NUGGETS…from the WORD of GOD
A DIVINE LONGING
“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”
—Deut. 5:29
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It is not often that we hear God sighing, but that is the “tone of voice” of this text. There is an ache in the heart of God that man, in rebellion, has not alleviated through all the ages of time.
There is a tension in the heart of the Eternal that is often overlooked. His holiness demands that he punish sin and indifference toward His Lordship. Yet His is a heart of love that longs to draw the wayward to Himself, enabling Him to show His abounding favor to those who are aligned with Him. Pending that, there is an infinite ache in the heart of the Eternal. That ache is exacerbated when those who become “His own” fail to draw near, to hear and heed His word which is all designed for our good as well as His glory.
Israel, in a position to hear the word of the Lord first hand, as it were, chose to refer the experience to an intermediary. To Moses they said,
“Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God shall say: and speak thou unto us all that the LORD our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.”
(Deut. 5:24-27)
Their irrationality is evident. In v.24 they affirm “we have seen this day that God talk with man, and he liveth.” They followed by exhibiting fear that should they hear the voice of God again, they would die. Employing their “logic” to undermine their experience, they proposed that Moses be their intermediary and stand between them and intimate, personal communion with God.
It is a picture of much of contemporary Christianity. The majority prefer to let someone else (the “pastor,” e.g.) be their go between and themselves never listen to His voice through personal encounter by the Word, or commune with Him directly in personal prayer. I recall hearing a woman say specifically, when queried about her prayer life, “Oh, we pay our pastor to do that!” No pastor, no priest is, in the redemptive plan, assigned to be our spiritual intermediary. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus [I Tim. 2:5].” When we approach God through Christ our connection with God is immediate, because He is God. If we leave it to another, our connection with God is broken, and He is both grieved and angered, as was the case here.
Hear the cry of the heart of God. “Oh there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me.” He seeks not the terror that gripped the hearts of the Israelites, but the “the fear of the Lord” that cultivates reverence and respect in the hearts of those who delight in His fellowship. “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart [Ps. 37:4].”
Then, “Keep all My commandments.” Through an intimate and personal fellowship He anticipates our obedience to the Word He has spoken to us. It is not confined to the Old Testament but to the New as well, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments [John 14:15].” This verse is wonderfully familiar to most evangelical Christians, but it needs to be heard again and again. “Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you [James 4:8].”
Finally, “that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!” This intimate and personal fellowship with God is the real key to fulness of blessing for us and for our children. It is the greatest heritage one can leave to his descendants. Surely our personal fellowship with God does not guarantee the salvation of our children, but it will bring the power of God to bear upon their lives in a way little else can do.
Trust Him as your Savior. Seek Him as a Friend. Submit to Him as your Sovereign. Enjoy the blessing of His favor—now and forever. He longs for it; do you?
—"Pastor" Frasier
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8/11/12
These "Nuggets," including past issues, are now available online at
http://wmf14227.blogspot.com/ - or - http://pastorfrasier.blogspot.com/ prior to 4/1/12
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