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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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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God Says Go - Don't Stay With The Crowd

The one who scattered us will bring us all back together for his glory.

Genesis 10:4-9 Then they said, "Come, let's build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world." 5 But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.

6 "Look!" He said. "The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let's go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won't be able to understand each other." 8 In that way, the LORD scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.

9 That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the LORD confused the people with different languages. In this way He scattered them all over the world.

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You have probably been warned more than once about the danger of following the crowd. Jesus warned us that his followers would have to choose to stop following the crowds and choose the straight and narrow road that few people were willing to take. (Matthew 7:14) In today's scripture we will see the dangers of unity and how God dispersed a crowd without using any physical effort.

The new beginning that Noah received from God 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 and it didn't take long for it to affect their lives.

Noah's children and grandchildren were supposed to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth but they didn't want to scatter like the animals did. They chose to move to the East as a group, and when someone decided to stop, they all stopped. Following the crowd was already a popular idea.

It seems like Nimrod was the first man to rise to power after the flood, he was a great hunter and he also became the first to invest in real estate, he took after Cain and built the first great cities that are mentioned after the flood. (Cain, Genesis 4:16-17; Nimrod, Genesis 10:8-12)

No more than a hundred years after the flood, while Noah's children and grandchildren are still alive, the world population is ignoring what happened and doing what they want. Some of the people that got off the boat are still alive, they had all of the facts about God's judgment of sin that caused the flood, but they didn't care.

God’s will for human beings is not that we find our joy in being praised, but that we find our joy in knowing and praising him. His will is not that we find our security in cities but in God whom we gladly obey.

-John Piper

A great city with a famous landmark has been the dream of many people throughout history. The love of praise and the love of security are great motivations for the masses to stick together but this tower was also an attempt by Satan to get man to worship anything besides God.

This tower was probably a ziggurat, these towers were the center of religious activity that can still be seen around that area today. We saw that right after Noah got off the ark that he worshiped God properly but most his grandchildren followed the way of Cain and chose to do worship their way.

It may seem like a curse that we are all scattered around the world into so many different people groups with so many different languages and cultures but this diversity is actually a great tool that God created to prevent evil from going unchecked. One evil man is not likely to make much trouble but that can change quickly in the company of like minded friends.

The plans of evil world leaders are restrained through diversity, uniting the nations sounds like a great idea but think about all of the united efforts in world history that prove that human unity can also be extremely evil.

The unity of other countries was the only reason the Nazis were not successful at ruling the world with their evil schemes. The plans of the United Nations is right in line with Satan's desires for a one world, one government system under one ruler. The one who scattered us is the only one that has the authority to bring us all back together again and he is the only one that will bring us together without any evil intentions.

The next time the world is united it will be under the rule of the Antichrist, the world population will think it is an awesome idea to unite together but they won't realize that his unity will be for evil just the same as he did it at the tower that was built in Babylon.

Revelation 7:9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. 

Someday God's people will enjoy unity again, the effects of sin will be washed away permanently and the one who scattered us will bring us all back together for his glory. Until that day comes we must strive while we are still here on Earth to bring glory to God through the unity that we have as followers of Jesus.

Following the crowd doesn't have to be a bad thing if you are careful to follow the crowd that will bring glory to God for eternity.

In the next post we will see that the fame that the people sought to have at Babel was realized in Abram because of his obedience and willingness to go in faith to a place he didn't know.

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Missing Christmas: Idolatry

The Romans had so many gods they didn't need Jesus.

Luke 2:1  At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.

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It wasn't just the Jews that missed Christmas, the entire Roman Empire also missed Christmas even though they God used them to bring about the circumstances that the prophets told us would be a part of Jesus birthday. Caesar Augustus ordered the census that took Mary and Joseph to the prophesied birth place of Jesus.

Caesar Augustus is mentioned in the Bible as a part of the Christmas story. He ruled the Roman Empire from 27 BC to 14 AD. His first name was Octavianus. He was the nephew of Julius Caesar and he came to power after Julius Caesar was assassinated.

Roman soldiers were probably all over the place trying to deal with crowd control and overseeing the census. They tried to be in charge and all knowing but there is something about one of the babies that they counted in Bethlehem that they don't know about.

Rome missed Christmas because of their idolatry. They had their own gods and they were even willing to let their emperor pretend to be God. Wikipedia reports that: "The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, and attributed their success as a world power to their collective piety in maintaining good relations with the gods." (Wikipedia, "Religion In Ancient Rome")

You don't have to go to a distant land where they never heard of Christ to find paganism and idolatry. You can find plenty of idolatry right here close to home. Most people around these parts don’t worship carved idols or follow demonic superstition like the Romans did, but they nevertheless worship false gods.

Some people worship money. Others worship sex. I know people who worship cars, boats, houses, power, prestige, popularity, and fame. Those things represent the pagan gods of the 21st century: selfishness and materialism. If that is what you worship, you’ll miss Christmas.

The Christmas season itself is full of idols that replace the real reason for the season. From Frosty, to Santa and Rudolph, there are plenty of fictional characters to distract us from the real personality of Christmas. Decorated trees and houses covered with lights are a lot of fun but if all of the fun stuff at Christmas takes the place of the baby Jesus in your heart then there is a problem.

Nobody wants to stop the celebration of Christmas with all of it's fun and the boost in economic spending but what the world wants to do is take the attention off of the baby. It's the same thing that the world does all of the time, it's okay to mention worlds like God, faith and prayer, just don't mention Jesus! It really is important to keep your focus as you celebrate the reason for the season.

Forgive me Lord for allowing other stuff to creep in and become more important than you on your birthday. I want to celebrate your birthday with my focus on you and your reason for coming to earth.

Seeking God Requires Humility

We need to come to God on his terms.

Psalm 69:32 The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help be encouraged.

Psalm 14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.

Isaiah 65:1-2 “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name.

2 All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.

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If you want to come close to God, you have to realize that you don't get to decide the terms, it is up to him to decide how he will be found. If you are trying to seek God any other way then you are going to fall short of your goal.

God likes people that are broken, he requires us to be that way before we can come into his presence, he doesn't want somebody coming around him that is going to try and tell him how it is. It is clear throughout the Bible that he wants us to approach him in humility, he loves it when we are submissive and give up on doing things our way. (Luke 18:14, Matthew 20:16)

The prideful will see how well they have done and become apathetic towards God. "Who needs him," they will think to themselves. The real God will get replaced by the false god's of money, pleasure, government or self, we think that we can do just fine while we hold onto our idols, lets get the real God out of the way.

God wants us to seek him, he is checking the whole world to see who is, he is an awesome God that desires to be known. He hasn't made it difficult to find him, God has made his presence known, he is standing ready to be found by us, if we are wise enough to seek him. Isaiah 65:1 makes it sound like God is waving his arms to try and get our attention as he says ‘Here I am, here I am!’

God wants people to seek him God promises to be found by those who seek him Your opportunity to seek him is now and for this life Seek for God with all your heart Seeking God is a priority

Hebrews 11:6 Isaiah 45:19 Luke 16:19-31 Jeremiah 29:13 Matthew 6:33

From the Dictionary of Bible Themes on Bible Gateway

We don't want to be held accountable for our actions, but sooner or later we will be, there isn't anything that we can do to change that fact. The decision that we need to make is will we humble ourselves in this life and be accountable for how we live or will we rebel against God in this life and be held accountable for all of eternity.

God is allowed to dictate the terms that I must obey so that I can approach him. By His grace and mercy He makes me holy by the blood of Christ so that I may have a relationship with him if I seek him with humility.

Watch Out For The Imposters

A tree is a tree, right? Just checking.

Jeremiah 10:1-6 Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! 2 This is what the Lord says:

“Do not act like the other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them.

3 Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol. 4 They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over. 5 Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

6 Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power.

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Notice where Jeremiah got his message from? He received it from God! The only God that is capable of speaking up for himself. Everybody else is cutting down trees to make a God that can't talk but the God that created that tree can talk and he has a message for you, "save the trees, they can't do anything to help you."

Jeremiah goes on to describe the superiority of his God in Jeremiah 10:10-16:

✔ He is the one true God.
✔ He is alive and always will be.
✔ His power made the earth and it is the only thing that is sustaining it.

We can set ourselves up as gods, we can even make a god out of stuff that the real God gave us such as a tree, we can try anything that we want but there is only one true God that has any power. It reminds me of the story of Elijah and the false prophets of Baal, Elijah oversaw a contest to see who had the power, "god" or "God." The real God showed up that day and made it very clear who he is and how powerful he is. (1 Kings 18:16-40)

We look for replacement gods, people that can decipher signs and wonders to give us a clue about tomorrow, it makes you wonder why we can't give our tomorrow to the real God and depend on him for our safety, security, fears and worries. It doesn't matter if I am dead or alive I know that God has my tomorrow covered.

Let me introduce you to the real God

Deuteronomy 4:32-35 “Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before? 33 Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived? 34 Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the Lord your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes. 35 “He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other.

It shouldn't be any great leap of faith to believe in the one true God, he introduced himself to his people long ago, they saw his judgement in what happened to the Egyptians, they saw mercy and love in the way that he treated them. They had already seen great miracles to prove that there is one true God and yet they still wanted to find somebody else to worship.

Just be different! The rest of the world is looking for a God that fits their lifestyle and personal taste. A God that they can control, a God that wont ask too much of them, the God that they want isn't going to ask them to change. The real God gave us so much that he wants us to give back by living to please him.

I can depend on my God to come through for me. He has already come through for me in the biggest and most needful way by sending Jesus to earth to die for my sins. I know that he will come through for me in my daily struggles.