Mar 5, 2010 | The Good Word
If you are a regular reader of the Word of God, or even an occasional listener or peruser, you have probably had the opportunity to think about the ways of the children of Israel, and think that they were ninnymugginses. Seriously. God delivers them from slavery in Egypt and they complain and want to go back. He parts the Red Sea to deliver them from the Egyptians who are pursuing them, and demonstrates His care for them by providing food for them to eat every day, but they question Him and question Moses and complain and complain and complain and complain. And complain.
It’s easy to read their stories and think “I never would’ve been such a cotton-headed ninnymuggins. If God had delivered me from slavery like that — I would’ve been totally obedient and surrendered to Him.†I was reading another ninnymuggins story this morning. It seems to be shortly after the other ninnymuggins incident where the people are afraid and don’t want to enter the Promised Land and then they are remorseful when God tells them they’re going to wander in the desert 40 years. (And then they try to go into the land anyway, when it’s too late. Cotton-headed!)
Two chapters later we find the Sons of Kohath, some of Eliab’s sons, and a few other cats have gotten together to complain — this time about Moses and Aaron. The background you need to know on these guys is that God set them apart for a special work in the tabernacle — Numbers 4 will give you more details about their duties, but they basically had work to do related to the most holy things. They were supposed to pack up and transport the most holy articles of the tabernacle when it was time for Israel to journey. This was a pretty big deal — taking care of the stuff that represented the sacrifices and offerings to God for the sins of the people.
As I read it last time I thought … hmm, I wonder if that gets kind of monotonous. Apparently, it did. When they began questioning Moses and Aaron’s work and authority in the tabernacle, it was clear that the heart of the matter was that they weren’t happy with the duties they’d been assigned and they would prefer more ‘glorious’ work. It gets downright frustrating reading this kind of thing because we have a different perspective — God gave them work that actually kept them close to Him and His presence. They were set apart and chosen ministers of God! Why did they have to get so high on the horse??
I then realised that, rather than this being a ninnymuggins characteristic of the Israelites, it is more rightly recognised as a ninnymuggins characteristic of all of us. How many churches have we heard of where the congregation began questioning the pastor and eventually ousted him? How many junior ministers have downright led a rebellion against senior ministers in the church which has divided a congregation — literally split a church in two? And how many times in our own hearts do we question the decisions and actions of our pastors and stand in judgement over them?
Here’s where I want to make an important point of division: It is healthy, and good for you to not take every sermon your pastor preaches, every sentence he says as full gospel truth. He is human and falliable. Your decisions and your walk with God need to be based on the will of God, and the Word of God, as Paul commended one of the churches for searching the Scriptures to make sure what he was preaching was true. That being said, there is a difference between giving deep thought to the truth of a sermon, and questioning the placement and authority of a man God has placed over you. Do you see the difference?
Even when King Saul was hunting David down and trying to kill him, David refused to hurt Saul, to lay a hand on him, because he recognised God’s authority — God is the one who places people in authority. Even if you don’t think he’s the best orator, the most friendly guy, the most personable character, or whatever else, you would do well to trust that God has sovereignly placed your pastor as the leader of your church, and to respect him because of it.
It is easy to justify rebellion. We can easily find fault with anyone. And we will quickly find people to come to our side and join us in the rebellion, because we all have a sinful nature. But if you’re in a situation where you question the leadership that has been placed over your head — at church, at work, at home — don’t lead a rebellion. Bring this before God and allow Him to remind you of His sovereign authority — that He places kings on their thrones. That He could take President Robert Mugabe out at any moment if He so chooses.
We are called to fight the good fight of faith in the face of injustice in this world. There is a time to fight real injustice. I definitely believe there’s a time for revolution and reformation. But I believe it starts with prayer, with bringing every injustice, every concern to the throne of the God Who is, and Who is all-powerful and able to change every circumstance in a single moment. Your respect for the people around you, and especially for the people over you, is a demonstration of your respect and fear for the All – Mighty God. Like David said, “I will not touch the Lord’s anointed…†may we have the same attitude to the glory of God.
Let it be especially in the house of God as the writer of Hebrews instructed us: Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. (They are going to have to give an account for their conduct before the Lord!)Â He goes on to say Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. (Heb 13:17)
The Sermon in a Nutshell: Don’t be a cotton-headed ninnymuggins! Respect those placed in authority for you. Pray for them and thank them for their efforts. In doing so, you demonstrate respect and fear for the Lord.
Feb 22, 2010 | The Good Word
Did I catch your attention? Ever feel that way? I was reading Psalm 55 the other day and realised that David was praying his heart out and literally saying he wanted his enemies to go straight to hell — like, to fall into the pit of hell, still breathing. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
When I read things like that, I get uncomfortable. I feel like saying Shh…David, don’t say that! That’s not nice! But David was known as “a man after God’s own heart.†Why? I think part of it was his honesty with God. He genuinely poured out hurt, anger, disappointments, a sense of betrayal by close friends, and even the desire that nothing good ever happen to them again. Ever. He prayed, “Let death seize them; Let them go down alive into hell, For wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.â€
But are we supposed to pray like that?
Well yes and no.
It’s right for us to pray that wickedness will come to an end. That’s God’s will. We should pray that those who are practicing injustice, for example kidnapping young girls and enslaving them in the sex industry, will meet their Maker. That their arms would be broken (perhaps not in the literal sense) — that their ways would come to a swift end. We bring the injustice to God, and pray that His will will be done. I don’t think this includes making our own plans to assassinate dictators or blow up abortion clinics, by the way. We bring it to God, as David did, and say “See this wickedness on the earth, Lord! We know You don’t like it! Please change things, and let the work of those perpetrating such evils be brought to nothing!â€
As Matthew Henry points out, we can stand in awe of and comfort ourselves in David’s prayers, as prophecies. The things he prayed actually happened. Not because David prayed them, per se, but more because they were in agreement with the will of God. God’s will was done, and the wicked people who betrayed David did indeed come to an untimely end. The comfort? God is just, and He’ll see justice prevail in the end.
We should pray our hearts out like David. We should be honest with God about how we feel about the situations we’re encountering. We should tell Him when things have hurt us or discouraged us. You can’t really hide anything from Him anyway … so why not just talk about those big stinky “elephants in the room” of your heart?
But are we to curse those who’ve hurt us, the way David did? No. Jesus has shown us a better way. He basically said Love people that treat you really bad. And pray for people that purposefully hurt you. (Mt. 5:44, my paraphrase) And He’s given us a Spirit that can enable us to do so — a spirit that completely changes our nature. The natural man wishes terrible things on those who hurt him or betray him. Or jump in front of him in line at the grocery store with a huge cartload. Or cut him off in traffic. But the man who has been made new in Christ has a new Spirit, and by that Spirit is able to bless those who curse him.
In our prayer life, we should bring it all to God, (the good, the bad, the ugly) and trust Him to give us a new heart and a right spirit in response to whatever we’re facing.
The Sermon in a Nutshell: While David’s I Wish They’d All Just Go to Hell prayers were a demonstration of his honest emotions before God, Jesus has shown us a different way to live today. Bring it all to God. Pray that injustice and wickedness will not prevail, and pray that God will have mercy on people who mistreat you. If you can show love and forgiveness to people who hurt you, you are walking in the footsteps of Jesus.
Feb 19, 2010 | The Good Word
I was recently reading in Numbers 11, where the children of Israel have begun their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. God had provided manna for them to eat, and was leading them with His presence day and night. They began to complain because they only had manna to eat, and they looked back at their time in Egypt with sorrow — they missed being in Egypt, in slavery.
“We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!â€
It is easy to read their comments and cast judgement: those ninnymuggins Israelites. Hello? What about the fact that you were slaves in Egypt, and now you have freedom? You have food to eat every day and all you have to do is gather it. You are free! You’re not slaves anymore doing ridiculously intense labour! And you have a promise from a God who has already caused you to walk through the Red Sea on dry land! He is surely able to make good on His promises.
But I wonder if we perhaps do the same thing in our lives sometimes? Do we see the provision of God in our daily lives as boring old manna? I think I do sometimes. The problem is that it’s in our nature to focus on what we don’t have. We look at what other people have, we see advertising all around us all day, every day. (Why do half the people who watch the Super Bowl watch it? Advertising!) We’re encouraged to be dissatisfied with what we have, and to spend money to get what we don’t have. And it’s a never-enough kind of cycle.
My encouragement in response? Two things. First, think on the things that will make you thankful. Put reminders on your walls, on your mirrors, all around you, that will encourage you to count your blessings and remember how good you really have it. Do you have food to eat every day? You have cause to be thankful. Do you have clothes to wear every day? You have cause to be thankful.
Second, consider spending less time watching TV and reading magazines which are specifically intended to cause you to be discontent with what you have. Spend more time thanking God for His great provision, and reading His Word, which will remind you of all the stupendously mind-boggling gifts you have in Jesus — for now, and all of eternity. You might have a little more joy every day, because you will find contentment with your life as it is now.
The Sermon in a Nutshell: Your heart will follow your head. What you believe about your circumstances will determine your perspective, your attitude and your response. So where’s your head these days?
Feb 12, 2010 | Stories, The Good Word
Numbers 13 tells the (perhaps familiar) story of the twelve spies going to check out the Promised Land. Very Mission Impossible-esque. Uh, minus the technology. They went for forty days, north, south, east and west, and checked out the land that God had promised to give them. They discovered God had promised them very good land! They also got a good look at the people living there.
Ten of them came back with a report of fear, and expressed a desire to back down from taking the land. “We’re like grasshoppers, and the people living there are like giants! eeeee!” Two of them came back with a word of faith. Caleb said:
“Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it!â€
Are your circumstances making you feel this big?
Isn’t it remarkable that all twelve of them saw the same land, the same people, the same fruit, the same good stuff promised by God, and yet they came away from seeing the exact same thing with different perspectives? Out of the twelve, only Joshua and Caleb expressed a desire to trust God in His ability to deliver the land He’d promised His people.
The truth is, we have the same opportunity every day, with every situation we face. Fear and faith are attitudes we choose between when we view our circumstances. How we perceive each situation we find ourselves in will determine our action, our reaction, or our inaction. We can choose to see a struggle ahead of us, a dead end/no-thru zone, or we can look with eyes of faith and see an opportunity for our God, the God who is very able, to come through on our behalf.
Are you in a situation right now where you have to look with eyes of faith in the face of something that would instead cause fear? Are you hard-pressed and uncertain of how you’re going to make it through? Look to the Creator who loves you and wants a relationship with you. Bring your concerns to Him. Pray for Him to deliver you, then trust Him and wait for Him to move, or to tell you how to move. God is most certainly bigger than any situation we ever face. He is always able to deliver us. We have to choose to move forward in faith, and to put our trust in Him.
The Sermon in a Nutshell: Every day you have the choice to be one of the ten, or one of the two. You can choose to have faith in God when your circumstances don’t look so good, or you can choose to fear and back down, and not receive what God has promised you. Choose to believe!!
Jan 27, 2010 | Stories, The Good Word
This morning as I was preparing to spend time with the Lord, I’d already written down a few things and looked at a few Scriptures that were on my mind. Very appropriately, one of them was James 1: 22, But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. As I prepared to read the chapters in the Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan I’ve mentioned to you before, I just took a moment to ask the Lord if there was anything in the way, inhibiting my ability to connect with Him and hear from Him.
I think our sins separate us from the Lord and cloud our ability to hear clearly. It’s as if we’re one of those boxy old boomboxes and sin causes us to push down and close up our antennas. Since I was about to dive into another chapter in Leviticus I felt it especially important to make sure all lines of communication were open! Anyway, the next thought in my mind was the poor attitude I’d had in the kitchen in an interaction with my Hero Hubby just a few moments earlier. I asked the Lord for forgiveness and promptly got up, went to the living room where HH was and asked for his forgiveness, too. He forgave me, and asked for forgiveness as well.
Friends, all I can say is that there is just such a beautiful joy in obeying the Word of God, and asking for forgiveness, from Him and from others for the big and the small. Even though I have to do it on a regular basis, and it takes humility and effort, it brings such joy. I was a bit teary-eyed as I gave my Hero Hubby a kiss and headed back to the bedroom to continue getting into the Word. What joy there is when we are at peace with one another!
The Sermon in a Nutshell: Ask for forgiveness, and genuinely seek it. Forgive others, as you would want to be forgiven. This may be a lesson we learned in our childhood, but still it’s one of the most relevant rules for us to live by day in and day out.
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