Peace by Faith in God

Unbelief is a killer of rest and peace.  When harboured in our hearts, it prevents our healing and restoration to fellowship with God and other believers.  The writer of Hebrews explained it was due to unbelief the children of Israel would not and could not enter the land God promised to give them, and their dead carcasses in the wilderness are a warning to all who follow them in unbelief.  God was grieved by their unbelief, and they weren't pleased with the prospects of 40 years in the wilderness when they were on the cusp of entering in and receiving their inheritance (Hebrews 3:17-19).

After 10 spies gave a bad report of the land of Canaan, the people felt hopeless and wept--though God remained good, faithful and sovereign.  God would defeat the people of Canaan as surely as He delivered them from slavery in Egypt with a mighty hand, but the reports of giants put the people in fear.  Unbelief in God and His promise prevented the people from trusting Him.  The people decided their best course of action was to choose a new leader and return to Egypt where they were previously enslaved!  While they discussed stoning Moses and Aaron, the glory of God appeared in the tabernacle and God spoke.  God pronounced a judgment that all of those 20 years and older would die in the wilderness over the next 40 years, and the 10 spies who gave a bad report were struck dead by a plague.  You can read about this in Numbers 14.

One would think the people would be humbled before God after His appearance and plagues, but not so.  Early the next morning the people presumed to go into the land of Canaan to defeat the inhabitants of the land, even though God was not with them, and they were routed by their enemies.  It was not long after this debacle when Korah, Dathan and Abiram in Numbers 16 murmured against Moses and Aaron, and God executed them for their sin by causing the ground to open up and swallow them and all they possessed in the sight of Israel.  The 250 men who put incense in their censers also died when fire from the LORD consumed them for their trespass.  The following day all the people came against Moses again and accused him of killing "the people of the LORD."  God caused a plague to smite the people, and when Aaron made atonement for the sake of the people the plague ceased.

In Numbers 17 God directed Aaron and the leaders of each tribe to present a marked stick and to place them in the tabernacle overnight.  God said in Numbers 17:5, "And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you."  It was indeed Aaron's rod that budded and bore almonds overnight, and thus God confirmed Aaron's line of the house of Levi was God's choice to do the service of the LORD.  While God's purpose in doing this was to cause the murmuring of the people to cease so they would not die in rebellion, their complaints due to unbelief continued in Numbers 17:12-13:  "So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, "Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! ¹³ Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD must die. Shall we all utterly die?"  Though they saw God's presence and He made Himself known to them, they misunderstood Him entirely.  God aimed to preserve their lives, and they accused Him of killing them for coming near the tabernacle--a falsehood steeped in self-pity and pride.

I'm not sure what is worse:  dying in battle by Canaanites in a foolish attempt to deliver oneself from living in the wilderness for years, or to live in the wilderness for years with a heart filled with unbelief in God.  How can it be that God's chosen people could imagine He was against them and unworthy of trust?  But this clearly can be the case.  God said in Isaiah 57:19-21:  "I create the fruit of the lips: peace, peace to him who is far off and to him who is near," says the LORD, "and I will heal him." ²⁰ But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. ²¹ "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."  The writer of Hebrews sets forth the children of Israel in the wilderness as a cautionary tale for Christians, that there is rest God has for us we can stop short of entering by unbelief.  Faith in God leads to peace with God and healing for broken hearts.  If our hearts resemble a troubled sea that kicks up filth of murmuring and complaining, there remains peace and rest for us in Jesus Christ--a rest that is only entered by faith in Him.

Maturity by Grace

The last time I read through the Bible from the beginning, I noticed something I hadn't considered before.  With the exception of the first command--for Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree in the midst of the Garden of Eden--prohibitive commands were established by God after the offence took place.  God did not plant the idea of sin in the heart and mind of mankind:  committing sin was man's own doing.

For instance, Cain was the first man guilty of murder when he struck Abel and killed him.  This was not a transgression of any law as Abel's murder occurred somewhere around 1,500 years before Noah's flood, after which God issued a prohibition and punishment for murdering people in Genesis 9:6:  "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man."  There have always been negative consequences for sin (for the soul that sins will surely die), but God graciously spelled this out so people could recognise sin and avoid doing it.  There was no prohibition for priests drinking wine while they were serving in tabernacle until Aaron's sons transgressed by offering "strange fire," burning incense when they should not have.  It was then God gave the command the priests were not to drink when they entered the Tabernacle to serve so they could tell the difference between holy and unholy (Lev. 10:8-11).

I noticed this pattern throughout the Old Testament, that it was not until man sinned that God held forth laws and statutes to guide the people to avoid wickedness they naturally drank like water.  In regard to specific sexual sins, God said in Leviticus 18:26-30:  "You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you ²⁷ (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), ²⁸ lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. ²⁹ For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be cut off from among their people. ³⁰ Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am the LORD your God."  The reason why God forbade sinful sexual practices is because they were rife and leading people painfully to their destruction.

The fact God laid down prohibitions for sin after they were common practices is instructive for us today.  There are times we do not realise we sinned until after the fact, but God would have His people respond in repentance to His word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  We often learn more by failure than by our success, for by our failures we see our need for forgiveness and salvation.  Rather than being governed by laws written on tablets of stone, born-again Christians are to be guided by love--God's love demonstrated to us by Jesus when He laid down His life on Calvary, washed the disciple's feet, extended mercy, compassion, was patient and graciously restored Peter who denied Him.  Praise the LORD He holds us to higher standard than the letter of the law with the indwelling Holy Spirit so we might grow spiritually to maturity by His grace.

More Than a Lump Sum

Years ago, I had workmate who expended a lot of thought over what he would do if he ever won the lottery.  He was confused when I did not share his bizarre obsession and giddy preoccupation.  Many times he launched into a detailed explanation of the importance of receiving winnings in a lump sum and investing the money in various ways.  This guy had a serious plan for a vast sum of money (if he ever won big, of course), but I was never convinced buying the lotto religiously was the best investment plan.

In the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son, the younger of two brothers demanded his father give him his inheritance in a lump sum.  The father graciously did so, but despite the windfall the son was soon broke, destitute and homeless.  My friend imagined the lottery would simplify his life, and the prodigal son may have thought his life would be improved.  As I consider it, the idea of quick wealth in a lump sum is attractive.  Some view the Gospel this way and are glad to receive forgiveness of sins, salvation from hell and eternal life in a lump sum.  Like the prodigal left home after receiving his inheritance, some receive the Gospel and go their own way--neglecting to follow or trust Jesus Christ who died to save them.

There is also an attraction to give our lives to God in a lump sum--to go out in a blaze of glory as a martyr, a romantic notion to bravely lay down our lives for Jesus.  At the same time, we can find it hard to take up our cross daily, follow and obey Him.  James and John desired to be given the honour of sitting on each side of Jesus when He entered into His kingdom:  they requested heavenly honour in a lump sum.  Jesus asked if they were able to drink of the cup that He would drink and be baptised with His baptism.  J. Oswald Sanders writes in Spiritual Leadership, "To the Lord's probing question, they returned the glib answer "We are able"--thus betraying a tragic lack of self knowledge.  Jesus told them that they would indeed drink the cup and experience the baptism.  They must learn that for an influential ministry there would be a steep price to pay--and that it cannot be paid in a lump sum." (Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Leadership. Moody Press, 1989. page 31)

The cost of following Jesus Christ cannot be paid in a lump sum, nor do we receive every blessing at once.  We are made new creations through the Gospel and given eternal life in a moment,  Jesus once for all paid with His shed blood to atone for the sins of the world, and in receiving Him we have all our needs met.   However, our lives are not given to us in a lump sum but are to be lived out day by day, and blessed is the one who faithfully invests in relationship and fellowship with God.  We have received this glorious salvation and acceptance into God's kingdom, we cannot wisely live our lives without constant reliance and guidance from Christ.  The one who daily seeks Jesus and serves Him will be better off than the wisest, richest king who ever lived--whose heart departed from the LORD.  For those who have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing, the best is yet to come.

Children of God

John the Baptist was quite a polarising figure in Israel.  He had a devout Jewish upbringing under the Law of Moses and was the son of a respected priest.  His lifestyle was strict and his devotion to God brought back memories of prophets of old--to the point Jews wondered if he could possibly be the Messiah!  At the same time, John spoke without respect of persons, rebuking those who came into the wilderness to be baptised by him.  His fierce upholding of God's word and his severe demeanor against wickedness gained him many followers.  Luke 3:7-9 says, "Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ⁹ And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  Turn or burn, one could say.

John strongly denied he was the Messiah, but he came to prepare the way for Him.  He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness and preached repentance to the people, and many souls turned to God with expectancy.  Some left all to follow him as disciples, and others hated him and did not believe him.  Many went seeking John out of curiosity, to see a local celebrity for themselves, but being baptised was not repentance.  John's words challenged and rattled people who were confident in their heritage and righteousness under the Law, that their talk or undergoing ritual baptism was cheap without a change of mind, heart and life.  He was not satisfied by the droves of people who came to see him or the number of people he and his disciples baptised:  his preaching brought the acute realisation they needed a Saviour--even though Abraham was their father.  The preaching of John worked to shatter self-righteousness and self-confidence so people would see their need for forgiveness and salvation they would discover could only be found by faith in Jesus Christ.

One thing John said that impacts me as a Gentile is the line, "For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones."  To those who could not boast in Abraham being their distant relative, those with whom God made an everlasting covenant with, this is both challenging and encouraging.  It is likely John pointed to stones that littered the ground to make his point, saying God was able to raise up children to Abraham from stones even as God miraculously caused living water to flow from the rock in the wilderness.  God is able to bring life to something that has no life.  He is able to remove a heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh that feels, is sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and is filled with love and compassion that did not exist before.  Do you believe God is able to raise up children for Abraham from stones?  What is encouraging about this is we have seen Jesus Christ fulfill this word, for Gentiles who were alienated from the kingdom of God have been born again by the power of the Gospel and accepted by grace.  As many as have received Jesus by faith, the same He has given the right to become children of God.

Take to heart this lesson from the stones that are inanimate, unfeeling, senseless, dense, hard and heavy objects.  The stones that lie on the ground and we dig up in the garden were formed long before we were born, and will likely remain unmoved long after our bodies turn to dust.  Stones seem permanent and that they can never be something they are not.  When Jesus Christ enters the scene, however, He brings hope to hopelessness and the promise of life where there was no life.  He is able to raise up children of God from stones, and those who have repented of sin and been born again by faith in Jesus are proof of His divine power and grace.  Paul explained this transformation of God's true people in Romans 2:28-29:  it is not by ethnicity but accomplished spiritually by faith in Jesus:  "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; ²⁹ but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God."  God is able to raise any person to be a true child of Abraham through faith in Christ, and we better believe it!