Dear Family,
Today is Wednesday, May 6, 2020, Day 25 in our Counting toward Pentecost, and we are halfway through. This is the 4th day of Week 4.
During this 4th week of the journey to Mt. Sinai, let us stop and examine the murmuring and complaining of the Israelites. Here are a few provocative questions to consider in determining the reasonableness of their grumblings and criticisms.
First, did Israel level blame at human leaders who had truly failed them? Or, did they complain about those people falsely?
Second, did they correctly describe what they were suffering and what they suffered in Egypt? Or, did they accuse falsely by mixing up the true details with exaggerations and wrong focus?
Next, did Israel have reason; even recent proof; to believe God would take care of them in miraculous ways? Or, did Israel complain without having any actual or accurate reasons to believe God would not take care of them?
Finally, did they disregard the Source Who had led them into the situations? And, did they avoid praying and thus neglect to acknowledge God’s involvement?
When we read the Scriptures and mull over the answers to these questions, we realize Israel’s utter foolishness. Throughout the journey to Sinai and on to Canaan, they continued this same sort of wicked behavior. They reacted to the promptings of flesh that was being agitated by God’s enemy. They possessed hearts of unbelief. These are sobering thoughts, and we have reason to be concerned about avoiding such unbelief and the resultant sinful behavior. Let us take the warning seriously, praying for ourselves and our Brethren.
Hebrews 3:12,19; 4:6,11 (12) Take heed, brethren, lest here by in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. (19) So, we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. (4:6) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. (11) let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
Believing God is paramount! It is an essential element in our working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. God can do anything, and He will do whatever is necessary when we go to God, believing and trusting Him.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Philippians 2:12b …work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.
What a fantastic God we serve. May God bless you by multiplying your faith in Him!
Ben Faulkner
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