Knowing God's Will

When some Christians speak of "God's will," it is often resigned to a status that is mysterious, unknown and unknowable.  The tone of people desirous of knowing God's will is often similar to, "I hope so."  This gives little sense of the sure expectation Christians can have based upon God's word, the Bible.  We can know God's will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven even when things do not go according to our plan, for God is sovereign, almighty and rules over all.  We can be steadfast and immovable in this knowledge since God and the Scripture remain the same forever.

Even as God has not remained hidden but has revealed Himself to all mankind through creation, His word and by coming to earth Himself as Jesus Christ, God has also revealed His will for all people.  For instance 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."  God's will is that all should come to repentance, and though some reject Jesus His will to save them remains unchanged.  Though almighty, God will not trample the will of mankind He created in His own image.  We need not wonder if it is God's will for someone be saved, for He desires all to come to repentance and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation.

We considered a well-known passage in the Bible where God's will for Christians is plainly stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:  "Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."  What is awesome about this revelation--and countless others examples of God's revealed will--is God's will is not dependant on our feelings or circumstances.  I have observed people can be much more interested in knowing what "God's will is" in a particular situation rather than God's overarching will for every Christian.  I am convinced the will of God revealed for all Christians guides us in every circumstance we experience in life, and doing God's will is paramount.

Knowing the will of God and submitting to His will is practical, relevant and most fruitful in all seasons of life--to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks--rather than knowing how a conflict will be resolved or when something may change.  We should not imagine God's will for us hinges on our situations, a fickle sort of wish that shifts with the tide.  Rather than seeking God's future plans we do not know and possibly may never be revealed to us by our sovereign God, we ought to put God's will we are assured of into more regular practice.  We can focus on knowing God's methods or His desired outcome when He employs circumstances to test and strengthen our faith and resolve to rest in His will by simply continuing to do it.

The Christian's Kryptonite

"So the LORD was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron."

Judges 1:19

At face value, this is a most curious verse.  After affirming God was with the tribe of Judah and gave them success to drive out the inhabitants of the mountains, they were unable to drive out those in the valley who had chariots of iron.  Are chariots God's kryptonite?  Far from it.  This teaches us that even when God is with His people who trust Him, it is possible our neglect to seek Him and wait on His guidance can result in us falling short of His will for our lives.  God commanded His people to drive out the inhabitants of the land, yet we observe the Hebrews at times were reluctant, unwilling and unable to do so in the end.  The kryptonite of God's people has always been unbelief and neglect of seeking, trusting and obeying God.

David sang in Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God."  Armies and chariots posed no problem to God at all, for the battle is the LORD's.  The children of Israel had personally witnessed God's power over their enemies in Exodus 14:24-25:  "Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. ²⁵ And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians."  The Egyptians realised something was wrong as they pursued the Hebrews, and they rightly assessed God caused their wheels to fall off their chariots.

A few chapters later in the book of Judges, we read of God's great victory over Sisera and his 900 chariots of iron through Deborah the prophetess and Barak.  Judges 4:3 tells us, "And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he harshly oppressed the children of Israel."  In response to the cries of His people and obedience of those who trusted Him, God defeated king Jabin's army--and notice the specific mention of chariots in Judges 4:15:  "And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot."  Strongholds, giants in the mountains and chariots in the Red Sea proved no problem whatsoever for God.  But those chariots of iron proved too difficult for the tribe of Judah--even though God was with them.

God's mighty power over all is demonstrated throughout the Scripture, and there is another common thread:  the neglect of God's people to humble themselves to trust, seek and obey Him.  Joshua was given the victory over the great stronghold Jericho when the children of Israel walked around the city for 7 days according to God's command, yet the Hebrews were subsequently routed when they attempted to take Ai without seeking God who revealed sin in their camp.  2 Chronicles 16:12 reads, "And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians."  Had Asa sought the LORD as Naaman the Syrian who was miraculously cured of leprosy by dipping in the Jordan 7 times according to the word of the LORD, the inference is Asa could have been healed of his severe malady by God too.  Seeking the help of physicians does not constitute a lack of faith in God, but Asa's issue was he did not seek the LORD.

The Bible is filled with testimonies of people who trusted God, sought Him in time of trouble, and God was faithful to fight for His people and gave them victory.  Judges of Israel, kings, common people--even a shepherd boy--were strengthened to defeat their enemies by faith in God and reliance upon Him.  What were a few chariots of iron before God whose heavenly hosts ride upon chariots of fire?  In response to King Hezekiah crying out to God, the angel of the LORD smote 185,000 men of Assyria (2 Kings 19:35)!  The tribe of Judah could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley who had chariots of iron, and let this be a cautionary tale for Christians who assume because God is with us we will prevail without our need to trust, seek or obey Him to do His will.

Courageous to Obey

Before the death of Joshua, he gave the people exhortations to fear God and serve Him only.  He also said in Joshua 23:5-8:  "And the LORD your God will expel them from before you and drive them out of your sight. So you shall possess their land, as the LORD your God promised you. ⁶ Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, ⁷ and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, ⁸ but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day."  Joshua commanded the people to be very courageous to keep and do all that was written in God's law, and this was what God commanded him when he was made leader after Moses.

God said to Joshua in Joshua 1:6-8:  "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."  It is important for us to realise leaders and all they oversee need great courage to obey all God has said.  Courage, strength, integrity of character, and resolute commitment with diligence is granted us by faith in God.

In Webster's 1828 dictionary, "courageous" is defined as follows:  "brave; bold; daring; intrepid; hardy to encounter difficulties and dangers; adventurous; enterprising."  It takes courage to affirm our belief in the truth of God's word when others do not agree with it.  We must be bold and daring to do what God says is right when it is easy to adopt the world's ways and values, to be willing to stand out in holiness rather than blend in.  Courage makes us resilient to personal insults, being excluded, hated, persecuted and singled out as foolish.  God's people are to be brave to shoulder slanderous labels and false accusations in our pursuit of Jesus Christ, labouring to obediently serve Him and love one another--even  loving our enemies.  Our flesh may not be courageous to fight in hand-to-hand combat, but to be courageous by faith in Jesus is the call of every Christian.  This source of our courage is spiritual and real, and thus it translates into practical decisions we make every day to cling to God and obey Him.

Boldness and courage comes from faith in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.  Evidence of this is seen with the marked change in Peter, John and the disciples after they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  After Peter and John proclaimed the Gospel to the Jewish rulers they knew hated and plotted to murder Jesus, Acts 4:13 says:  "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus."  They decided the best way to silence them about Jesus was to severely threaten them, and Acts 4:18-20 tells us the response of the Christians:  "And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. ²⁰ For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."  More than speaking boldly, the remainder of Acts shows Christians lived courageously to proclaim the Gospel, spoke the truth in love and held fast to Jesus.  May we be strong and courageous by faith in Jesus to obey Him so His name will be glorified now and forever.

Reason and Unity

Because our understanding is limited, misunderstandings are a common part of life.  The more we are exposed to the way people think, what they do and the choices they make, we are exposed to potential conflicts due to misunderstanding when as a result we make judgments.  We can make incomplete or inaccurate assessments and thus poor judgments when we allow our own assumptions or suggestions of others to fill in the gaps in our understanding.  Division and discord can be the result of our reluctance and unwillingness to go to others from the start and simply discuss our observations with brothers and sisters in Christ.  While this may be uncomfortable or the other person might react defensively, when done in a loving manner it works to draw us closer to one another and the LORD.

I suspect we Christians do not always deal with our misunderstandings when we are confident in ourselves as being in the right.  Why should we talk about things with others we have already determined based upon our own observations?  The children of Israel set a good example of how to deal with misunderstandings with our Christian brethren after the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh went to their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan.  The Hebrews on the west were disturbed to see a large altar built after the pattern of the altar at the tabernacle had been erected by the eastern tribes, as the Law of Moses forbade sacrifices to be offered to the LORD on any other altar.  The remaining tribes immediately gathered for battle (if necessary!) and sent a delegation of rulers to inquire further concerning the altar.  This was a good step, but they could have done better to allow and explanation rather than immediately accuse their brothers of sin.

They made their condemnation of building the altar plain in Joshua 22:16:  "Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD: 'What treachery is this that you have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from following the LORD, in that you have built for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel this day against the LORD?"  Sometimes we do others and ourselves the disservice of not voicing our concerns to them, to write them off or even attack them without initiating an opportunity to reason together.  The delegates launched into a long list of the Hebrew's previous sins and lumped the building of the altar in with other infamous rebellions.  It turned out, however, to be a complete misunderstanding.  The tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh understood the optics yet explained their own concern:  because the Jordan river acted as a boundary between them, future generations might not recognise the eastern tribes as belonging to the congregation of the Hebrews.  They built the replica altar not for the purpose of offering sacrifices, but as a witness to future generations they had a portion in the LORD as His people.

Joshua 22:30-31 says, "Now when Phinehas the priest and the rulers of the congregation, the heads of the divisions of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. ³¹ Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, the children of Gad, and the children of Manasseh, "This day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this treachery against the LORD. Now you have delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of the LORD."  The tribes on the west assumed the worst and accused the eastern tribes of treachery against God, yet when the reason behind the altar was explained their minds changed and the animosity that was stirred up was replaced with encouragement.  The western tribes among themselves could not imagine what good purpose was possible in the building of the altar, and humble reasoning with their brethren led to renewed good will and increased unity.  This interaction teaches me the fear of the LORD ought to unite His people even if we are on the opposite side of the Jordan on an issue, so to speak.  The result of our discussions with one another may not result in us thinking the same way or doing the same things, but we can gain appreciation for why they do what they do without assuming they lack godly character.

In this case it was the the offended party that humbled themselves to accept the altar as a witness between them.  It was not like the western tribes were unwilling to discuss the situation until the eastern tribes removed the abomination they had built.  Imagine the awful damage that would have been done to send the army over before the delegation was sent!  Sometimes we can be like this with differences and misunderstandings--and actual faults--in the church.  We can be quick to contend with or bail on fellow Christians or a church because there are things we do not agree with or that displeases us, even condemning others for what is revealed to be our own misunderstanding.  I'm glad the western tribes did not do this with tribes on the east of the Jordan, and I am grateful for those who have extended grace to me and talked things through before having their mind already made up about my motives.  Let us be the ones who, in love of God and one another, are willing to be wrong about our assumptions and speak directly with others when concerning situations arise.