We Have Seen His Star

The light showed the way to the Promised Land and the way to Emmanuel.

Numbers 24:17 I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel.

We saw in the previous post that God is always in control, it is difficult to understand this idea, but somehow this is true even when he is allowing us to have free will. We saw this truth in action in the life of Balaam, we learned that God let him have his way so that he could use this unwilling false prophet.

God shows us in his word that he is sovereign at all times and he will use anyone to work out his divine plans and his purpose despite our free will. We saw that Balaam had no desire to bless God's people and he certainly had no desire to announce the ultimate blessing.

Balaam's prophecies concluded with one of the earliest predictions of the Messiah:

• A Savior that would be the redeemer of God's people, the Star that would bring light to our darkness.
• A Ruler that would be the Lord of God's people, the Scepter would establish an eternal kingdom.

Each time that God came to Balaam there wasn't anything spectacular about it, God spoke to him like he had done so many times before in scripture, it was just a normal conversation. There are plenty of times when this was true like when God spoke to Adam and Eve, or to Abraham, or Hagar or Jacob. (Genesis 3:8-9, 6:13, 12:1, 16:7-12, 28:12) 

But that was not always the case, as we will see, sometimes God's presence was very visible.

The Light To The Chosen

1 John 1:5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.

Sometimes when God interacted with people, his presence was an impressive display of light so spectacular that it is amazing that he interacted with some people without his glory being on display.

Abraham was the first to directly experience God's glorious light, not the first time when God called him from his homeland but later when God showed himself in a ceremony to confirm the covenant to bless Abraham's descendants. (Genesis 15)

Moses saw the light as it got his attention when God's glory caused a bush to light up as if it were on fire yet it was not consumed. The voice from withing the bush makes it clear that the source of the light was not natural. (Exodus 3:1-5)

God's people saw the light as it led them away from the darkness of Egypt to the land that was promised. But first the light led them to Mount Sinai where they saw the light as a sign of God's presence.

And now we will see the same Light that was revealed to God's chosen people throughout the Torah will also guide the nations to the new Promised Land. (Isaiah 9:2; 60:1–3).

The Light Of Christmas

Matthew 2:2,9-10 "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him."

9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

The same God that occupied the mountain in the wilderness came without the grand entrance that he deserved to occupy a lowly manger in Bethlehem. It seems that the Light was revealed only to a very select group of people that God chose. 

The men that saw the star were not part of God's original chosen people, none of the Jews, including the religious leaders in Jerusalem seem to know anything about the star even after the Magi asked about it. Even if they looked outside for it, they may have missed it because the star did not always appear or maybe the star wasn't for them.

The special star that led them to Bethlehem reminds me of the Old Testament pillar of fire that gave direction to a specific people to go to a specific place. Think about the unique characteristics of the pillar, it appeared and disappeared, it moved in various directions and it started and stopped at various times and locations. 

It is very unlikely that either of these lights were natural, it seems to me that God's glorious presence that led his people in the Old Testament is the same source of light that led the Magi. It makes more sense that God was personally guiding these men in a similar manner instead of trying to explain the source of light as a natural star or astronomical event. 

The understated entrance didn't confuse the Magi, they knew this was divine revelation that the King of the Jews was here, they had anticipated this event because they knew God's word, they knew that this wasn't an ordinary star and this was no ordinary baby. 

Once again, God chose to guide men on the right path as he did for his people in the wilderness, but this time he is lighting the way for the nations to come to him. (Psalms 119:105, Isaiah 60:3, Matthew 28:19)

The Light Of The World

John 3:19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil."

2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

The light showed the way to the Promised Land and it showed the way to Emmanuel. The same God that said "Let there be light" was now with us in our world as the Light that dispels the darkness of sin and death for anyone who follows Him.

When Jesus announced at Sokkot that he is the Light of the World the people knew without a doubt that he was claiming to be the Messiah. Many rabbis and prophets understood that the blazing lights that filled the temple on the Feast of Tabernacles was pointing to the coming Messiah. (Zechariah 14:16–19)

Jesus ministry to everyone was an invitation to leave the darkness and come to the light to become children of the light that would then also become the light of the world that would show God's glory to others. (Matthew 5:14-16, Ephesians 5:8)

The Light Of Eternity

Revelation 22:5 And there will be no night there-no need for lamps or sun-for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

Our Savior proved that the light cannot be extinguished, even in death, he defeated death in his own life and he will defeat it again in each of our lives as well. He will take us to our Promised Land to dwell with him in light that is unending.

The end of the story is bright for those that have seen the Light, miss the light and you will spend eternity in darkness.

Moses' Rocks - Trust And Obey

God's people need to do things God's way for his glory.

Numbers 20:1-5 In the first month of the year, the whole community of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried.

2 There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people blamed Moses and said, "If only we had died in the LORD's presence with our brothers! 

4 Why have you brought the congregation of the LORD's people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock? 5 Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!"

Every since God redeemed his people from the kingdom of darkness they have refused to react to difficult situations with any degree of faith in him. You can't help seeing the evidence of God's love and his power long before their dramatic exit from Egypt and then again when God showed up for his people again right after that with the miraculous Red Sea crossing. (Exodus 14:31)

Seems like God's people would respond better after all of that but the display of God's love and his power to save didn't keep his people from doubting him. You can see how fickle they are by noticing the scripture address for each of these events, it is one verse or one chapter right after the other., God's people quickly went from singing his praises (Exodus 15:1-21) to grumbling about Moses leadership and the lack of food and water. (Exodus 15:24, 16:1-3)

God was testing their faithfulness to him, all they had to do is:

1. "Listen to the voice of the Lord and do what is right" (Exodus 15:25-26) 
2. "Follow my instructions." about the food that God rained down. (Exodus 16:4)

God told them that he was testing them and he told them what they needed to do to pass the test. Sounds very fair, shouldn't be too difficult to pass. But while they were being tested by God, as Moses put it, they were also testing God. (Exodus 17:2) After all of the works of God that his people have seen on their behalf they still didn't get it. 

Fifteen months later when they safely reached the edge of the Promised Land, they still didn't trust and obey, that's why they are on a 40 year trip extension. If they had moved into their new land they wouldn't be here complaining about the lack of water.

God's people failed the test

1. They are still blaming Moses for doing all of this to them.
2. They wish that they had died along with their rebellious relatives that God already killed. 
3. They wish they had stayed in Egypt. 

Instead of remembering how bad it was at the end of their stay, they seem to be recalling the good old days when they first got to Egypt. These people are probably not old enough to remember the day when the Egyptians treated them good.

Moses and Aaron responded well to the complaints of the people, they went to the Tabernacle and God showed up and tells them how to provide water. Moses and Aaron didn’t try to solve the problem on their own or argue with the complainers. Instead, they went to the Tabernacle, sought God’s presence, and received divine guidance. So far, so good, but wait.

Numbers 20:10-11 Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. "Listen, you rebels!" he shouted. "Must we bring you water from this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.

Moses didn't respond well to God's instructions, the great way that Moses reacted to the people didn't last for long. Moses didn't follow the details of God's instructions, he has made water before, it involved a rock but the details were more important than he thought. In order to get God's blessing you need to do things they way he tells you.

Moses seems to be frustrated with the people he was called to lead, he seems to lose his composure and lashes out at the rock instead of simply speaking to it. To make it worse it seems like Moses is taking credit for providing the water instead of giving God the glory. 

You see, it isn't just the nation that struggled, the leaders of God's people have their own fears, doubts and frustrations with God and with his people. God has dealt with Moses as he has with the rest of the nation, with patience and grace, but this time Moses will have to face serious consequences.

God's leaders fail the test

After everything that Moses has been through with these people it seems harsh to us that God tells Moses that he will not lead Israel into the Promised Land. The next time they reach the border Moses would get a preview but he will not get to enter.

We want to defend Moses and tell God that it isn't fair to treat him so severe, that's a natural reaction that comes from our own experience with God, we all know that we have been worse than Moses and we got away with it. We know that there are plenty of times when God didn't give us what we deserved.

When Moses failed earlier in life God gave him grace but as Moses grew in his faith God's expectation that he would grow in faith and obedience. 

Numbers 20:12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!"

God requires the leaders of his people to be held to a higher standard and they often experience greater consequences that are a lot more severe. (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:6-9, James 3:1)

A leaders faith and failures affects other people, when their faith is strong it is a blessing to those under them but the opposite is also true. When they fail they can ruin their own lives and the lives of the people they are supposed to influence for good.

If you think about it, the severity of God's punishment to Moses and Aaron in this situation is similar to the punishment when God's people refused to trust and obey and enter the Promised Land.

The death penalty is the result in both the failure of God's people and the failure of their leaders. The people that voted to not go into the promised land died as a result of wandering in the wilderness and the leaders that failed also died in the wilderness because they didn't trust God.

Just before God allows the next generation to enter the Promised, Moses warns them that they must choose for themselves, he reminds them that trusting and obeying are often linked to God's blessings. (Deuteronomy 28:1-68)

I need to see the ugliness of my sin in light of God's holiness, I need to remember that living in grace is not a license to sin, I will not have prosperity, peace, and divine favor if I live like the world. (Psalm 1:1-3, John 15:10-11)

I need to be careful to trust and obey in times of prosperity and also when I am walking through the wilderness, especially as a leader in the church. As a child of God, my story should bring glory to him, without shame.

I need to give God the glory for the great things he has done. (Deuteronomy 8:17)

RELATED ARTICLES

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Knowing God

The world has many ideas about him but are they true?

Exodus 33:11,13,17 Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting.

13 If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people."

17 The LORD replied to Moses, "I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name."

In the book of Exodus we have seen that God's people have had amazing experiences with him that should have led to a close friendship. In the previous post we saw some of the miraculous ways that God displayed his power and protection on their behalf, but we also saw almost everyone turned from God as if his amazing care for them meant nothing.

Despite the equal opportunity to know God, it did not lead to equal outcomes, it seems that Moses was alone in his desire for spiritual growth. The crowd knew God and knew that he was incredible in his kindness and protection but that was enough for them.

Most of God's people are just like that, we know just enough about God and his plan to redeem us and make us his own children so that we can escape hell but few of us have the desire to know our Heavenly father beyond that. 

We are content to believe in him from a distance or we settle for knowing inaccurate information about him. Both of these conditions are very dangerous.

What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God.

-J. I. Packer "Knowing God"

We don't have the privilege of seeing God work like his people did in the Old Testament, we have to rely on the Bible to really know him. That's the reason that God preserved his word, the book may be very old but because he never changes we can truly know him by what he has revealed in the Bible.

The outline below is from Going Deeper with God with my thoughts added.

God's Word Shows Us:

God's Holiness

Leviticus 19:1-2 The LORD also said to Moses, 2 "Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

We like to think that this requirement was for the people of the Old Testament but the command for holiness is in the New Testament and it is still in effect today. (1 Peter 1:15)

It's interesting that the Bible doesn't give us the command to be holy until after God's people have been redeemed from Egypt. 

God's Wrath and Justice

John 3:36 And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment."

We really don't like this topic, we like to dwell on God's goodness, love and grace, who doesn't like that? But you don't really know God and you have created your own "god" if you stop there.

The cross shows us a small portion of the wrath of God that will be experienced by those that are left behind when Jesus takes his church out of here. The cross was horrible but it isn't the full extent of God's wrath that is shown to us in the book of Revelation.

God's Grace

Psalms 84:11  For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

Thankfully God's grace is equally as huge as his wrath but it is only available to those that believe in God's rescue plan. We can only appreciate God's grace and be amazed by it when we have an accurate understanding of God's holy wrath. 

We must go beyond the common grace that everyone on earth experiences. Common grace is a taste of what God offers that will help you draw closer to him but it isn't saving grace and it has no redemptive effect. (Romans 8:29-39, Ephesians 1:3-14)

 

God's Goodness

Exodus 33:19 The LORD replied, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.

It sounds odd that God told Moses that his goodness is something that can be seen, it seems more logical to us that God's works can be seen as his goodness, but scripture teaches that God is more beautiful than anything he has ever done.

God is not a cosmic grandpa handing out treats to his children. God isn't going to give us everything we want, sometimes he will give us what we don't want but he is still perfectly good and righteous, and there is no evil or sin in him. (Psalm 92:15; 1 John 3:2–6)

So much has been done for us but instead of a stronger desire to know God more and know God accurately we settle for a surface relationship or we believe about God without knowing the whole truth. I think we have to be careful if we distort God into something he is not then we have made a "god" that pleases ourselves.

Knowing God Takes Effort

Psalm 63:1 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

Jeremiah 9:24 NLT But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken!

Developing a deep relationship with God is not a passive experience, it requires a commitment to time spent in God's word, prayer, and actively seeking to understand and apply what God is showing you.

Too many people think that knowing God is a one time event but the Bible shows us that it is actually a lifelong pursuit. Just take a look at the apostle Paul, he is probably the best example of someone that knew God like Moses did, but after approximately 25 years as a believer he still yearned for more. (Philippians 2:12-13 and  2 Corinthians 12:1-7)

Satan doesn't want you to know God accurately or with any degree of intimacy that's why he has so many ways to keep you distracted. He is okay with you knowing God the way that the Pharisees knew him but remember that this group of people received the harshest criticism from Jesus.

Help me Lord to increase in my love and desire to know you more! It is too easy to neglect our relationship and believe incorrect information about you. I want to really know you.

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The Priest Begin To Fail

God's people will never measure up without obeying him.

Leviticus 10:1-3 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded.

2 So fire blazed forth from the LORD's presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD.

3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD meant when he said, 'I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.'" And Aaron was silent.

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It is amazing how quick the gift of the priesthood and the benefits of "God with us" that the priesthood made possible was turned into a curse. It's no different than the way we treated the presence of God in Eden or how God's people turned their abundance in the promised land into a curse.

In the previous post we saw that God's glory was displayed when God's people were obedient in worshipping him but, like everything else that God gives us, we will see today that God's good gifts have always been rejected or perverted. 

It seems like Nadab and Abihu worked together in their sinful actions. Instead of listening to God and worshipping him correctly they found within each other the same prideful spirit that would make them boldly disobey God. Disobedience in general is a bad thing but to disobey God in worship is a very callous behavior that God has already addressed on several occasions. 

The two dead priest had many advantages in their lifetime, they were there when God rescued his people from Egypt, they were there when the Egyptians drowned, they were there when God descended on Mount Sinai and they were there when God shared a covenant meal with them. (Exodus 24:1-18) They were also there when their father made the golden calf for the people to worship.

 A casual reading of the story in Leviticus 10 doesn't make it very clear just how wrong their actions were. This list compiled from the Warren Wiersbe Bible Commentary shows us clearly how wrong their behavior was:

• They were the wrong people to be handling the incense and presenting it to the Lord. This was the task of their father, the high priest. (Exodus 30:7–10). 
• They also used the wrong instruments, their own censers instead of the censer of the high priest, sanctified by the special anointing oil. (Exodus 40:9). 
• They acted at the wrong time, for it was only on the annual day of Atonement that the high priest was permitted to take incense into the Holy of Holies, and even then he had to submit to a special ritual. (Leviticus 16:1)
• They acted under the wrong authority. They didn’t consult with Moses or their father, nor did they seek to follow the Word of God, which Moses had received. 
• They used the wrong fire, what Scripture calls "strange fire". The high priest was commanded to burn the incense on coals taken from the brazen altar. (Leviticus 16:12) 

Serving God isn't something to be done by our own rules and by our own power. We cannot bring honor to God by our disobedience. If we truly believe that God is perfect and his ways are perfect then we should seek to follow his perfect ways so that we will become more like him.

We can't explain adequately why God gave Aaron a second chance to worship correctly (Exodus 32:1-25), a mercy that was also extended to Cain (Genesis 4:1-16) but Nadab and Abihu were killed immediately just as we also see in the early church. (Acts 5:1-11)

Divine justice is difficult for us to understand, from our point of view it seems to be administered unfairly, only God knows why mercy and grace are given in some circumstances but not always. God has the right to give to any of us whatever he wants and we have no right to complain or accuse him. (Matthew 20:1-16)

Luke 12:5 But I'll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he's the one to fear.

Our world has reduced God to love and mercy so that they, and most of the church as well, can avoid the attributes of God that are seen as less perfect than the others. Jesus himself made it clear without apology that God's perfections includes his wrath, his justice and the right to elect those that would know him and be with him for eternity.

The failure of the Old Testament priest shows us the need that couldn't be met by an imperfect High Priest. The failures of the Old Testament priest grew so much that when Jesus comes to earth the High Priest and the priest under him are only holy in their own eyes.

1 Corinthians 10:11-13 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age. 12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

God's word shows us plenty of stories of human failure and tragedy so that we can learn from their mistakes and live for him. God knows that we will not turn from our own ways until we lose hope in our ways. 

The hope that the world gives is nothing more than hype. Their lies will get us nowhere in this life and it cannot stand next to the hope of the gospel that gives us a right relationship with God despite our failures.

Do you know the perfect High Priest that has the power to save and give you peace with God?

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The Priest Begin Their Work

God draws near when his people worship him correctly.

Leviticus 8:34 Everything we have done today was commanded by the LORD in order to purify you, making you right with him.

Leviticus 9:5-7 So the people presented all these things at the entrance of the Tabernacle, just as Moses had commanded. Then the whole community came forward and stood before the LORD.

6 And Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded you to do so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you." 7 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to purify yourself and the people. Then present the offerings of the people to purify them, making them right with the LORD, just as he has commanded."

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We saw in the previous post that the Priest are supposed to be radically different people, holy, cleansed and anointed for service. We learned that God's people today are supposed to be just as radically different so that they can also serve God and the people around them. We should be like priest working under the leadership of our Great High Priest.

A seven day ordination ceremony was completed in that post and now in our scripture today it is time to begin on the eighth day. The eighth day is used in the Bible to suggest the beginning of something new, a day of completion of a process having to do with dedication, purification or cleansing.

It is a long process to become ceremonially clean, imagine going through the same routine for seven days without anything miraculous happening, hopefully the priest realized through this long process how incredibly far away we are from God's standards and how serious he is about our holiness.

There must have been great anticipation as the priest finally begin their work. The reason they told Pharaoh that they needed to leave Egypt was so that they could worship God but they had no idea that it would be delayed for so long and what would be involved. 

They are probably thinking about the last time the glory of the Lord was seen. God took the first step towards his people when the Tabernacle was completed and now it is time for his people to draw near to him.

But they must have been a little nervous about this worship service, this seems to be the first worship service since the golden calf worship experience, when three thousand people died. God's people were quick to go back to the way of worship they learned from the Egyptians despite the miracles that God performed that proved that the Egyptian gods were no God at all.

God's Awesome Glory Revealed

Leviticus 9:22-24 After that, Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. Then, after presenting the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down from the altar. 23 Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole community. 24 Fire blazed forth from the LORD's presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground.

God's people listened to God when he told them how to worship and because they did they saw God's approval manifest among them. Back in the day, it was much easier to know when God accepts your offering, his pleasure was displayed in powerful ways that cannot be mistaken. 

The people that God chose to be his own people have connected with him in a real and personal way. It is interesting that the awesome display of God's power somehow did not cause fear, this must be a sign that the people were forgiven of their sins and they knew they were in right standing with God.

The pagan nations around them had priests and sacrifices, but they didn’t have the glory of God.

-Warren Wiersbe Old Testament Commentary

If God's people performed these rituals with the proper attitude then they would see the glory of God and be assured that their God is real, he is loving and he is powerful to protect them. This should have given them great courage when it comes time to enter the Promised Land.

God's word has made it clear that we need an intercessor to allow us to have an intimate relationship with our holy God. The picture of the High Priest in the Old Testament points to the ultimate fulfillment of the High Priest.

God's Perfect High Priest Revealed

Matthew 24:30-31 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world-from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

The ultimate revelation of God's glory is on the way! Do you have a great High Priest that will allow you to experience this magnificent occasion with great joy or will you meet him in anguish? Are you set apart as one of his children so that you can be with him forever in the Promised Land? 

My High Priest is also the holy sacrifice for my sins, he allowed himself to be brutally murdered to satisfy the holy justice of God so that I can have peace with God. Although I have not attained it yet, my position in Jesus is holy because the most holy sacrifice was made for me. (Deuteronomy 33:3, Revelation 1:6, 5:10)

Because of this, I am commanded to live a holy life, I am a priest serving under the Great High Priest to point others to God. I must be free from sin, holy and set apart so that I won't be disqualified to serve. (1 Peter 1:15-16, John 17:19, Titus 2:14)

My position as a royal priest was given to me so that I can be the connection between Heaven and Earth that points others to God's glory so that he will also be revealed to them. (1 Peter 2:5, 9-10)

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No Greater God

Our ultimate love and the greatest desire of our heart should be for God.

Exodus 20:3-5 You must not have any other god but me. 4 You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 

5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.

Exodus 20:7 You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

Matthew 22:35-38 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

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Ever since they were saved by the Passover lamb God's children have become increasingly more familiar with him. The wilderness experience has been used to show them, and us, that God is holy and his chosen people have been redeemed to live a new way that is a reflection of his holiness so that the rest of the world will get to know him as well.

The first and most important rules that God gave his children in the ten commandments are the ones that tell us how God must be treated. If we fail at this then we are not going to be successful at the rest of the commands that tell us how to treat our neighbors.

The challenge to treat God properly has always been a struggle, man’s number one priority is to worship God but it is Satan's number one priority is to keep you from doing it, or at least to keep you from doing it correctly. The problem that started with Cain is still going on today.

Psalms 51:17 The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Satan doesn't need to stop you from worshiping God, all he needs to do is get you to do it your own way. Satan knows that worshipping God wrong is just as offensive to him as not worshipping him at all. 

After all of the miracles they have seen they will still struggle to be loyal, God's people adopted the polytheistic ways of the Egyptians, they were okay with the real God as long as they could have the fake ones as well.

Isaiah 44:6-7, 10 This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies: “I am the First and the Last; there is no other God. 7 Who is like me? Let him step forward and prove to you his power. Let him do as I have done since ancient times when I established a people and explained its future. Who but a fool would make his own god— an idol that cannot help him one bit?

When you look back at world history you cannot find another God but the one true God that has proven himself to be far greater than any of the imitations. The man made gods never had anything to offer their followers but somehow the creator of those gods seemed to think he had made something more powerful than himself.

The gods are worshipped for very pragmatic reasons. Almost never are the gods worshipped for their intrinsic beauty or goodness, but for what they control. Hostile, capricious gods are worshipped to appease their anger and to avert the outpouring of their wrath. Others are worshipped largely due to the powers which they possess and the benefits which they produce. In other words, the gods are viewed by their subjects as means to a desired end. It is no wonder that the worship of false gods is called harlotry in the Bible. The relationship between men and the gods is closely akin to prostitution. A price is paid and a service is rendered, but there is certainly no love between the two parties.

-Bob Deffinbaugh

We can easily find fault in the people that God brought out of Egypt, we look at them and wonder why he wasn't God enough for them, but we are worse than they were. They didn't have the big picture that we have, the only information that they knew about God was what they learned personally or from stories passed down from the previous generations.

We have a much better perspective of God because of our Bibles, we have much more information about him and how to please him but we still have trouble with the commandments that teach us how he should be treated.

The sin against this commandment, which we are most in danger of, is giving that glory to any creature which is due to God only. Pride makes a God of ourselves, covetousness makes a God of money, sensuality makes a God of the belly. Whatever is loved, feared, delighted in, or depended on, more than God, that we make a god of.

-John Wesley

Our ultimate love and the greatest desire of our heart should be for God but the world has so many other loves and so many other places to put our trust. We fall for the lie that we can use people and stuff to give us the security that can only be found in God.

We all have something that we trust that makes life work, something that we depend on instead of God, it can be power, approval, comfort, control, your achievements or even your religion. Whatever gives your life meaning and worth is where you will have difficulty keeping God in his rightful place.

1 John 5:21  Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

With so many options that the world makes available to us it is difficult to love God  exclusively, to find our greatest worth and love that satisfies us and helps us get through our trials. We must put our ultimate love and trust in the only one that will never fail us in this life and for eternity.

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