a transformational experience to come into the presence of Jehovah! Praise to our Father in heaven. What a glorious and loving Father that provides us guidance on how we are to live and draw near to Him. If we live out our part of the covenant through wholehearted obedience, then we certainly can count on Him to fulfill His promises to be our God!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Father / Yahweh, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Obeying God, Promises, Protector / Deliverer, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

If You Truly Obey, I Will Be An Enemy To Your Enemies

Studying and prayerfully reflecting on God’s deliverance of His people out of slavery in Egypt and into the promised land provides great insight for His relationship with His people. We do well to study this example and look to identify and apply key aspects of what God reveals to our lives today. In Exodus 23, our heavenly Father provides important insight to what it means to be His people and what we are to do if we expect to receive His help.

Exodus 23:20-33

Conquest of the Land

      20“Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21“Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him. 22“But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23“For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them. 24“You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces. 25“But you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst. 26“There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27“I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28“I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. 29“I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30“I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land. 31“I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. 32“You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33“They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

Jehovah clearly states that He is sending an angel to protect and lead the people into the promised land. His intent is to clear out the enemies before His people and protect them. However He also provides conditions that the people must follow.

Note the importance of obedience. Obedience is the fruit and evidence of our faith. Those who have faith will obey. Those who do not have faith will make excuses not to obey.

  • Obey the angel and do not be rebellious. The angel is operating on behalf of God at God’s instruction.
  • If you truly obey, then I will be an enemy to your enemies.

God consistently speaks out strongly against false gods. Not only are we not to worship them and not to serve them, but we are not even to do things the way that the pagans do in worship or tradition / practice associated with their false gods. Further, God instructed His people not to tolerate and accept false gods among them but to overthrow them and break their sacred pillars and idols apart. Certainly today we should not be making excuses to tolerate false gods among us. God knows this always leads His people to trouble.

24“You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces.

God knows the right timing for us to accept victory at His hand. We always think “give us everything now”, but God knows better. Sometimes His wisdom leads to different timing for us to accomplish our victory. We must be patient and trust His timing and His ways.

29“I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30“I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.

God warns His people to trust in Him to drive people out of the land. Do not make covenants or treaties with them or with their false gods. Do not let them live in your land. They will make you sin against God. We are once again warned against accepting false gods and idols and their worship practices among God’s people. If our all knowing Father identifies this clear hazard, and we have a history of witnessing it leading His people astray, then why are we so quick to dismiss this repeated warning? Are we wiser than God? Do we know something He does not? or have we just been fooled by Satan to defend worship of false gods among us and to teach it in schools and treat it in government as if all faiths are equivalent? They are not. One is right… the rest are paths that lead God’s people away to hell. Many will get angry with a statement like this, but it is not in my authority to change what God has said to make people feel better. I am only able to share the truth that God has already told us.

 32“You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. 33“They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

There is much to learn from how God instructed His people as they were searching for the promised land. We should each prayerfully consider these key points and apply them to our lives. Are we trusting God and God alone? Are we obeying all that He instructs, or just parts of it? Are we rejecting false gods? Are we patient to wait for His timing?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

All Powerful / King of All, Father / Yahweh, Hearing from God, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Prayer, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Those Who Consecrate Themselves To His Purposes Will Draw Near To Him

Those who come closest to Jehovah are those consecrated to Him… that is to say dedicated and set aside for His use for His purposes. Jehovah reveals to us this truth through scripture as we see examples of those who dedicate themselves fully toward His purposes are often those whom He calls to serve as prophets or missionaries or leaders for His people. In Exodus, Jehovah calls forth Moses and Aaron, who are called to His purpose. He also calls for the priests to consecrate themselves, dedicating themselves to His purposes. The rest of the people remain at a greater distance from Him.

Exodus 19:18-25

The LORD Visits Sinai

      18Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. 20The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22“Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, or else the LORD will break out against them.” 23Moses said to the LORD, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us, saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it.’” 24Then the LORD said to him, “Go down and come up again, you and Aaron with you; but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, or He will break forth upon them.” 25So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Whether we discuss priests and prophets in scripture or those who follow Jehovah today, the principle is the same. Those of us who separate ourselves from the world and dedicate ourselves genuinely and wholeheartedly to our Creator will be allowed to see and experience more of Him. Those who refuse to die to their own desires and the ways of the world but claim to follow Him will remain at a distance from Him.

Prayerfully and humbly pray to Jehovah that He would help you to dedicate yourself to His purposes, surrendering your desires and preferences and living out His instead.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Holy, Humility, Learning To Pray Effectively, Obeying God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Prepare Yourself For The Presence Of God

Our heavenly Father is amazing. He created the entire universe and holds it together… all powerful, present at all times and places, all knowing. Yet He is mindful of each one of us. He creates each of us and loves each of us as our Father. It is too easy to develop a casual attitude when we come before Him in prayer. Casual, open, and honest relationship with our Father is welcome as we grow closer and closer to Him. It is not difficult to see in scripture how those who were closest to Jehovah such as Moses or Elijah or David may have had this relationship with Him.  However, we do well to also remember that He is an awesome and powerful Creator, worthy of reverence. He is holy. Our only interactions with Him should not be while we drive or shower or “multi-task”. These behaviors are ok to engage our Father more often, but we should not neglect to also set aside time with proper reverence and focus to come into His presence focused solely on Him.

Exodus 19:10-16

      10The LORD also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; 11and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12“You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, ‘Beware that you do not go up on the mountain or touch the border of it; whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13‘No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” 14So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people, and they washed their garments. 15He said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”

      16So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Challenge yourself to set aside dedicated prayer time to come into Jehovah’s presence this week… and every week. Start with 15 minutes if that is all you have, then seek to expand and grow this dedicated prayer time. It is still ok to also talk with Him at other times, even while we are busy… but we should set aside dedicated time to know Him. We would never imagine we could build a meaningful relationship with a spouse by only talking to them while multi-tasking… so we should take care not to treat Jehovah this way also.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Guide, Obeying God, Speaking, Through Prophets

If You Will Obey My Voice and Keep My Covenant

Even those of us who follow Jehovah as disciples of Jesus Christ do not often, if ever, experience Him in the direct and powerful manner in which He addressed Moses. Our Father performed many might miracles to set the Israelites free from bondage in Egypt and then begin to help them learn to follow Him. He used this time to communicate in a very direct and clear manner many instructions and guiding principles which endure forever. We do well to study them and remember that they still apply, even after Jesus Christ lived, died, and was resurrected.

A foundational element of our Father’s covenant with His people is the following… “if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples”. We do well to remember this core, foundational element to our relationship with our Father in Heaven. He calls us to obey Him. He does not even call us to agree with Him… so it is ok to obey even if or when we do not fully understand why He tells us to do something a certain way or not to do something at all.

Exodus 19:1-8

   1In the third month after the sons of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2When they set out from Rephidim, they came to the wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped in front of the mountain. 3Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel: 4‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. 5‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 6and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel.”

      7So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD had commanded him. 8All the people answered together and said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do!” And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD

We are called first to obey Him in order to be His people. To obey Him, of course, we must study and pray for His help to understand His word properly. Then we must separate ourselves from the world sufficiently to lead our lives Jehovah’s way, in submission to Him rather than our own control and agenda or that of the world and culture around us. For us to “be to [Him] a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”, we must be different from others and set aside for and willingly submitted to Jehovah’s ways and purposes.

I encourage each of you to prayerfully reflect on your lives. Don’t rush this activity. Give it time and attention. Involve someone you trust to be honest and submitted to Jevovah, someone who will not just tell you what they think you want to hear. Are you really submitted to Him? Do you do everything His way? Do you obey all that He commands? None of us is perfect, but do not use glib expressions like that one to allow complacency to remain in your sin and stop changing your life to become more like that of Jesus Christ.

We must continue for our lifetime on the journey to study and become more like Christ. We will never “get far enough”. If we truly love the Father we will not choose to stop pursuing Him any more than we would claim to love our spouse and then say… “We have been together for 20 years, so now I no longer have to show love to him or her because I have done that already. I no longer need or want to consider how to please them more. I will just continue doing whatever I am doing my way, even if I know it hurts them.”

Our journey to become more like Christ, if genuine, lasts our entire lifetime and we never complete it…but it transforms us over time to be more and more pleasing to the Father. Continued obedience, as a sign of our love for Him, is how we fulfill our covenant with Him.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.