Broken Promises

Experiencing God's miracles won't guarantee your faithfulness to him.

Exodus 24:1-3 Then the LORD instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance. 2 Only Moses is allowed to come near to the LORD. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.” 3 Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the LORD had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the LORD has commanded.”

Exodus 24:9-11 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. 10 There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. 11 And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

Exodus 32:1-6 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” 

2 So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!” 

5 Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the LORD!” 6 The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.

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In my study of the book of Genesis and Exodus it has been so clear that God loves us and wants to restore our relationship with him to the intimate relationship that we had before sin came between us and him. God gave us a choice in the garden to let him define good and evil or eat from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil so that we can make our own rules. 

From the beginning of time we have proof that it is difficult for man to trust God's wisdom and consistently make good choices on our own. The Bible shows us that our problem is the same as it was back then. When we take control and decide good and evil the results are always more evil. (Genesis 6:5, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 12:2)

Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and even Moses all made poor choices despite the close, intimate relationship with God.  You may think that you would be more consistent and behave so much better than they did in the Bible but history has proven that no matter how much we learn about God we will still have a problem trusting him and treating him as well as he deserves.

God's people in Exodus have experienced him:

• Bring disaster on Egypt by the plagues and they saw him save his people by the Passover lamb. (Exodus 12)
• The Egyptians demand that they leave and they give them their wealth to take with them. (Exodus 12:31-42)
• Manifestation of God that went before them to lead the way. (Exodus 13:21-22)
• The crossing of the Red Sea and the drowning of their enemies. (Exodus 14)
• Work miracles in the wilderness to teach them to trust him for their necessities. (Exodus 15-17) 
• Defeat the army of Amalek (Exodus 17:8-16)
• Moses father in law declares that God alone saved his people from Egypt. (Exodus 18:9-11)
• God has taught them that he is holy, he is the only God and he must be worshiped properly. (Exodus 19-20)
• God's chosen people have been redeemed to live a new way. (Exodus 20-23)
• A new covenant with God is established. (Exodus 24-31)

Such amazing experiences with God made them so sure that they could be committed to him and fully trust him. They agree to God's terms and Israel's leaders meet with God and even eat a meal in his presence to ratify the new covenant before Moses is called to climb the mountain higher to meet with God for 40 days. (Exodus 24:7-18)

God's people needed less than 40 days to go back to the way of worship they learned from the Egyptians. They didn't forget about God but they wanted to remember the gods of Egypt and worship the way their evil neighbors did despite how God had just finished judging them. The blessings of God became a curse to the people, they took the gold from Egypt and created an idol, they seem to want God but they also want to have their idols too. (Exodus 14:1-4, 15:1-21)

God's purpose to make his people a priestly kingdom and a holy nation that would be a witness for him to our dark world is difficult to imagine. So far in the first two books of the Bible, God has been true to his word despite the broken promises of his people. 

At this point they are still at Sinai, God's glory has been obvious for all to see, if they can't be true to him here just imagine what happens when they start moving forward to the promised land. (Numbers 11:1,10, 12:1-9, 14:1-2, 16:1-3, 20:1-3, 21:4-5)

Deuteronomy 8:2,10-11 Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.

10 When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.

The new generation of God's people will be reminded of the reason why their parents did not receive the Promised Land. This new generation of God's people will need to guard their hearts even after the amazing miracles they will experience.

Everyone throughout the ages must decide for themselves. We are not forced to do what God wants, you cannot force love, there must be the freedom to chose God in order to truly love him. Man had to be a creature with a genuine will of his own. Otherwise, there could be no such thing as relationship or love. The possibility of love between man and God springs directly out of man’s freedom to choose.

We must guard our hearts so that we will make the right decision. Humbly digging into God's word everyday is the best way to guard your heart so that you will become more faithful to your promises to love and obey him. (Deuteronomy 11:26, 30:15 Psalms 119:30, 111, 173)

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A Tale Of Two Sons

God's first promised son was symbolic of the ultimate promised Son.

Genesis 21:1-7  The LORD kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised.  2  She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would.  3  And Abraham named their son Isaac.

 4  Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded.  5  Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born.

6  And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.  7  Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”

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A baby usually brings great joy to the family and to their friends, everybody wants to see the baby and bring gifts to celebrate the new life, but imagine the extra amount of excitement that is experienced when the baby's arrival is a long awaited miracle.

When Issac was born, it was the end of a very great sadness that Abraham and Sarah experienced as they failed to get pregnant over and over again for probably 70 or 80 years of marriage. It was even more heartbreaking to be promised a child but after 25 years the promise was still not fulfilled.

Imagine the heartbreak that the couple had when they attempted to help God with the miracle baby through human effort. Hagar became pregnant and Ishmael was born but instead of joy this only brought more trouble and heartache. 

Reactions To The Promised Child

Sarah couldn't be happier, all of those years of sadness and disappointment are over, the promised son has arrived and the pain and stigma of being childless is gone. Over the years, Sarah was reminded every time she saw Hagar and Ishmael of how wrong she was to try to help God.

Ishmael's reaction to the baby reminds me of the way that his mom Hagar reacted to the news that she was pregnant with Abraham's first child. It seems like Ishmael took after his mom, she got herself in trouble for her treatment of Sarah, so it wasn't a surprise when Ishmael began mistreating Isaac.

We can't be sure about Abraham, his reaction to the newborn isn't clear, the Bible doesn't tell us without a doubt that Abraham was as thrilled as Sarah was. Abraham probably had mixed emotions about Isaac, he may have grown indifferent to the idea of another son, he was willing to substitute God's best and accept the son that he already had as the heir to the promise. (Genesis 15:4, 17:15-21)

I think that part of Sarah's desire to get Hagar and Ishmael out of the house was because she could see that Abraham wasn't as thrilled about the new baby as she was. She must have been hurt as she recalled how happy he was to get his first son and wondered why he isn't so happy this time. 

Abraham has already had fourteen years of bonding with Ishmael, he has already taught him how to be a man and he can already see the leadership skills that would make Ishmael the leader of a great nation, the future for Ishmael looked so bright before Isaac came along.

Abraham must have seen the emotional affect that the birth of Isaac had on Ishmael, for fourteen years the boy had the home to himself and his father's love, he may have thought that his mom should replace Sarah, he may have even heard about Abraham's idea to make him the promised son.

Fixing The Past

Genesis 21:10-12 So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!” 11 This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. 12 But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.

Abraham's home must of been full of drama and something drastic was needed to settle things down. He became upset at Sarah's demands to send his first born son away but God made it clear that he wanted Abraham to do it. Our flesh can bring us joys that God may need to strip away from us to give us his joy that is much greater. Abraham's home would never be peaceful with both of these boys growing up under the same roof.

Conflict between brothers is a common occurrence in the Bible, it reminds me of the conflict between Cain and Abel, I have to wonder if protecting Isaac is the reason that Ishmael was sent away so abruptly.

So Hagar is sent away again, this time she has her son with her, but just like the last time she leaves without a lot of provisions and finds herself in a desperate situation. Once again, Hagar felt desperate and helpless, she cannot recall God's promises when she learned about the God who sees her.

It seems odd to me that Abraham was so kind and hospitable to complete strangers back in Genesis 18:1-8 but Hagar was treated poorly both times that she left Abraham's household. There doesn't seem to be any reason that Abraham and Sarah didn't show any kindness or hospitality toward Hagar and Ishmael, they could have been more generous in giving them supplies or even an escort to help them get to a safe place. 

I think that it's interesting that Ishmael eventually had twelve sons but his brother Isaac only had two, it would be Isaac's brother Jacob that would have the twelve sons that comprise the tribes of Israel. (Genesis 25:13-15)

It was not through Ishmael the promised seed was to come, but the descendants of Ishmael had every inducement to retain faith in the God of Abraham, who listened to their father’s cry. The fact of being excluded from certain privileges did not involve that they were to be excluded from all privileges.

-Expositors Bible Commentary

God knew the heart of Ishmael when he had Abraham send him and his mother away. It didn't take long to prove that Ishmael didn't have a heart for God. Despite all of the blessings of living in Abraham's household and seeing how intimate his father was with God, and despite the blessings that were promised to him, with all of these advantages Ishmael still walked away from God.

Looking To The Future

Galatians 4:22-24  The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife.  23  The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.  24  These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them.

None of the people in this Old Testament story could have understood what was playing out in God's plan and purpose but hundreds of years later the apostle Paul realized the two boys represented the two ways to please God.

God's first promised "son" was symbolic of his real "Son" that would come four hundred plus years later and Ishmael, the son of the servant, is likened to those who are slaves under the bondage of the law while Isaac is likened to those saved by God’s grace and freed from the law through faith in Jesus.

The law is good and living by the law is good but it isn't good enough, virtue and goodness can be lived out for a season but the problem with virtue is that we don't do anything with true virtue and the day will come when we will mess up and the law will be there to show us how bad we are.

Galatians 3:5  I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

I will never follow the law well enough to be qualified to go to Heaven, I can only get there by trusting in Jesus, his work on the cross is far better than any work that I can achieve through keeping the law. 

I must have a miracle birth to become a child of God so that I can inherit the riches that are promised to his children. (John 1:11-13 / 2 Corinthians 8:9)

It Is Well With My Soul

I realize that I'm not in control, Yet it is well with my soul

Video: Tori Kelly - Soul's Anthem (It Is Well)

Teach me how to love You
Show me how to trust You
More than with my words or with a song
No, it's not been easy
To live life down on my knees
But with faith I know I'll carry on

There is more to see than with my eyes
But fear sometimes can leave me paralyzed
I realize that I'm not in control
Yet it is well with my soul

The enemy's against me
Arrows all around me
Never knew the fight would last so long
In seasons of depression
I plead for Your protection
Make me right, I'm tired of being wrong

Every time there's hope, it seems to die
And the voices all around me feed that lie
Everything I see tells me to let go
Yet it is well with my soul

This fight I'm in is not of flesh and blood
The weapons that I need are in Your love
Lord, don't You ever let me go
You make it well with my soul

The Ultimate Peace Maker
John 14:27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. Colossians 3:15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

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The God Of New Beginnings

God offers a fresh start for his people that will never end.

Genesis 8:1-4 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede. 2 The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped. 3 So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days, 4 exactly five months from the time the flood began, the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Genesis 8:15-20 Then God said to Noah, 16 "Leave the boat, all of you--you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. 17 Release all the animals--the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground--so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth." 18 So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat. 19 And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.

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Ever wish for a new start? Imagine living in a world without another family that goes to church, where nobody else agrees with your views of morality or politics, a world that is so full of evil that even God wants to start over.

It is easy to read through Genesis real quick and fail to realize the difficult circumstances that Noah lived under. This one man's faith stands out in in a world where no one else has any concern for God or about having his favor.

We don't know how God's favor was displayed or whether his neighbors knew that Noah had favor but I imagine there was a lot of peer pressure for Noah and his family to join in and live like everybody else. When Cain knew that God's favor was on his brother Abel it made him furious so I imagine that Noah's neighbors probably didn't like him or his family.

Just to make things really interesting God asked Noah to do crazy things that would test his faith. To put his faith into action Noah had to build something that has never been built for an event that has never happened before. (Hebrews 11:7)

Noah Teaches Us:

We should be obedient even if nobody else is. The pressure to be like everybody else must have been intense. Their sons must have wondered "why can't we do what our friends do?" We should have faith that can be seen and heard by our neighbors. Noah's faith in what was unseen caused him to be obedient in ways that can be clearly seen by his neighbors but they were also warned by Noah as he told them why he was building something so crazy. We should wait on God despite the circumstances. It looked good outside after the flood, the birds proved that there was dry ground, but they didn't leave until God told them to. We should worship God because he has given us favor. How can you not worship when you realize how many people were killed and the fact that you are just as sinful as they and deserving of the same judgement yet God spared you? We should be aware that things are going to get much worse. The wickedness on earth was probably greater than it is today. There is a greater percentage of people that have God's favor on the earth today than there was in Noah's day. We should not forget how prone we are to do wrong. Even the best of men are weak and liable to fall, when those eight people got off the boat sin came along with them, Noah got drunk and one of his sons disrespected him and made fun of his shameful behavior. We should look to the sky for only one sign. Many people look to the stars and planets for information but the rainbow is the only thing that God put in the sky that we need to look to. We should be ready for the day of final judgement. Noah was protected from God's wrath as a reminder to us that God's people will be out of here before the final judgement that will be by fire.

Noah and his family would get to live in a fresh environment that had been cleansed from man's wickedness, it sounds like a dream come true but these eight people knew that while they escaped punishment there were millions of lives that were lost outside of the ark.

Their fresh start wasn't perfect, the floods washed away sin from the earth but it didn't cleanse the heart of mankind, the eight people that got off the ark still had a sin nature that would continue to challenge them as they tried to live to please God.

2 Corinthians 5:15, 17 He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Jesus left the glory of Heaven to have a new beginning with us, this was certainly not a fresh start, he endured life in this broken world so that we could have a new beginning in this life and in the next.

My first new beginning is in this life. It is very much like Noah's do over, he experienced God's mercy and grace because he had favor with God. God's grace and mercy have given me favor with him through my belief in Jesus as my only way to get to Heaven.

If God's purpose was to fill the earth with the glory of his righteousness, then we must conclude one of two things: God is a failure or God is preparing for something greater in the future.

-John Piper

My next new beginning will be the last. Unlike the other new beginning in the Bible, this one will be final and the changes that it brings will last forever. God's purpose for creating man will finally come to pass, man will fill the earth with God's glory and worship him with pure hearts for eternity.

God will take up his bow and judge the world. We need to share the good news that God has given us a season of mercy, he has put his bow in the sky pointed away from us, but this season will come to an end without warning.

God's people will be taken away to a new beginning in a glorious kingdom and Satan and his children will begin a new existence separated forever from God. Are you ready?

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God's Not Done With You

He will finish the good work that he has started in you.

Video: Tauren Wells - God's Not Done With You

Standing in your ruins, feels a lot like the end
So used to losing, you're afraid to try again
Right now all you see are ashes
Where there was a flame
The truth is that you're not forgotten
'Cause Grace knows your name

God's not done with you
Even with your broken heart and your wounds and your scars
God's not done with you
Even when you're lost and it's hard and you're falling apart
God's not done with you
It's not over, it's only begun
So don't hide, don't run
'Cause God's not done with
You-ou-ou-ou-ou
You-ou-ou-ou-ou

There's a light you don't notice
Until you're standing in the dark
And there's a strength that's growing
Inside your shattered heart
Woah-o-o-o-o-oah

He's got a plan, this is part of it
He's gonna finish what He started
He's got a plan, this is part of it
He's gonna finish what He started
He's not done
God's not done writing your story
No, He's not done
God's not done with you!

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Our creator has gone to great lengths to prove his love for us but despite everything that he has done we still have difficulty remembering that he loves us and has a plan for our lives. A lot of our problem is that even though we are loved to such an incredible degree there is someone else that hates us just as much.

Satan hates you and wants to destroy you because you remind him of somebody. Can you imagine having photos of your worst enemy all over the walls of your house? It must drive Satan crazy to see so many humans all over the planet that have the image of God.

Good News For God's Children

Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. 1 Peter 1:3-6 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance--an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

The last thing that Satan wants you to believe is that God loves you and has great plans for your future. Satan doesn't want you to enjoy anything that God has done for you, he doesn't want you to know God's love and experience joy as you push through the trials of this life. 

Despite the difficulty that we face in this world we need to remember that we are just passing through to a better place!

Thank God!

Thank you Lord for supplying for my every need.

Psalms 65:1-13 For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David. What mighty praise, O God, belongs to You in Zion. We will fulfill our vows to You, 2 for You answer our prayers. All of us must come to You. 3 Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, You forgive them all. 4 What joy for those You choose to bring near, those who live in Your holy courts. What festivities await us inside Your holy Temple.

5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. 6 You formed the mountains by Your power and armed Yourself with mighty strength. 7 You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations. 8 Those who live at the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your wonders. From where the sun rises to where it sets, You inspire shouts of joy.

9 You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile. The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for You have ordered it so. 10 You drench the plowed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges. You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops. 11 You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. 12 The grasslands of the wilderness become a lush pasture, and the hillsides blossom with joy. 13 The meadows are clothed with flocks of sheep, and the valleys are carpeted with grain. They all shout and sing for joy!

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Thank God! I mean really do it. We say a lot of things that we don't really mean in our culture, our words are not used very accurately, it is "amazing" how much we use the word "amazing." We use the short sentence "thank God" a lot without much concern for really being sincere.

Thankfulness is the only proper response for all of our blessings, followers of Jesus should be the most thankful people on the planet, as children of the king we have been given everything for doing so little. The child of God has the assurance that all things work together for our good so how can we not be thankful for all things? (Romans 8:28)

Thank God For:

God's Grace - The Savior of Sinners

Praise God he has a people that are chosen to live eternally with him. God has given me the privilege of being a priest with direct access to him, he answers my prayer and forgives my sin without any interaction with anybody else. (1 Peter 2:9-10, Revelation 1:5-6)

Romans 5:2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.

God's grace proves him to be compassionate and generous to sinful rebellious beings, shielding us from his wrath, forgiving them, and giving on us his righteousness.

God's Government - The Ruler of All Nations

He is “El Shaddai” the Almighty God who rules all of creation, he is sovereign over every kingdom and government, and his sovereignty will never end. Things look out of control but God's rule and final authority will bring everything to a peaceful conclusion when the temporary ruler of this world is dethroned.

God chose a people to rule so that the nations around Israel would have a witness to the power and blessings of the rule of God over a nation. God's children were a light to the Gentile nations around them and now as followers of Jesus we are the light and the testimony to the goodness of God and his rule in our lives.

God's Goodness - The Provider Of All We Need

The Lord will provide, Jehovah Jireh, the creator of every good and perfect gift. God supplies everything that is needed for everything that he has created, he sustains everything but he gives special care to his own people.

Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

In a land full of opportunity and such amazing resources it is easy to rely on ourselves, pride laziness and indifference. It is easy to make idols out of the blessings and worship the things instead of the giver of the gifts. We are easily tempted to forget, to take for granted, and to ignore God who takes care of our every need, especially our spiritual needs.

Thank you Lord for supplying for my every need. You gave me grace, love and mercy and you have gone way beyond that and blessed me beyond measure.

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