Jan 4 - Giants in our Future

Jan 4

Giants in our Future 

Nu 14:2 …and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

Here are ten men you should know about.  They had a great start, and a bad ending.   

    Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, Geuel.

    You probably have seen these names in the Book of Numbers but they were not worth remembering.  They were ten of the twelve spies Moses sent to spy out the land. The other two were Joshua and Caleb.  No one names their children after the ten spies, but the names Joshua and Caleb are still in use and somewhat common today.

    Who were these ten men? What kind of men were they?  We know they were each from a tribe of Israel. We know Moses selected them for a reconnaissance mission into enemy territory.  I doubt they were the “village idiot”. They must have been well known in their tribes and to Moses. They would have had qualities that suited them for the mission. 

    They also had witnessed the mighty hand of God during the plagues in Egypt. Next they were trapped by the most powerful army on earth on the shore of the Red Sea. They had heard Moses tell them “(Ex 14:13) And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD…” and had watched as the entire Egyptian army was drowned in the Red Sea.  When they were thirsty God gave them water, when hungry He gave them Manna.  These ten men had witnessed miracle after miracle. What privileged people. God’s chosen. What a glorious future awaited them. What better start could any people have. 

     The next miracle on the horizon was to go into the promised land where God would fight for them. God would have done for them here what he did years later at Jericho. There they did what God told them, even if it sounded a little weird. They walked around the city a few times, blew a horn and the walls fell flat. 

      But that isn't what happened here. The spies returned and ten said “Nope..No can do!” Joshua and Caleb were urging them to charge into the promised land immediately and watch God fight for them. It must have been like a big town hall meeting because all the people heard the ten spies tell them “You want some giant to step on you like a grasshopper. No thanks. You are not going to win this one!” 

      So how did these ten spies forget all the miracles they had witnessed? Their present day fear and lack of trusting God overpowered their faith. Just the thought of fighting with giants scared them silly. How did they wind up? God gave them what they asked for. They said we would rather die in the wilderness. So God said OK if that is what you want then you shall die in the wilderness. And they did.

      What giants will you face this coming year. What new opportunities or challenges lay in your future. God has blessed you in the past. Can you trust Him to do it in your future?

When challenges and difficulties (blessings in disguise) arrive this year I suggest you follow Joshua and Caleb’s advice and trust God.  Don’t be like those ten guys and tell God “Naw, forget it. I think I would rather die in the wilderness than trust you!”       

Jan 3 Horseshoes and Handgrenades

January 3

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

2Ch 25:2 “ And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, …”

When struggling with something that just won’t work properly men will often say “It is so close…”  And someone will usually reply “Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades”

    Amaziah is a good example of that witty comment. He came close to being a good person, but he had one flaw that would destroy his character and bankrupt his entire life. During these early days of the new year we are considering people who had a great beginning and tragic endings.  Amaziah was such a man. His flawed life has a valuable lesson for us to learn today.

Amaziah was a king over Judah. He was 25 when his father (then king of Judah) was slain and Amaziah was made king.  After punishing those who had killed his father he then organized Judah for war with Edom.  Fearful he did not have enough men he hired additional soldiers from Israel. God sent a messenger to Amaziah and said he did not need the soldiers from Israel and Amaziah obeyed and sent them home. He was victorious against the Edomites whose capital city is what we know as Petra, the city carved into stone cliffs.  

    He had obeyed God and saw a great victory. 
Have you ever stepped out on faith and seen God work on your behalf.  A missionary speaker told of being isolated in the jungle. No outside contact, no supply lines, nothing! He said “We had to rely on God for everything.”  I overheard a lady sitting near me comment “Oh dear, wouldn’t that be awful!”  Unless you have had miracles in your life you might agree with her.  Each generation needs to have their own experience of needing God and seeing him work in their behalf.  

    Is that the lesson we should learn from Amaziah? Trust God and he will work on your behalf.  Well that is close but it is not the main lesson.  Did you notice the verse we started with was not complete?  Here is the complete verse.

2Ch 25:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, but not with a perfect heart.

  God told him to do something, he did it and God gave him a victory over his enemies.  So what did he do wrong?  2 Chron 25 details his story. It tells us that after the victory he took the Edomite idols home and began to bow down before those idols.  Why would he do that? God sent a prophet to rebuke him and point out the obvious.  “Those idols were not able to deliver the Edomites.  God gave you the victory. And you left God to worship those worthless idols. Hello! What’s wrong with your head?”

   The problem was not in his head, but in his heart. When he became king of Judah he did not remove the idol worship which still persisted in high places of Judah.  Even his obedience to God was flawed.  Instead of destroying the Edomite idols he took them for himself.  He saw the victory was because of what he had done. 

   So how did this 25 year old king with great potential wind up?  He eventually stopped following the LORD.  A conspiracy formed to oppose him and he had to flee from Jerusalem. They found him and killed him.

   The lesson for us?  Recall the times when God has come to your aid and done something which you could not do for yourself.  When the victory comes recognize it was God doing it for you and do not take credit for it.  We all need to have our own miracles. During this coming year let us trust God to work miracles for us and recognize His handiwork in our daily lives.  May God grant us a heart that seeks after Him, an awareness of when God works on our behalf and a thankful spirit to praise Him for His unspeakable love to us.
 
 La 3:22 It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.