More Than Reminders Needed

Reminders are useful because we easily forget.  But even the best reminders have their limitations and do not always serve their intended purpose because we are the weak link.  We can be distracted, fall into habits, and be overtaken with behaviours that impede our ability to do our part to follow through.

I was struck recently concerning how many memorials and reminders are in the Bible.  After God delivered His people from a Philistine attack, the prophet Samuel set up a stone he called "Ebenezer" and said in 1 Samuel 7:12, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."  God directed the Hebrews attach a fringe of blue on their garments so they would remember to keep God's commands (Numbers 15:37-39).  When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan river on dry ground 12 stones were stacked in the place where the feet of the priests stood.  To stop the people from murmuring against Moses and Aaron, God made Aaron's stick to bud, blossom and yield almonds overnight.  Then He commanded it be laid up as a token before the Ark of the Testimony to silence their opposition (Numbers 17:10).  God placed the rainbow in the sky as a token of the covenant He made with man and the earth after the great flood, that He would never again flood the earth to destroy all flesh (Genesis 9:12-15).  God would look upon His bow and remember His covenant, and it directed men to remember God.  Even Jesus told His disciples to receive communion together in remembrance of Him.

Making reminders does not ensure people will remember.  This is seen after the children of Ruben, Gad, and half-tribe of Manasseh made a replica of the altar at the tabernacle when they returned to the east side of the Jordan.  Because their land was divided by the Jordan river they were concerned future generations would forget their obligation to offer sacrifices to God at the tabernacle in Shiloh, and the remaining tribes of Israel might question their right to do so.  Joshua 22:28 shares their explanation for building the altar:  "Therefore we said that it will be, when they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may say, 'Here is the replica of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, though not for burnt offerings nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between you and us.'"  It is ironic the people who had the real tabernacle and altar along with the eastern tribes who desired their descendants to follow the LORD and built the large replica were unsuccessful.  Judges 2:10-11 explains, "When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel. ¹¹ Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals..."  This reveals reminders are useful, yet they provide no guarantee people will heed them.

We can write the time and location of an important meeting in our diary and forget to check it; we can set an alarm to wake up early and continue to dismiss the notifications.  Our forgetfulness can lead to slackness in business and in the LORD's service.  All the reminders in the world are powerless to change our hearts, and reminders are no substitute for the LORD's presence.  That is a glorious truth of those who are born again by faith in Jesus Christ.  He does more than remind us:  His love compels us.  Even those who sewed a fringe of blue on their garments were still condemned by their sin willfully or by ignorance.  We can keep the command of Jesus to gather and remember Him by receiving communion together, but the rite itself has no power to save, guide or help us:  it is Jesus Christ who is our all in all.  The God who gave men brains with memory is able to prompt us Himself, and blessed is the one who responds in faith and obedience.  God is mindful of us and needs no reminders.  No man can follow and serve God without God's help, and praise God for all the reminders we have of His faithfulness.

The Victory of Jesus

 As a kid who grew up in the church, I was taught Christians were in a "spiritual battle."  The range of views and degrees of emphasis placed upon this battle by different people was a source of confusion for me.  Some people acted like that battle could only be won by the intense efforts of people to "put on the armour of God" and to be "prayer warriors" delving into "spheres of influence."  Others who were also well-grounded in the truth of God's word seemed to give "spiritual warfare" far less publicity.  Some often felt "under attack by the enemy" when difficulties arose, prayed for God to mobilise angels on their behalf and for a "hedge of protection."  Some saw the battle as out there in the world with an unseen enemy, others saw this conflict more as personal and internal; others felt they were on the front lines whilst others said without a care, "The battle is the LORD's."

One of the great challenges of doctrine around spiritual warfare is terminology often used to explain aspects of it are not found verbatim in scripture.  Over the years believers have developed words linked to doctrinal truth which mean different things to different people and involve a range of subjective applications.  Many doctrines can be extended to a point of being extreme and drift away from the truth of God's word, and thus we must always be vigilant to be grounded in the Bible.  It is imperative believers hold to the sovereignty of God and His infinite power, that before Him the greatest powers of evil must flee as light before darkness.  Jehu called out to the eunuchs, "Who is on my side?" and the only way we can be victorious is when we are on God's side by faith in Jesus Christ.

I have lately been thinking about the prayers of Jesus and believers in God throughout scripture and I must confess many prayers I heard in my youth--and prayers I have repeated because I followed their example--are foreign to biblical examples.  For instance, I cannot find a time anyone prayed for God to send angels, His ministering spirits who do His bidding.  We can find many examples of God sending angels in scriptures, and there is certainly no prohibition to do so.  Personally my convictions do not allow me to do so, for it is akin to telling God how to handle His business as the Almighty.  Who am I to tell Him what He should do or how He ought to do it?  Besides, I would rather have the protection of God Himself than His servants, the One who graciously sets a hedge of protection rather than the hedge itself.  We might be content to know God's plans, but better to know the God who plans and whose will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Isn't the Giver better than the gift?

As I was contemplating the nature of the spiritual battle we face as believers who have an adversary who is compared to a roaring lion and seeks whom he may devour, 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 came to mind:  "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."  It is true there is an enemy of our souls, but he does not cast a shadow on the Lover of our souls Jesus Christ.  While the Bible has parallels of soldiers with followers of Jesus, Paul told believers in Corinth they should not imagine the spiritual battle should be fought according to the flesh.  Therefore the basis of the warfare is not what their efforts but on who Jesus is and what He has done.  Paul addressed a group of believers and they were to address sinful aspects of their fellowship which were contrary to Jesus and the Gospel.  They needed to be obedient to God themselves before they could rightly administer church discipline.

This exhortation given to the corporate church is also appropriate to take to heart personally.  They are not glamorous or flashy but our weapons are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds that exist in our own minds.  Though God has taken up residence in our hearts, there are arguments and contradictory thoughts we are called to take captive to the obedience of Christ.  "But aren't we to put on the whole armor of God?" some might ask.  Of course, but remember Paul's use of the armour was for illustrative purposes and revealed the wide range of protection afforded us by the Holy Spirit.  When we put on Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, we are protected as we walk in the Spirit.  God protects us physically and spiritually even when He allows a messenger of Satan to buffet us as in Paul's case.  If we lose the inner battle of faith in Jesus all is lost, and we resemble people starving in the keep of the castle behind thick walls.  When we exalt God and His knowledge in obeying Him, we walk in the victory Christ has won.  How awesome is this!

Godliness With Contentment

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 6:6, "...godliness with contentment is great gain."  Being content in itself is not necessarily good, for people can be content to remain in sin or feel content without knowing God.  Those who have contentment without godliness will lose all, for their lives and all they posses will be ultimately taken away from them.  The one who is made godly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, sanctified and serving the LORD according to His leading and rejoices in God's provision and faithfulness, in all situations of life this one shall be content and be fruitful for the kingdom of God.

Even after being delivered from sin and death by the Gospel we are not God, and we live in an ungodly world.  There is a tendency in all of us to drift towards covetousness and envy, to give room for feelings of discontent to grow.  Instead of taking these thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, like the children of Israel after God brought them out of Egypt we can justify our lack of contentment and gratefulness to God by looking back.  After eating manna for awhile in the wilderness, the children of Israel and the mixed multitude among them wept because they wanted meat to eat.  But where could a sustainable source of meat for such a great congregation be found in the wilderness?  They remembered the fish, melons, cucumbers and leeks they enjoyed in Egypt:  they conveniently and foolishly forgot the harsh bondage they suffered when they previously cried out to God for deliverance.

The people complained, and God who was among His people heard it.  The response of God was strong against people marked by discontent through unbelief in Numbers 11:10:  "Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased."  Why were they complaining and weeping hopelessly when they could have cried out to God in faith who loved and saved them?  God's words to Moses shows the sinister reality of complaints without contentment in Numbers 11:18-20:  "Then you shall say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, "Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat. ¹⁹ You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, ²⁰ but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, "Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?"

In their hunger for meat the children of Israel did not think to ask God who caused water to flow from the rock, the One who caused manna to fall day by day to sustain them.  They lamented leaving Egypt instead of rejoicing to follow God whose holy presence was among them.  And get this:  discontentment over the divine menu provided them by grace revealed they actually despised the LORD who dwelt with them, preserved their lives and made a covenant with them.  God had brought His people out of Egypt so they could worship Him and they could be sanctified to commune with Him, yet having given space to lust, covetousness, selfishness and envy, the people hated God.  This is a sobering passage because it is likely we all complain more than we realise or would like to admit.

How unbelief blinds us to the goodness of God!  It is not possible to walk in a godly manner without experiencing the contentment and rest found in Him that results in the fruit of the Spirit in all seasons.  Have you ever been discontent and looked back on your old life with fondness?  This is like the man who looks back on his days of being "single" and "freedom" after God answered his prayer for a wife.  It is seen in the woman who is discontent in the job initially she was over the moon to receive as a gift from God's hand because of personality conflicts:  her expectations were unmet and soured her gladness.  It can be ageing people with health struggles as they look back with longing to younger days, lamenting over what they can no longer do when God is with them, graciously sustains them and has eternal plans for them that are good.  When God's people are not thankful and grateful to God, when our hearts are filled with complaints, murmuring and bitterness, godliness with contentment is a foreign ideal because we exhibit hatred towards Him.  Allow this to sink into your heart.

The one who is grateful, satisfied with God's provision and trusts His word is content by faith in God, knowing God will ever be faithful.  It is for good reason believers are exhorted in James 1:16-17:  "Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ¹⁷ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."  The Israelites were deceived to imagine the food of Egypt was better than having the presence of God in their midst.  The presence of God is a marvelous, miraculous gift we should treasure above gold, freedom, a spouse or a profitable career.  God is good and does not change, but we are the ones who are variable:  we jump for joy when God answers our prayer and then despise Him because life is not as easy as we expected.  God, deliver us from such turnings!  Praise the LORD His arm is not shortened that He cannot save or deliver!  May our eyes turn to Jesus Christ in faith, and may we demonstrate the truth that godliness with contentment is great gain.

A Sound of Remembrance

God rewards people who exercise faith in Him, and this was often demonstrated through obedience to God's word.  The God who knows the secret thoughts and motives of the heart commanded the children of Israel in Numbers 10:9, "When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies."  God was fully aware when His people were oppressed, but they were called to acknowledge their dire circumstances and sound an alarm with the silver trumpets kept in the tabernacle.  They did so because they believed God would hear and save them in battle.

Upon reading this I was reminded of a situation in the life of King Saul who commanded trumpets (shofars) be blown after a battle in 1 Samuel 13:3-4:  "And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!" ⁴ Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal."  Jonathan, the son of Saul, attacked a garrison of the Philistines who oppressed Israel for years.  Interesting, isn't it:  the silver trumpets were supposed to be blown before the battle, yet king Saul commanded shofars be blown after the fight.  The Law of Moses said the silver trumpets were sounded so God would remember and save His people, yet Saul sounded trumpets to broadcast the attack of Jonathan his son (who feared God) upon enemy Philistines to the people.  This is a classic example of "tooting your own horn," to boast in his accomplishments to impress his subjects--even when the victory had not yet been won.

If we lament over Saul's fall from grace due to pride, we do well to examine our own hearts.  Some of the sins of which we are guilty we recognise as sinful, but there are sins of pride which are as natural for us as breathing:  these are sins all the same.  Better to admit our inability to fight our own battles and cry out to the LORD in humility and patience than to fight for ourselves and boast in a brave attack or even a hard-won victory.  It would have been better for Saul to blow the silver trumpet before a battle than to broadcast a favourable outcome afterward, for all victories are by the grace of God.  How much more appropriate would it have been in that case  for Saul to put the shofars away and offer peace and freewill offerings before God for His faithfulness and help.  Instead of sounding the alarm to seek God's help, Saul sought the recognition and help of man.

David, a man after God's own heart that He made king after Saul, wrote in 1 Chronicles 16:23-29, "Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. ²⁴ Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. ²⁵ For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods. ²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. ²⁷ Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place. ²⁸ Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, give to the LORD glory and strength. ²⁹ Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!"  How good it is to proclaim the good news of God's salvation and ascribe to the LORD glory and strength before the battle rather than taking any credit ourselves after the battle is won.  May our lives be a declaration of God's goodness and majesty as we seek Him and offer ourselves as living sacrifices unto Him.