Casting Pearls- Are you ready for ...?

Todays world could learn a lot from the history of the Israelite nation. If we look in the Bible in Psalms 78 we see in the title that Asaph is credited with having written this particular psalm. Asaph was one of the heads of the three psalmist choirs that King David started under the leadership of the three descendants of the original three sons of Levi. Asaph was  one of these men. The psalm labeled 78 is a warning to the children of Israel to remember the trials they had been through and how God had helped them come through. Our country and the Christian people in general should remember all that we have been through, and how God has helped us through. Without God, we could have not made it.

Even when the people of Israel turned their backs on God, they were still under God’s protection for a time. It took some time before God finally gave up on the people turning back to Him and removed His hand of protection. This has happened over and over throughout history, and as a wise man one said ‘ if we don’t learn from history, we will be doomed to repeat it’. The psalm talks about several things God has done for Israel in history, from parting the Red Sea to using it to swallow up the pursuing Egyptians, to providing manna and water in the desert for the Israel to eat and drink. God not only saved the people, but fed them as well. God provided for them at every turn. It was due to their God and how He protected His people, that the nations of Canaan were afraid of them. They heard the stories of how God had protected His people and gave them triumph in battle, even under what appeared to be overwhelming odds at first glance. 

The people, still, over the years, forgot the miracles that God had worked on their behalf. This psalm was a reminder to the people to remember the things God had done, as well as a warning that if they did not turn back to God they would lose God’s protection. It would be devastating for Israel to lose God’s protection as they were on the main travel route between several large nations and they would be in  the way for any of them who wanted to attack another.Over and over through the years, Egypt, Samaria, and the other southern nations came through Israel to attack the northern nations of Assyria, Babylon, Syria and others, and vice versa. These nations would attack Israel whenever they passed through. It was not many years that passed by between attacks. About the only time the Israelites were in peace in Israel was when they were controlled by one of these nations. The people of Israel were warned to remember God and His Laws so they would be safe under His protection. Time after time they seemed to forget though. It finally culminated in their being exiled to several different nations throughout the world. 

Our Country could learn many things from the history of the Israelite people. They have a very strong religious personality that kept them remembering their homeland and religion even after their nation was split up amongst many foreign nations. Their national identity is much stronger than the USA’s so if the same thing was to happen to us, I do not think we would have much of a chance of reinstating this country. I believe that we have attempted to move away from the restraining forces that come naturally to those of us who are Christians, and become as evil and corrupt in our ways as Sodom and Gomorra of the Old Testament, so I also believe we only have a short time left before God takes away His hand of protection from this nation. 

Casting Pearls- Are we crossing into the Promised Land?

In Joshua 3:2-5, the people of Israel were about to cross over the river Jordan into the Promised Land. This was the land promised some time before to Abraham as his descendants. This land had been promised to them some years before and they had just spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness ( desert ) before arriving there. All the people who had come out of Egypt with them had died off except Joshua and Caleb. 

Moses himself was not allowed by God to enter the Promised Land. He had sinned against God and his punishment for it was not being allowed to go into the promised land with the rest of Israel. Joshua had replaced Moses as the Leader of Israel as they entered the Promised Land. In verse 2 Joshua had led the people of Israel to the edge of the Jordan River (which at the time was at almost flood stage) and they had camped there three days. The leaders of each tribe of Israel went throughout the people saying to follow the Ark of the Covenant, being carried by the Priests, and they would see where to go, the Bible narrates in verse 3. 

This is another shadow, or type, of how we should follow our God and know which way He would have us go. God wants us to keep our eyes on Him and His Word so we will know the correct way to go. It is only by following behind Him like a sheep does with a shepherd that we can find the way He would have us go. It is only by reading God’s Word that we can hear from God and know the direction He would have us go.

Later in verse 4 we read about the warnings they received from their tribes leaders. They were warned to stay behind the Ark of the Covenant at least two thousand cubits, that they might know the way they should turn and go before they get there, because they had never gone that way before. Though God wants us to follow Him, He wants us to follow with enough room between Him and us that we might know the direction in which He wishes us to turn, before we get there.God also wanted them to be far enough back that they could clearly see Him clear the obstacles out of their way and give God the glory for it .

As God’s children we need His Word and the leaders He provides for us to clearly see the way He would have us go. In the next chapter the Lord shows the people and us that Joshua is His chosen Leader of Israel to replace Moses. He stops the flooding river from flowing and lets all Israel pass across on dry land. There are times in life that we wonder if God is going to work in our case. If God wants us to go there, he will make a way. All we need do is, as the Israelites, Stay back and watch until God opens the door for us.

The key to being the kind of Christian Jesus wants is to be willing to praise God even as we sit and wait for Him to open the door. God works at two speeds. Slowly and suddenly. God slowly opens the door in Hid time not in ours, so it appears that God is not working in our case. Everything seems to go so slowly, then suddenly the door opens. We wait and wait for something to happen, then suddenly it does. So God works at two speeds. 

Casting Pearls- Are you following or leading?

In Joshua 3:2-5, the people of Israel were about to cross over the river Jordan into the Promised Land. This was the land promised some time before to Abraham as his descendants. This land had been promised to them some years before and they had just spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness ( desert ) before arriving there. All the people who had come out of Egypt with them had died off except Joshua and Caleb. 

Moses himself was not allowed by God to enter the Promised Land. He had sinned against God and his punishment for it was not being allowed to go into the promised land with the rest of Israel. Joshua had replaced Moses as the Leader of Israel as they entered the Promised Land. In verse 2 Joshua had led the people of Israel to the edge of the Jordan River (which at the time was at almost flood stage) and they had camped there three days. The leaders of each tribe of Israel went throughout the people saying to follow the Ark of the Covenant, being carried by the Priests, and they would see where to go, the Bible narrates in verse 3. 

This is another shadow, or type, of how we should follow our God and know which way He would have us go. God wants us to keep our eyes on Him and His Word so we will know the correct way to go. It is only by following behind Him like a sheep does with a shepherd that we can find the way He would have us go. It is only by reading God’s Word that we can hear from God and know the direction He would have us go.

Later in verse 4 we read about the warnings they received from their tribes leaders. They were warned to stay behind the Ark of the Covenant at least two thousand cubits, that they might know the way they should turn and go before they get there, because they had never gone that way before. Though God wants us to follow Him, He wants us to follow with enough room between Him and us that we might know the direction in which He wishes us to turn, before we get there.God also wanted them to be far enough back that they could clearly see Him clear the obstacles out of their way and give God the glory for it .

As God’s children we need His Word and the leaders He provides for us to clearly see the way He would have us go. In the next chapter the Lord shows the people and us that Joshua is His chosen Leader of Israel to replace Moses. He stops the flooding river from flowing and lets all Israel pass across on dry land. There are times in life that we wonder if God is going to work in our case. If God wants us to go there, he will make a way. All we need do is, as the Israelites, Stay back and watch until God opens the door for us.

The key to being the kind of Christian Jesus wants is to be willing to praise God even as we sit and wait for Him to open the door. God works at two speeds. Slowly and suddenly. God slowly opens the door in Hid time not in ours, so it appears that God is not working in our case. Everything seems to go so slowly, then suddenly the door opens. We wait and wait for something to happen, then suddenly it does. So God works at two speeds. 

Casting Pearls- Does God have a plan for this?

One of the things we all must remember is that there is someone in control of everything we go through and if we ask for the trial to stop and it doesn’t, then God has plans for us that include us continuing down that path. God’s plans are even better than our best plans and if we have to wait, it is for something even better than what we planned. I have been waiting for God to deliver me from the trials I’ve had to face. It seems that God has something even better than I thought in store for me. I don’t think you started to read this to hear about me though, so I’ll change the subject. I only mention myself so that others may see the situation at hand.

We face things to learn from them. I for one learn the most from the mistakes I make. It is said that a smart man will learn from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. I want to be a smart man, but even more I want to be a wise man. I face the problems of life with this in mind; To continue to follow Christ is much better in my mind than to succumb to the belief that we were all created in some cosmic big bang, and slowly became what we are today due to external pressures we went through. It takes more faith to beleive that load of @*# %$#@  than to believe that we must put our faith in Jesus who, there is documentation in artifacts and scrolls, died on the cross, rose on the third day, and ascended in to heaven to be our intermediary between us and God, and sits at God’s right hand.

It dosen’t matter who the President is, or who is your representative in congress, or who your pastor is for that matter, God is still in control. God let those people have the seats of power over you, and they are in God’s plan for everyone. If you look back at Abraham in the Bible. You will see a man, just like you or me, who had a promise from God of a son that would be the father of a great nation. When after some time had passed, and nothing had yet happened, Sarai, Abrams wife, his name was still Abram at the time, decided that she would help God along with His promise and had Hagar, her servant, sleep with Abram and get pregnant by Abram so Abram would have a son and heir, and God’s promise would be fullfilled. All of this is recorded in Genesis 17:16 - 21:2. We think, just because God does not work in our timeline that He must need our help. The son born to Abram by Hagar was named Ismael and became the father of the Islamic nations. The son Abraham, which God changed his name to when God had to renew the promise after Ismael was born, named Isaac was the Father of the nation which later became known as Israel. We get tired of waiting for God to change things, take matters into our own hands, and usually thoroughly screw them up. 

If we could just have the Peace of God and wait for God to move, then we would get the blessing that God has in store for us.A good example for us is Joseph, in the Bible in Genesis as well. Joseph sat back and waited for God to deliver him from the slave traders, who his brothers sold him to, and then from the jail that Potifer the captain in Pharoah’s army put him in, and then from being just a servant to the Pharoah, to the point that Joseph became the second most important man in Egypt, just beneath Pharoah, and had the power to reunite his family and help them to survive the drought. He sat back, so to speak, and let God’s plan work itself out in his life, never once losing the faith in God to deliver him from the bad times he was facing. The entire story of Joseph is found between Genesis 37:2 and 50:26 with the exception of chapter 38.

How do we know when something is from God, and not from our own plans? First we must pray and fast. If we still feel like God is leading us in that direction, then we read God’s Word and get revelation from it as to what God would have us do. If all these things agree, then God must be in it and we should go ahead. If God doesn’t want us to do it He will let us go ahead and make the mistake, hopeing that we will learn from it. We should not be so stymied by wanting God’s Approval that we are kept from doing anything. If we feel that God has given His approval over something, then we should be Quick in following up and doing what God would have us do. The door will only be open for a short time then God’s plan will change to adapt. Don’t wait so long that you get out of God’s will by waiting. 

                Sometimes we despite the seemingly lack of chance that we will be able to do something without God’s help, we are kept from doing things. God wants us to be willing to step out on faith as Peter did when he walked out to Jesus on the waters. Peter could no more walk on water than you or I, but he steped out on faith and began to walk to Jesus. The only problem was that when he failed to keep his eyes firmly on Jesus and looked instead at the storm around him he began to sink. Notice, he only began to sink. Jesus will never let any of us sink to deeply into the waters of sin that surround us. Jesus will always reach out and grab us before we sink further than God wants us to in His plan.

Casting Pearls- Is God Mean?

                      God has been accused by many of being a murderous and violent God. Much of the Bible would seem to back up that claim. Only in the writings of the New Testament do we see God referred to as a God of Love not of violence. God has not changed, only the covenant between God and man has changed. We see if we look at the beginning in Genesis 1: 31 that God saw everything He had made and it was VERY GOOD. There is no record of the time between then and when Satan came into the Garden of Eden and tempted Eve and Adam to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, but we know that he did. from that point, because of the sin of man, death came into the world.

                     First, Adam and Eve began dying and from that point neither of them, or anyone else, lived more than a thousand years. that leads us to the scripture found in Psalms 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8 that explains that to God a day is as a Thousand Years. It also brings us to the first death in God’s creation, in Genesis 3:21. God had to Kill some animals to make Adam and Eve coats of skins to wear. That later led to more death. The original coats that God made them wore out and became smelly from their own sweat and body emanations and I’m sure, they had to kill again to keep themselves in clothes.

                    From there it was not very far down for them to go and kill another human as we see in Genesis 4:8. The debauchery of man continued from there to spiral downward. As time went on, man continued to disobey the commands of God and death became more and more widespread. When God made a covenant between Himself and Abraham, He instituted the death and sacrifice of an animal to be the death that would take away the sins we had and make us clean again in the eyes of God. The sin that was passed down to us from Adam and Eve, could only lead to death, so it could only be delayed by death.

                     Afterwards, the descendants of Abraham, the Israelites, would again and again disobey God’s commands and intermarry with the other nations who worshiped false gods, against God’s will. God’s judgement would be brought down against these other peoples, and also against Israel, after great delays in God’s judgement futility hoping that the Israelites and the other nations would turn away from the error of their ways. God instead of showing how condemning He was, showed us time and again how forgiving He was. God kept everyone from the result of their sins as long as He possibly could. 

                    During all this time God tried to help us to keep from killing by showing us how to use plants instead of animals for covering or nakedness and protecting ourselves from the elements. Our sin, however, called for death to delay the consequences. As humans, we were the ones who created this problem, and God was the only one who could help us find a way out of the problem with sin that we created.

                    God finally made a New Covenant with man through the sacrifice that was above all before, His Son, Jesus Christ. The covenant God made with us is spelled out for us in the New Testament. It is summed up in John 3:16-17. Where God’s own son tells us that He came to be that sacrifice as the only human that never sinned and was clean enough for God to accept as a sacrifice for us, because God loved all of us so much, that He was willing to let His own son become the ‘scape goat’ that would take on ALL the sins of man and bring forgiveness to us all. As the verses say, Jesus came not to condemn the world, but that through Him it might find a way to be saved from itself. 

                   

                   All that we need do now is to accept the free gift that God has offered us. Death was brought to earth by mans sin. That sin must be covered up by the forgiving blood of Jesus Christ for us to be able to commune again with God as Adam did. Ultimately, WE are the ones that are the reason for the death and evil in the world, and God has done more than we could ever ask, in giving His own Son to be the sacrifice through His own death for the sin WE brought into this world. All we need do is accept the FREE gift god has offered us.