Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
"See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. "I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.
"I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land and you will drive them out before you. Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you." Exodus 23:20-33
The people of Israel had made it as far as Mount Sinai in their exodus toward the Promised Land. They had received guidance from God as to how He expected them to live in the way of many commandments. Now God was finally send them off to inherit the land He had "prepared" for them but He had some additional words of instruction that fits the classic "if, then" statement. Let’s take a look at what God said.
He said He was sending an angel with Israel to guard them as they traveled to the Promised Land. This angel would "go ahead of" Israel and "bring (them) into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites" after which God promised to "wipe them out." He also told them he would "not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you." Instead, He would drive them out "little by little" until Israel had "increased enough to take possession of the land." This land would range "from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the River." God assured Israel that He would "hand over to you the people who live in the land" and they were to "drive them out." God said a lot here and made many promises…but it was all part of the "then" portion of the "if, then" statement. Let’s look at the "if" part.
For the people of Israel were expected to comply with several very specific requirements:
1. They were to obey the angel God sent. God tells them to "Pay attention to him and listen to what he says." Why? Because the angel was speaking as a messenger from God. Disobedience toward the angel was akin to disobedience toward God. God added, "If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you." In other words, "If you do this, then I will do this." Or conversely, "If you don’t do this, then I won’t do this."
2. They weren’t to rebel. God warned the people, "Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him." Once again, the angel was a representative of God and to rebel against the angel would be the same as rebelling against God. This was not acceptable.
3. They were to keep God’s commandments. God had clearly told the people of Israel to have no other gods before Him and to worship no idols or graven images. You’ll remember that He added He was a jealous God. Well, He backed up all this when He told the people, "Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces... Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. Do not let them live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you." God knew well in advance that this matter of worshipping false gods would be the perpetual stumbling block for Israel, especially since they were about to integrate with so many polytheistic societies such as "the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites." Unfortunately, we know the people of Israel failed in this area more than any other. They just couldn’t seem to resist the temptations presented by the world they were about to enter into.
So in sum, if the people of Israel listened to the angel of God, obeyed the angel and resisted worshipping false gods, then God would make sure they were protected and cared for as they inhabited the land He had promised to their forefather Abraham. This "if, then" arrangement was also commonly referred to as a covenant agreement and the people of Israel were about to break it and break it badly. And God, as He promised, would remove His protection over Israel and they would be taken from their blessed land. The Assyrians and Babylonian loom large in their future.
Fast forwarding to today, I wonder how God feels about us? How often do we fall into the temptations of this world? How often are we worshipping other "gods" outside of Him? How often do we fail to listen to Him? How often do we choose to rebel against Him? And what in store for us for failing in any or all of these areas? Do we underestimate the power of the Maker of all Creation? Do we see our very lives as anything less than an awesome privilege granted by the Almighty Infinite God?
Friends, we need to bow down and repent…all of us. Because we, like Israel, have too often chosen to just snub our noses at God in complete irreverence. He has given us everything and we have done little to return the favor. This Lenten season, as we reflect on God’s greatest sacrifice in His only Son, Jesus, let us focus on how we might give Him more of ourselves. It’s the least we can give for all He has given us.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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