Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 19-21 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 21: 43-45 … 43 So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
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Highlight Reference Passage : Numbers 23: 19 … [God speaking through Balaam, the sorcerer prophet] 19 God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
My Journal for Today: I’m forging on today in my chronological read through the Bible in a bit of darkness. The website at which I follow the reading plan is down this morning; so, based on past patterns of reading in the plan, I’m just leveling a guess that Day 87 of the reading plan will take me to Joshua, Chapters 19-21 - linked for your co-study above.
Actually, the fact that my internet shepherd seems to be darkened this morning presents an interesting word picture; because the internet, which we rely upon so heavily these days may be defective/broken for select websites; but God’s word is never broken or defective. Therefore, though my web shepherd may be down this morning, God’s word is always up. So, my moving on my own into more chapters of Joshua’s book, can not and will not lead me astray because I am reading the always true word of God; and He will always have something true and purposeful for me because I’m reading from and meditating on God’s very word. That’s His promise to me from Isaiah 55: 11 and 2nd Timothy 3: 16-17; and I believe it!!!
So, today in these three chapters of Joshua, right at the end of Chapter 21 – in verses 43-45, we read the highlight statement from God which stood out so much for me that I copied it in bold/underlined text above. And it’s worthy of repetition: “Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.”
And immediately, when I read that verse today, up from my memory archive of verses bubbled the other highlight verse I’ve quoted this morning, which was God speaking through a rather weird source, … Balaam, the sorcerer prophet, who was chosen by God to bring a message directly from God to a pagan king. And you may recall, in Numbers 22, Balaam became convinced of God’s power and truth when he had a speaking encounter with his own donkey. And then, we read of God using the witness and words of a pagan prophet to speak truth to a pagan ruler and to all of mankind as documented in God’s word. Amazing, isn’t it!!!
And when we take both of the truths spoken in those passages above to heart, we strongly realize that our God is a promise-keeper God. And when our God makes promises, He keeps them [!], … not necessarily the way we might want them fulfilled and in the timing we might arrange for them to be fulfilled. But God keeps HIS promises, … in HIS manner, … and in His timing.
Think about it. If you were God and you had promised to Israel that you would give them a promised land, would you have chosen a former murder and disgraced Hebrew who had become a lowly shepherd to lead your people out of slavery in Egypt? … Would you have marched these chosen ones through the desert wilderness for 40 years to purge all the bad apples from the twelve tribes? … Would you – as GOD - have taken residence in a tent as you led the people through the wilderness? … Would you, knowing that these people were going to fail – miserably – allow them to go onward into the land you had promised them? … And finally, would you – as their LORD – give up your only Son in the Godhead to save these pitiful, miserable sinners?
“No,” on all counts, right? Or maybe you’re saying, “I just don’t know what I’d do if I were God.” And that would be “RIGHT ON!” my brother or sister Christian. We can’t know what God will do; because God is God and we are not! (see Isaiah 55: 8-9) But God, being God, will do things HIS way in HIS time and by HIS will, as documented in HIS word, to accomplish what HE promises. And that’s the message we all need to take away from this trek through truth today.
God gives His promises; … DONE DEAL! He says, it … we believe it!! And it’s not our place, as His chosen ones, … to question the Master’s will and His way and His timing. If God promises that we are going to be completed in His image (see Phil. 1: 6), it’s going to happen … in HIS way and in HIS timing. What we need to do when we have the promises of God (and we do – in His word) is to seek them, to believe them, and to actively wait for them to transpire … as God meets them out in His time and in His way.
My Prayer Today: … My dear LORD, You are my promise keeper! Amen
Showing posts with label promises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label promises. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
March 24, 2012 … Keeping our Vows [Lesson #2]
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Joshua, Chapters 9-11 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 9: 16-21 … 6 Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. 17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. >>> The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, 19 but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. 20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.” 21 They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept.
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Highlight Review Passage : Numbers 30: 1-2 … 1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the Lord commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said. …”
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My Journal for Today: Ever made a promise that you wanted to take back because you knew, after making it, the oath or vow was a mistake? Well, that’s what happened to Joshua and the Israelite leaders when they made a deal with a tribe of Hivites from Gibeon. These Gibeonites were clever and conned the Israelite leaders into giving these Hivites a covenant of promise that Joshua would spare them. Read about it in Chapter 9 of Joshua, linked above.
But even though Joshua was under the instructions of God, through Moses, to destroy all of those in the lands occupied in the promised-land, having been duped by the Gibeonites and having made a vow of mercy to them, Joshua – in our highlight passage of today – convinces the Israelites and gives instructions that the Gibeonites were to be spared.
Some days back in my chronological reading plan, I blogged on this principle of integrity which God honors so highly. If you go back to this link and read my blog of March 6, 2012, you’ll see my exposition about God’s desire that we keep our word when we promise something to Him or to someone. And in today’s scenario, even though Joshua was under the definite and clear instructions from God to wipe out the people in the taking of the promised-land, Joshua – even though he had been conned – was bound to keep his word to the Gibeonites.
This is yet another reason to follow what Jesus would later teach His disciples (see Matthew 5: 33-37 … 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
But why do you think it was so important for Joshua to honor the promise he had made to the deceitful Gibeonites over the promised he had made to God Himself to eradicate all of the peoples who occupied the promised-land? And the answer is in the character of God Himself. God is a promise-keeping God; and when He makes a promise to His people, He keeps it; and He expects the same promise-keeping character from His people which He models for us as a promise-keeping God.
And so, even though a mistake was made and the Gibeonites where able to pull a fast-one on Joshua, the Israelite leaders were bound to keep their vow of mercy to these specific people; and we are bound to keep our vows to God and to others, especially when we make a promise. Hopefully, two blogs full of this principle is enough for me to really get it and to live it as God intends for all of us to live … as His promise-keeping peoples.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to be a promise-keeper - … ALWAYS! Amen
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Highlight Reference Passage : Joshua 9: 16-21 … 6 Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. 17 So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. 18 But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. >>> The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, 19 but all the leaders answered, “We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. 20 This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that God’s wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.” 21 They continued, “Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers in the service of the whole assembly.” So the leaders’ promise to them was kept.
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Highlight Review Passage : Numbers 30: 1-2 … 1 Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the Lord commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said. …”
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My Journal for Today: Ever made a promise that you wanted to take back because you knew, after making it, the oath or vow was a mistake? Well, that’s what happened to Joshua and the Israelite leaders when they made a deal with a tribe of Hivites from Gibeon. These Gibeonites were clever and conned the Israelite leaders into giving these Hivites a covenant of promise that Joshua would spare them. Read about it in Chapter 9 of Joshua, linked above.
But even though Joshua was under the instructions of God, through Moses, to destroy all of those in the lands occupied in the promised-land, having been duped by the Gibeonites and having made a vow of mercy to them, Joshua – in our highlight passage of today – convinces the Israelites and gives instructions that the Gibeonites were to be spared.
Some days back in my chronological reading plan, I blogged on this principle of integrity which God honors so highly. If you go back to this link and read my blog of March 6, 2012, you’ll see my exposition about God’s desire that we keep our word when we promise something to Him or to someone. And in today’s scenario, even though Joshua was under the definite and clear instructions from God to wipe out the people in the taking of the promised-land, Joshua – even though he had been conned – was bound to keep his word to the Gibeonites.
This is yet another reason to follow what Jesus would later teach His disciples (see Matthew 5: 33-37 … 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
But why do you think it was so important for Joshua to honor the promise he had made to the deceitful Gibeonites over the promised he had made to God Himself to eradicate all of the peoples who occupied the promised-land? And the answer is in the character of God Himself. God is a promise-keeping God; and when He makes a promise to His people, He keeps it; and He expects the same promise-keeping character from His people which He models for us as a promise-keeping God.
And so, even though a mistake was made and the Gibeonites where able to pull a fast-one on Joshua, the Israelite leaders were bound to keep their vow of mercy to these specific people; and we are bound to keep our vows to God and to others, especially when we make a promise. Hopefully, two blogs full of this principle is enough for me to really get it and to live it as God intends for all of us to live … as His promise-keeping peoples.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, help me to be a promise-keeper - … ALWAYS! Amen
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
February 14, 2012 … Don’t Make Promises Lightly!
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 5-7 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 5: 4-6 … : … [Making Vows] … 4 or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— 5 when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. 6 As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin..
My Journal for Today: Have you ever made a vow or a promise to someone and later realized that you promised too much or made too great a commitment? I know I have; what about you? Well, according to the passage I’ve been shown to highlight and comment on today, making vows is serious business and requires us to take care when we promise to do something and then recognize later we’ve fallen short with our vow.
There are several OT passages which reinforce, by repetition, God’s command to His people about the seriousness of making promises or vows. In Numbers 30: 1, God, through Moses, said to His people, … “This is what the LORD commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.” In Deuteronomy 23: 21 – 23 God’s word repeats, … 21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. 23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
So, I hope we can see from God’s redundancy of teaching in the Old Testament that when we make/break vows or promises of commitment, that’s an affront – not only to the person to whom we’ve made the vow – but also to God Himself. And certainly this is just an Old Testament command. Jesus, the Messiah Himself, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises from the Old Covenant, Who was the New Covenant to God’s people, taught about making vows as well. In His famous “sermon on the mount,” Jesus taught (in Matt. 5: 33-37), ... 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Are we getting it? I certainly am convicted. How many times have I said to someone – all too casualty – as they seriously asked me to pray for them, “Sure, I’ll pray for you.” And then what did I do … NOT! What about all those years which I was unfaithful to my wife secretly delving into p0rnography, hiding it from my wife, with whom I had made vows of faithfulness in a church before God, family, and friends. And I expect there may be some reading here along with me that are convicted that we all too casually make promises to others upon which we don’t follow through; and sometimes we make such promises, knowing full-well – on the front-end - that we’re not going to keep them. My friends, if we don’t take our vows and promises seriously, we are sinning and are guilty before God’s throne of grace, … AREN’T WE?!!
So, what do we do about it? Well, our highlight passage gives us one follow-up command which we simply must follow when we realize that we’ve sinned by not keeping our promises; and that is to confess. Fortunately, if we are truly believers in the Living Christ; and we’ve come under His cleansing blood, we have the truth and promise of 1st John 1: 9, where God promises to cleanse us of any/all sin … IF … we come to Him with a truly repentant heart, confess, and ask for His forgiveness (and when God promises something we can take it to the heavenly banks). And also in God’s word (in James 5:16) we’re directed to confess to others when they are involved in our sin of broken promises.
But we also should be as proactive as we can in our relationship with God and with others, which leads me to realize that I shouldn’t be telling someone I’m going to pray for them if I’m just trying to court their favor or good will with the baseless promise. No, I’ve learned a way to handle that; and let me leave you with this little discipleship tool. When you’re with someone who asks for your prayer; and you genuinely want to pray for them … BUT … you know that you have a tendency to be forgetful or weak later after you’ve promised you’d pray. Well, I’ve learned from my Pastor to stop right there, wherever you are, and pray for that person openly and verbally, at least fulfilling your desire to pray for them about their concerns. Yes, you might tell them that you’ll do your best to TRY TO pray for them in the future; but at least desiring to pray for them and doing it right there begins the process of bringing their concerns to God. You’ll feel better; and I know, from experience, that you’ll more likely remember to pray for them in the future if you’ve done so personally and verbally on the spot.
But we do need to take very seriously the vows we make to others; and if we’ve breeched those vows, we need to confess that to God and to those whom we’ve wronged with broken promises; … and … we need God’s cleansing grace … not the sacrifices offered in Leviticus … to have our sinful broken vows made right before God and man.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, let my word and promises be true to You and to others in my life. Amen
Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 5-7 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
Leviticus 5: 4-6 … : … [Making Vows] … 4 or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— 5 when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. 6 As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the LORD a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin..
My Journal for Today: Have you ever made a vow or a promise to someone and later realized that you promised too much or made too great a commitment? I know I have; what about you? Well, according to the passage I’ve been shown to highlight and comment on today, making vows is serious business and requires us to take care when we promise to do something and then recognize later we’ve fallen short with our vow.
There are several OT passages which reinforce, by repetition, God’s command to His people about the seriousness of making promises or vows. In Numbers 30: 1, God, through Moses, said to His people, … “This is what the LORD commands: 2 When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.” In Deuteronomy 23: 21 – 23 God’s word repeats, … 21 If you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the LORD your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. 23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the LORD your God with your own mouth.
So, I hope we can see from God’s redundancy of teaching in the Old Testament that when we make/break vows or promises of commitment, that’s an affront – not only to the person to whom we’ve made the vow – but also to God Himself. And certainly this is just an Old Testament command. Jesus, the Messiah Himself, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises from the Old Covenant, Who was the New Covenant to God’s people, taught about making vows as well. In His famous “sermon on the mount,” Jesus taught (in Matt. 5: 33-37), ... 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
Are we getting it? I certainly am convicted. How many times have I said to someone – all too casualty – as they seriously asked me to pray for them, “Sure, I’ll pray for you.” And then what did I do … NOT! What about all those years which I was unfaithful to my wife secretly delving into p0rnography, hiding it from my wife, with whom I had made vows of faithfulness in a church before God, family, and friends. And I expect there may be some reading here along with me that are convicted that we all too casually make promises to others upon which we don’t follow through; and sometimes we make such promises, knowing full-well – on the front-end - that we’re not going to keep them. My friends, if we don’t take our vows and promises seriously, we are sinning and are guilty before God’s throne of grace, … AREN’T WE?!!
So, what do we do about it? Well, our highlight passage gives us one follow-up command which we simply must follow when we realize that we’ve sinned by not keeping our promises; and that is to confess. Fortunately, if we are truly believers in the Living Christ; and we’ve come under His cleansing blood, we have the truth and promise of 1st John 1: 9, where God promises to cleanse us of any/all sin … IF … we come to Him with a truly repentant heart, confess, and ask for His forgiveness (and when God promises something we can take it to the heavenly banks). And also in God’s word (in James 5:16) we’re directed to confess to others when they are involved in our sin of broken promises.
But we also should be as proactive as we can in our relationship with God and with others, which leads me to realize that I shouldn’t be telling someone I’m going to pray for them if I’m just trying to court their favor or good will with the baseless promise. No, I’ve learned a way to handle that; and let me leave you with this little discipleship tool. When you’re with someone who asks for your prayer; and you genuinely want to pray for them … BUT … you know that you have a tendency to be forgetful or weak later after you’ve promised you’d pray. Well, I’ve learned from my Pastor to stop right there, wherever you are, and pray for that person openly and verbally, at least fulfilling your desire to pray for them about their concerns. Yes, you might tell them that you’ll do your best to TRY TO pray for them in the future; but at least desiring to pray for them and doing it right there begins the process of bringing their concerns to God. You’ll feel better; and I know, from experience, that you’ll more likely remember to pray for them in the future if you’ve done so personally and verbally on the spot.
But we do need to take very seriously the vows we make to others; and if we’ve breeched those vows, we need to confess that to God and to those whom we’ve wronged with broken promises; … and … we need God’s cleansing grace … not the sacrifices offered in Leviticus … to have our sinful broken vows made right before God and man.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, let my word and promises be true to You and to others in my life. Amen
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