NUGGETS…from the WORD of GOD
THE GOD WHO IS THERE
“…the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.”
—Deut. 2:7
************
Israel’s unbelief did not cost them their relationship with Jehovah; it caused them to fall short of the objective God had for them and robbed them for forty years of the “rest” He would have had for them in the land of Canaan.
“For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom swore he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” (Heb. 3:16-19)
In the New Testament epistle to the Hebrews this bit of history is employed as an instructive lesson on the importance of exercising faith not only to obtain salvation, but to make it practical in everyday life so that the peace and power of salvation becomes the believer’s environment; we are urged to “enter…into His rest.” (Read Heb. 4:1-11) It is sad, but true, that most professing Christians know little of that “rest,” and hence little of the real joy of salvation. They are wandering in a spiritual wilderness, having, perhaps, faith enough to get out of sin’s bondage but not enough to enjoy salvation’s blessings; what used to be called ‘the victorious life in Christ.’
Today, however, our purpose is not to dwell upon that, profitable as it might be, but to note that in spite of that truncated faith and its consequent “daily grind,” God remains faithful. “If we believe not, (as was the case with these Israelites) yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” In other words, God will be true to Himself, even if we refuse to trust Him. Our text and its context illustrates this truth.
Consider first, how the situation illustrates God’s patience. First let it be carefully noted that unbelief angers the Lord and will result in discipline. “… the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and swore, saying, Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I swore to give unto your fathers [Deut. 1:34-35].” In this case that discipline lasted for forty years!
The second evidence of God’s faithfulness, in our text, is His consistent presence with His disappointing people. “He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee.” We are all familiar with the great line in the twenty third psalm, “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.” We generally apply this passage to end of life experience. In fact, it applies to all of life, for as believers, even under the best of circumstances, our whole journey is through the valley of…death. And, whether our faith flourishes or languishes, we have the promise of the Savior, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” So it was with wayward Israel. God consigned them to the discipline of the wilderness, but He did not abandon them in it. As the poet put it, “He was there all the time.”
And their unbelief notwithstanding, He sustained them and blessed them—whether they recognized and praised Him or not: “Thou hast lacked nothing.”
“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.” (Deut. 8:2-5)
Incorporated in His patience was this remarkable provison. Every fundamental need was supplied, in spite of their unbelief, “food and raiment” God consistently provided. (See I Timothy 6:8!)
For these rebellious Israelites, however little they realized it, understood it or recognized it, God had not abandoned them. The same hand that in faithfulness and love chastened them (see Heb. 12:6) was the Almighty hand that sustained them. Well they might have—indeed, should have cried, “Great is Thy faithfulness; Thy mercies are new every morning!” And so should we!!
—"Pastor" Frasier
*****************
These "Nuggets," including past issues, are now available online at
http://wmf14227.blogspot.com/ - or - http://pastorfrasier.blogspot.com/ prior to 4/1/12
7/21/12
No comments:
Post a Comment