Category Archives: Suffering / Adversity

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Drunkenness, Gluttony, Grace / Patience, Justice / Judgment, Kindness / Gentleness, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Study the Word, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

When Scripture Is Difficult To Understand, Start By Assuming YHWH Is Right

I certainly have to admit that the laws on domestic relations seem as if from a faraway time and place… because they are. They are not only far away in location but also in time.  The culture was very different. It is easy for us to jump to the conclusion that they are somehow wrong and barbaric. I think that is so easy or simple a view and is not correct. To truly understand we need to study to understand the cultural norms and lifestyle of the time. We must think about it in context. We do well to start with the faith that YHWH is correct and His instruction is righteous and then seek to understand how it applied then and how it may apply still today. In this way we gain wisdom and understanding.

Deuteronomy 21:10-23

Domestic Relations

       10“When you go out to battle against your enemies, and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you take them away captive, 11and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her and would take her as a wife for yourself, 12then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails. 13“She shall also remove the clothes of her captivity and shall remain in your house, and mourn her father and mother a full month; and after that you may go in to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. 14“It shall be, if you are not pleased with her, then you shall let her go wherever she wishes; but you shall certainly not sell her for money, you shall not mistreat her, because you have humbled her.

      15“If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him sons, if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, 16then it shall be in the day he wills what he has to his sons, he cannot make the son of the loved the firstborn before the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn. 17“But he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; to him belongs the right of the firstborn.

      18“If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them, 19then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown. 20“They shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21“Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear.

      22“If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.

We can certainly have a robust and interesting discussion regarding taking a captive as a wife. I am not sure how to practically apply this to be frank. However, one can easily understand that other cultures of the time would not be so gracious to a captive as to give them time to grieve and treat them well. There is explicit instruction to avoid abusing them. There is protection for those who are vulnerable.

We can ponder again about the instruction regarding two wives, one loved and one unloved. I do not believe YHWH wants a man to have two wives. He intended one man to one woman as with Adam and Eve. We could have an interesting discussion on why He did not outright ban it. Perhaps like divorce, He allowed it because of the hardness of their hearts. Similarly, I don’t believe He intends for any wife to be unloved by her husband. However, we can see that He provides protection for those who may be unloved and may be vulnerable to abuse or neglect.

In the third example, we can see that YHWH expects even perhaps adult children to still respect their parents. How many of us assume the scripture is calling young children gluttons and drunkards? It sounds like older children who are being rebellious. In this case it refers to rebellion to both YHWH and parents. YHWH is not tolerant of evil and rebellion. He instructs that there should be accountability and a stop should be put to the sin before it spreads to others.

The last example probably seems to most of us abhorrent. Why would we hang those who were executed in public. This was likely not a pretty site. Again, though we could have a very interesting discussion on this case, ultimately I think we could agree YHWH wants to discourage sin and rebellion. He wants to discourage  seriously bad behavior from becoming accepted and normalized. We can perhaps prefer not to take this approach, but in reality looking at the sin rampant in our culture today, perhaps we would benefit from a bit more punishment and accountability a few generations ago and we would not have normalized so much sin in our culture which is now praised as acceptable or good.

I would simply encourage you to not disregard any scripture and not assume that YHWH was wrong because we live differently than He instructed His people to live. Pray, study and reflect on what we can learn about Him from His word. Then seek to apply it to your life.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy / Set Apart, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

YHWH Does Not Want Us To Blend With The Detestable Practices Of Others

Parts of scripture are hard for us to get our minds around. We think they are too harsh. We should always take care not to start with an assumption that we or our current culture have things right and YHWH has things wrong. If we read something difficult, we should start with the assumption that YHWH is right and we don’t understand why or how to apply it today. Then we can pray and study and seek His guidance.

When YHWH was giving His people the promised land, He was also punishing other nations for their wickedness. These were not righteous God honoring peoples that were displaced. In some cases, they were doing such detestable things for their false gods that YHWH wanted to ensure that His people would not learn these behaviors.

While it may seem harsh to “utterly destroy” someone, we should consider how passionately that shows us that YHWH wants us to remain holy and set apart for Him and not blend with the detestable practices of others who worship false gods. He does not want us to accept detestable practices and make them part of our lives as it will lead generations into sin and away from Him.

Deuteronomy 20:10-18

      10“When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace. 11“If it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you. 12“However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. 13“When the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the edge of the sword.14“Only the women and the children and the animals and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourself; and you shall use the spoil of your enemies which the LORD your God has given you. 15“Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations nearby. 16“Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. 17“But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the LORDyour God has commanded you, 18so that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the LORD your God.

We can see this even today. If we accept detestable practices it becomes normalized into a culture and separates many generations of people from YHWH as they embrace more and more sin. Divorce and premarital sex used to be reasons for shame. Now they are plentiful. Abortion and homosexuality used to be properly identified as wrong behaviors in need of help. Now they are defended as righteous. Generations continue to push appropriate dress codes further and further from a model of humility to showing as much nakedness as they can get away with. Now instead of being shamed for such bad choices, people decry “do not shame me” as if that is a wrong thing to do. Many would do well to feel shamed for their behaviors and choices, and let that shame drive them to YHWH and repentance. Instead we see more and more people who identify as Christian accepting more and more of the detestable practices of the ungodly and without rebuke in many churches.

Let us humble ourselves and pray for our nation to return to YHWH and reject the wickedness we have embraced and normalized. Pray for righteous people to rise up and vote and vote with a clear focus and understanding of who will bring us back as a nation closer to you. Rise up pastors and elders who will lead churches in your word with authority. Reject the wicked and the false teachers who only teach part of your gospel or teach false gospel all together. Let people see through the deception and seek righteousness.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Blessed, Character of God, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faithful, Father / Yahweh, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Prayer, Pride, Protector / Deliverer, Through Prophets

All The Commandments That I Am Commanding You Today You Shall Be Careful To Do

Over and over again in scripture YHWH emphasizes a very key point which is lost on most Christians today. He calls for us to live according to His commandments and be blessed, remembering Him and He contrasts that with a dire warning about ignoring His commandments and growing prideful and diminishing His role in our lives.

We can certainly see this today as many Christians declare “Christian freedom” as an excuse to not obey God’s clear instructions. They ignore more and more of His instructions over time. We can see it even in looking back over our own lifetime, let alone over the past thousands of years since Jesus walked among us in the flesh. Today most who identify as Christian do not love God above all other things. They may use those words, but many things take His place in their heart and how they spend their time, money, and talent declare they love other things more than God. We are a culture of coveting. Sabbath is ignored and considered “odd” and “unnecessary”. Children do not honor their parents. The majority of people in the USA identify as Christian, but as a culture we tolerate the murder of unborn children and embrace “diversity” amongst those who worship false gods. We allow persecution of Christians for living God’s instructions regarding failing to honor homosexual marriage but are told to tolerate all manner of sinful behavior amongst people who reject or ignore God. We let Atheists continually chase God out of our public schools and government and mainstream life. Surely we are not on the path God calls us to follow as a nation.

Deuteronomy 8

God’s Gracious Dealings

     1“All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers. 2“You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. 4“Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5“Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. 6“Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; 8a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10“When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.

      11“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12otherwise, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 13and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, 14then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 15“He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. 16“In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. 17“Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ 18“But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19“It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. 20“Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God.

I believe this passage is incredibly relevant today for the USA and most western nations. As we continue to diminish God and chase after sin He will surely remove His blessing from our country and leave us to the depravity of our own minds. For those of us who are followers of Christ, we must not tolerate sin and false religion. (Atheism is a religion too… it is not a “neutral” position.)

Pray for Christians throughout our nation and the world that we would be passionate and courageous for Christ. Pray for our nation to humble themselves, repent and turn back to God.  Pray for those who identify as Christian to live as Christ called us to do. Pray that the plans of the wicked would be defeated and God would lift up the righteous in His right hand and bring victory.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Help / Serve Others, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Loving / Kind, Righteous, Suffering / Adversity

Our Pain Should Not Overwhelm Our Love For Others

Even while He was carrying His cross to His own execution, Yeshua was focused on others. He knew that His pain was happening now, but that others would experience pain later because of their rejection of YHWH. We should not miss the opportunity to see this clear expression of Yeshua’s love for His people. We should strive to live in similar manner. With help from the Spirit we too should strive to love others and be concerned for them whether or not we are also having a hard time.

Luke 23:26-32

Simon Bears the Cross

     26When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

      27And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. 28But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29“For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ 30“Then they will begin TO SAY TO THE MOUNTAINS, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US.’ 31“For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

      32Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.

Our pain should not overwhelm our love for others. This is hard. Pray to YHWH that He would help us to love others more consistently and more deeply. Pray He would help us know how to love others consistent with His word. It is not just about the happiness and comfort of others in giving them what they want. Obeying YHWH’s word helps us love Him and love others and we should not violate His instructions on the premise that we are loving others.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Guide, Money / Finances / Wealth, Persecution / Glorifying God, Righteousness / Serving God, Wise

Make Wise Provision For Your Mission And Your Life

Many point to the earlier mission referred to in Luke 22:35 and claim we are to make no provisions or plans for our future or our own well being and that we are to solely trust in the Lord. In some cases, they even claim we are to be absolute pacifists and not even defend ourselves. Yeshua dispels this misunderstanding of scripture. In fact, when He sends His disciples out later, He tells them to make ready wise preparation such as money and self defense… so much so that one may sell their coat to have a sword.

Luke 22:35-38

      35And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” 36And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. 37“For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” 38They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

It seems we can quickly conclude that we can not just make it a formula with a predictable answer. We must remain in relationship with the Lord and ask the Spirit to guide us. There are situations when we are called to rely solely on the provision of YHWH. There are other situations for which we are to be well prepared, using the money He has provided wisely and preparing to defend ourselves.

Where as the first journey, YHWH had provided people to welcome and help the disciples… now the disciples would face open hostility.

Pray the Spirit guides you and you are able to hear and obey clearly in each circumstance.  If YHWH calls someone to rely solely on Him, do not discourage them. Likewise, if YHWH calls someone else to make wise provision, let us question their faith.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Interceding for Others, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Prayer, Suffering / Adversity

I Have Prayed For You

Simon Peter was a bold follower of Christ. He was, however, overconfident in his faith to endure the difficult situation soon to arise. Yeshua warned him that Satan was trying to get permission to “sift [Simon Peter] like wheat”, which is not good for Simon Peter. How gracious and encouraging that Yeshua prayed for His friend, for his faith to not fail. Indeed this is a good example for all of us, to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, even the ones who seem so confident in their faith.

Simon Peter was later humbled through the situations which came as he denied Christ three times. It was devastating to him. I am sure the prayers of Yeshua helped him through responding to that failure.

Luke 22:31-34

    31“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” 34And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

It is also worthwhile to remember that Satan needs permission to attack those who serve the Lord. YHWH is always in control. This premise is also demonstrated in the book of Job in more detail. Thus we can be assured, even when we are under attack, the Lord is with us. We can trust in Him and turn to Him for help and support.

I encourage you to pray for one another, in tough times yes, but even in times that seem quite good. Trouble will come. We don’t always see it on its way.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Guide, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional

Reflect Back On Decisions Made And Your Journey With YHWH

It is good to periodically reflect back on our lives and the decisions we made. Do so with honesty and pray the Spirit gives you insight. Acknowledge what went well. Admit to the mistakes you made. Think about how it fits with your obedience in following the instructions of YHWH. As Moses reflected back on the journey of the people out of Egypt, we can clearly see that the toughest times came when they disobeyed the Lord. The greatest victories come when they went forth in obedience and faith.

For me I see the same trend. However, one must be careful in how you judge success and failure. Judge based on the Lord’s values and instructions, not on the ways of men. Some of the best decisions I have made have been in obedience to the Lord, but perhaps led to less money but a win in my relationship with YHWH and my family. I count that as a win. Many would look only at the money and judge wrongly as a struggle or loss.

Deuteronomy 1

Israel’s History after the Exodus

     1These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth and Dizahab. 2It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea. 3In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the LORD had commanded him to give to them, 4after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei. 5Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound this law, saying,

      6“The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7‘Turn and set your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negev and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8‘See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.’

      9“I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘I am not able to bear the burden of you alone. 10‘The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number. 11‘May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are and bless you, just as He has promised you! 12‘How can I alone bear the load and burden of you and your strife? 13‘Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ 14“You answered me and said, ‘The thing which you have said to do is good.’ 15“So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and appointed them heads over you, leaders of thousands and of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers for your tribes.

      16“Then I charged your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your fellow countrymen, and judge righteously between a man and his fellow countryman, or the alien who is with him. 17‘You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ 18“I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.

      19“Then we set out from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the LORD our God had commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. 20“I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites which the LORD our God is about to give us. 21‘See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’

      22“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter.’ 23“The thing pleased me and I took twelve of your men, one man for each tribe. 24“They turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the valley of Eshcol and spied it out. 25“Then they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought us back a report and said, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is about to give us.’

      26“Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; 27and you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. 28‘Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there.”’ 29“Then I said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, nor fear them. 30‘The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’ 32“But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, 33who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.

      34“Then the LORD heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, 35‘Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, 36except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the LORD fully.’ 37“The LORD was angry with me also on your account, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there. 38‘Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage him, for he will cause Israel to inherit it. 39‘Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it. 40‘But as for you, turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’

      41“Then you said to me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD; we will indeed go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And every man of you girded on his weapons of war, and regarded it as easy to go up into the hill country. 42“And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; otherwise you will be defeated before your enemies.”’ 43“So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. Instead you rebelled against the command of the LORD, and acted presumptuously and went up into the hill country. 44“The Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do, and crushed you from Seir to Hormah. 45“Then you returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD did not listen to your voice nor give ear to you. 46“So you remained in Kadesh many days, the days that you spent there.

Take time to reflect on your journey with the Lord. Where have you been? Where are you going? Who is leading… you or YHWH?

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Family, Father / Yahweh, Loving / Kind

The Father Loves Us and Guides Us

Numbers 26 records results of a census indicating the number of the Israelites by family. At first glance it may seem unimportant or lacking in significance to any application in our lives today. I have learned to try to resist this type of thinking and seek to find the relevance within.

Several things come to mind…

God values the family structure. It is foundational to His people. Our culture today tries to pull down the family structure. The role of father and mother are blended or downplayed. Children are expected to be just placed in public schools or daycare to be raised instead of being raised by their mother and father or extended family. We often are encouraged to focus on “making our own way” rather than caring for and listening to our elders in the family. Our allegiance should always be to Christ over family and to help our brothers and sisters in Christ as our family, but we should take care to respect and not neglect our biological family relationships.

God chose to be involved in the distribution of the promised land to the families and individuals. He is not disinterested in financial aspects of our lives nor is He disinterested in the details of our lives. He provides a framework to guide us and continues to remain personally involved… if we seek Him and invite Him in to our lives. He is not  a “far off, way too busy God” who has no time or interest in us.  He is a loving and kind, involved Father.

God holds to His word and there are consequences to us when we disobey. We are reminded toward the end of the chapter about those who refused to obey the Lord. The Lord held them accountable as He said. None of them survived to see the promised land.

Overall this theme reminds me of His role as Father. He provided guidance and leadership. He holds us accountable for rebellion against Him. He is loving and kind and involved in the lives of His children.

Numbers 26

Census of a New Generation

     1Then it came about after the plague, that the LORD spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, 2“Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ households, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel.” 3So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 4“Take a census of the people from twenty years old and upward, as the LORD has commanded Moses.”
Now the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were:

      5Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; 6of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. 7These are the families of the Reubenites, and those who were numbered of them were 43,730. 8The son of Pallu: Eliab. 9The sons of Eliab: Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the LORD, 10and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning. 11The sons of Korah, however, did not die.

      12The sons of Simeon according to their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; 13of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. 14These are the families of the Simeonites, 22,200.

      15The sons of Gad according to their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites; 16of Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites; 17of Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites. 18These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who were numbered of them, 40,500.

      19The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. 20The sons of Judah according to their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Perezites; of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites. 21The sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. 22These are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them, 76,500.

      23The sons of Issachar according to their families: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of Puvah, the family of the Punites; 24of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. 25These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them, 64,300.

      26The sons of Zebulun according to their families: of Sered, the family of the Seredites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. 27These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who were numbered of them, 60,500.

      28The sons of Joseph according to their families: Manasseh and Ephraim. 29The sons of Manasseh: of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir became the father of Gilead: of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites. 30These are the sons of Gilead: of Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites; 31and of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; 32and of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 33Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. 34These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were 52,700.

      35These are the sons of Ephraim according to their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; of Becher, the family of the Becherites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. 36These are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. 37These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those who were numbered of them, 32,500. These are the sons of Joseph according to their families.

      38The sons of Benjamin according to their families: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; 39of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites; of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. 40The sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman: of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. 41These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were 45,600.

      42These are the sons of Dan according to their families: of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan according to their families. 43All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were numbered of them, were 64,400.

      44The sons of Asher according to their families: of Imnah, the family of the Imnites; of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites. 45Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. 46The name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. 47These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them, 53,400.

      48The sons of Naphtali according to their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; 49of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. 50These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were 45,400.

      51These are those who were numbered of the sons of Israel, 601,730.

      52Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 53“Among these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. 54“To the larger group you shall increase their inheritance, and to the smaller group you shall diminish their inheritance; each shall be given their inheritance according to those who were numbered of them. 55“But the land shall be divided by lot. They shall receive their inheritance according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. 56“According to the selection by lot, their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller groups.”

      57These are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. 58These are the families of Levi: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, the family of the Korahites. Kohath became the father of Amram. 59The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and she bore to Amram: Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. 60To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 61But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the LORD. 62Those who were numbered of them were 23,000, every male from a month old and upward, for they were not numbered among the sons of Israel since no inheritance was given to them among the sons of Israel.

      63These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho. 64But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest, who numbered the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65For the LORD had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” And not a man was left of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Tolerance Of Sin Is Not A Virtue… There Is One God

Our heavenly Father is not amused or tolerant when His people choose to flirt with, tolerate, or worship false gods. We are not to explore and understand how the pagans worship false gods. We are not to treat false religion as equal to following in the ways of Jehovah. We are to remain separate from worship practices for false gods. We are to denounce them. He is clear on this many times in the Biblical text and historical events of His relationship with His people. He made it His number one rule when crafting the ten commandments for His people. He means what He says.

Exodus 20:1-6

      1Then God spoke all these words, saying,

      2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

      3“You shall have no other gods before Me.

      4“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Numbers 25

The Sin of Peor

     1While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. 2For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel. 4The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” 5So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”

      6Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 7When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand, 8and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked. 9Those who died by the plague were 24,000.

The Zeal of Phinehas

      10Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy. 12“Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace; 13and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’”

      14Now the name of the slain man of Israel who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites. 15The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was head of the people of a father’s household in Midian.

      16Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17“Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them; 18for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the affair of Peor and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague because of Peor.”

Let us not make excuses. Let us not kid ourselves either that being agnostic (not sure about God) or atheist (claiming there is no God) are any better. Notice the Israelites did not say they were against God, but their actions demonstrated it. We cannot serve God and false gods at the same time.  We either submit to and follow Him or we don’t. We are either for Him or against Him.

Matthew 4:30

      30“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Be bold in your faith and speak out in words and actions to honor our Father. He either is Lord of your life or He is not. There is no middle ground.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Blessed, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Jesus (hearing from God), Money / Finances / Wealth, Seeking God, Suffering / Adversity

Whom Did Yeshua Teach Were Blessed? Whom Should Proceed With Caution?

Luke chapter 6 records some rich and deep teaching from our Lord, Yeshua. While we always want to read in context (e.g. read the whole chapter(s) rather than picking a verse here and there), I want to make sure we don’t breeze over some of this rich teaching by putting too much in one article. Sometimes we get distracted to read through the whole section of scripture for the day and lose the opportunity to pause and prayerfully reflect on what it means and how it applies to us. As such, I am breaking up the “beatitudes” into more than one section for us to digest over the next few days.

Luke 6:20-26

The Beatitudes

     20And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22“Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23“Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. 24“But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. 25“Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way.

Clearly this is an example where God’s ways are not our ways! The logic seems upside down by man’s values. Who wants to be poor? hungry? filled with sorrow? scorned and insulted? Who does not want to be rich and well liked?

Have you considered that those who are poor, hungry, and sorrowful are perhaps not “self sufficient”. They know they need help. They know they can not figure it all out on their own. This attitude can often help set them up to truly submit to the Lord or submit more fully. They “have nothing to lose” and recognize they need help from one who is wiser.

On the other hand, many who are rich and content may focus more and more on being self sufficient and less on relying on God. This increases risk of not having a deeply connected relationship with the Lord. Additionally, the Lord want to be first in their life. Many who are rich have at times gotten their wealth through pursuit and prioritization of money over other things (not always! money is not inherently bad, just the love of money). They would have to submit to the Lord and serve Him rather than money.

I wanted to close with what serves as both encouragement and rebuke. We should all ask ourselves… “are we scorned for Yeshua?” Do our co-workers, friends, and family even know we submit to Him. Do we put Him first? Do we choose His ways over even popular cultural and family traditions? Have we changed our lives based on our relationship with Him, even though it causes tension with others?

I pose that in most cases if we experience no conflict on behalf of our relationship with Christ, than perhaps we need to evaluate if we are truly representing Him and His teaching to the world. If people around us can’t tell we follow Yeshua, than perhaps we are not actually fully submitted to Him… or we are just hanging out with a small group of believers and not bringing the gospel to others… which again comes back to not being fully submitted to Him.  He commands us to share the gospel with the world. Don’t kid yourself about churches being perfect either. Even within a church, if you are living for Christ according to Biblical principles and willing to be different and change, you will find yourself being set apart in some ways from others who are in your church. When you change visibly in the name of God, it is amazing how others come forward to pull you back as if your choice to change your life for God has made them uncomfortable because you are living different from them. They don’t want to change or feel guilty, so they must convince themselves, sometimes others, maybe you that you are wrong.

Pray for the Spirit to lead you. Follow the Spirit and God’s written word in the Bible. Test everything against this. Do not just accept as fact the traditions of men or churches.

22“Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23“Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.