12-18-11 – Blessed Are The Paps Which Never Gave Suck – Part 2
Luke 23:29 - For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Continuing from last week, we were discussing how things change, and how we cannot take things for granted. In our country, we are so blessed, and we often don’t realize it! We have been given the privileges of running water, electricity, streets of asphalt and air conditioning. We can take a hot shower, blow-dry our hair with a hair dryer we can purchase at the local Wal-Mart. We can drive to the local Wal-Mart in our vehicle that we purchased based on our credit score.
I could continue on this scenario, but it is clear to see that we enjoy many wonderful privileges here in America. As a matter of fact, these same privileges are also enjoyed in many other countries in this world. However, America had long been established as a land of promise – a place people could travel to from miles away to enjoy the freedoms and blessings that we enjoy (and often take for granted).
This country was originally founded on Christian principles. God has blessed this country for that reason – it went from being a very small group of people to one of the world’s superpowers, and now it is 300 million strong and actively trying to help other countries around the world. But, we are beginning to get away from the God who blessed this country. We have forgotten about the many blessings He has poured out upon us.
This is where the scripture comes in – we must understand how God works. Understanding what He taught us through His word will help guide us in all truth. In Psalm 119:105, we read “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” We can take the words of God and lean on them for understanding in situations in life where we don’t know the right way to turn.
Going back to the original five books of the Bible, we see a book called Leviticus – it was filled with the laws of the Old Covenant, given to us at Mount Sinai to Moses, who began to teach the law to Israel. It was filled with rituals and ordinances to lead them in the right paths. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to continue in all of the ordinances anymore! When Jesus came to this earth, He fulfilled all of the law for us. We read in Colossians 2:14 – “14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”. God never intended for us to continue in the law. It was an expression of the righteousness that man would have to attain to in order to be perfect in God’s eyes. When Jesus fulfilled this law (which God foresaw), He was given ALL POWER to help out those who needed salvation and help in a time of need.
If we continue to look into Leviticus, we come to chapter 26, which is a very interesting chapter in this regard. Some would teach that it is part of the Old Testament law, and therefore we are not subject to what is written there. It may be true that we are not exactly subject to certain laws written in the Bible (animal sacrifices, feasts, etc.), but we are to still give heed to what was written for our spiritual education and growth. Paul taught in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The reason Paul wrote the word “ALL” is because it is HIGHLY important for us to take heed to all things written. There are spiritual precepts and concepts to be learned.
We read in Leviticus 26 that God was telling Israel about the blessings that they would obtain if they obeyed His law. In verse 3-13, God gives Israel a list of blessings they would inherit as the fruit of their obedience, such as rain to help their crops grow, increase in the productivity of the land, an overflow of supplies, peace in their land and respect from their enemies. Most importantly – they would have the respect of God. However, in verse 14-39, He gives warnings about what will happen when they choose to rebel against the law. He tells of such consequences as disease, intense lack, enemies bringing attack, wild beasts bringing destruction, and ultimately strong judgment against the people – they would become a scattered people.
There is strong reason to cover this part of the Bible – we see the history of Israel. They grew from a people very small (Jacob, his wives and 12 children) to a country of MANY people. They were given Canaan’s land as a blessing from God, and they were able to defeat many strong nations that were bigger than them because of the hand of God that was upon them in blessing. They established a city, Jerusalem, for their country, and they continued in following God.
In short, if we read books like the book of Judges, we read of the rollercoaster that Israel went on – one moment, they were on track for God, following in His precepts, and the next they were abandoning Him as their main God, following a god of the people around them. God strictly warned them in Judges 2:3 - Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. God told Israel this because they did not fully obey Him. Going back to Judges 2:2, we read why God gave this judgment - 2And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? God told the children of Israel that since they chose not to rid the land of all of its idolatry, they would fall prey to idolatry themselves.
This is EXACTLY what happened to Israel – we read in Judges 2:11 - 11And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:. This is only EIGHT scriptures later! The Word of God came to pass with swiftness and exactness! The story is more thoroughly told in Judges 2:16-19 / 16Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
17And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.
18And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.
19And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
Israel kept falling away from the God of Israel, and He would always allow judgment to come upon them to cause them to cry out to Him. He had to prove to them over and over again that HE was the source of protection and prosperity – not ANY other gods.
And, so it is happening today in our country! We are abandoning the principles of the God of Israel for a more politically correct message – the message that our leaders are teaching us. The problem is, their message is CONTRARY to the message that God gave us. We read in Acts 5:29 - Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. It is important to obey the authority of the government in ALL things – except when they command you to fall from God and obey a different command. This is exactly what happened in Daniel 3 – Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, commanded all people to bow to the golden statue he had created. HOWEVER, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose not to bow, knowing that it would cost them their lives. God spared them their lives to prove a point – the command of God TRUMPS the command of a leader. Nebuchadnezzar learned that day that the God of Israel has power ABOVE that of the king.
In this day and age of political correctness, we have to make a choice to either be a respecter of men, or a respecter of God. As our country begins to choose its own path over the paths that God provides, we see the very promises that God gave in Leviticus 26 coming to pass in our country. We have seen a surge in natural disasters happen over the past few years. Some dispute that a loving God would do such a thing, but if you take a look at the Bible, it is perfectly in line with God’s nature. Take a good look at the judgments He brought on Egypt for their disobedience: blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn. They teach that a God of love would never do such things. But do those same people never discipline their children?
Guys, we have forgotten that just because our God is a God of love doesn’t mean that He also condones sin! HE HATES SIN! He loves us immensely, so He tries to work with us to lead us away from the sin. Remember – ALL SIN MUST BE JUDGED. If we continue in the sin, we will inherit the judgment we rightfully deserve. And if this country continues to rebel against the God that established it, it will continue to experience the judgments that it rightfully deserves! Take a quick look in the Book of Revelation and see the judgments that God will pour out upon the disobedient. If that doesn’t put the fear of God in you, I don’t know what will!
I will continue next week in greater detail about Israel being sold into captivity due to their disobedience, and how God raised them up when they turned back to Him. It is time our country turns back to God. The farther we stray, the more we will repeat the pattern that has already been shown in the Bible.
12-18-11 – Blessed Are The Paps Which Never Gave Suck – Part 2
Luke 23:29 - For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Continuing from last week, we were discussing how things change, and how we cannot take things for granted. In our country, we are so blessed, and we often don’t realize it! We have been given the privileges of running water, electricity, streets of asphalt and air conditioning. We can take a hot shower, blow-dry our hair with a hair dryer we can purchase at the local Wal-Mart. We can drive to the local Wal-Mart in our vehicle that we purchased based on our credit score.
I could continue on this scenario, but it is clear to see that we enjoy many wonderful privileges here in America. As a matter of fact, these same privileges are also enjoyed in many other countries in this world. However, America had long been established as a land of promise – a place people could travel to from miles away to enjoy the freedoms and blessings that we enjoy (and often take for granted).
This country was originally founded on Christian principles. God has blessed this country for that reason – it went from being a very small group of people to one of the world’s superpowers, and now it is 300 million strong and actively trying to help other countries around the world. But, we are beginning to get away from the God who blessed this country. We have forgotten about the many blessings He has poured out upon us.
This is where the scripture comes in – we must understand how God works. Understanding what He taught us through His word will help guide us in all truth. In Psalm 119:105, we read “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” We can take the words of God and lean on them for understanding in situations in life where we don’t know the right way to turn.
Going back to the original five books of the Bible, we see a book called Leviticus – it was filled with the laws of the Old Covenant, given to us at Mount Sinai to Moses, who began to teach the law to Israel. It was filled with rituals and ordinances to lead them in the right paths. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to continue in all of the ordinances anymore! When Jesus came to this earth, He fulfilled all of the law for us. We read in Colossians 2:14 – “14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”. God never intended for us to continue in the law. It was an expression of the righteousness that man would have to attain to in order to be perfect in God’s eyes. When Jesus fulfilled this law (which God foresaw), He was given ALL POWER to help out those who needed salvation and help in a time of need.
If we continue to look into Leviticus, we come to chapter 26, which is a very interesting chapter in this regard. Some would teach that it is part of the Old Testament law, and therefore we are not subject to what is written there. It may be true that we are not exactly subject to certain laws written in the Bible (animal sacrifices, feasts, etc.), but we are to still give heed to what was written for our spiritual education and growth. Paul taught in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The reason Paul wrote the word “ALL” is because it is HIGHLY important for us to take heed to all things written. There are spiritual precepts and concepts to be learned.
We read in Leviticus 26 that God was telling Israel about the blessings that they would obtain if they obeyed His law. In verse 3-13, God gives Israel a list of blessings they would inherit as the fruit of their obedience, such as rain to help their crops grow, increase in the productivity of the land, an overflow of supplies, peace in their land and respect from their enemies. Most importantly – they would have the respect of God. However, in verse 14-39, He gives warnings about what will happen when they choose to rebel against the law. He tells of such consequences as disease, intense lack, enemies bringing attack, wild beasts bringing destruction, and ultimately strong judgment against the people – they would become a scattered people.
There is strong reason to cover this part of the Bible – we see the history of Israel. They grew from a people very small (Jacob, his wives and 12 children) to a country of MANY people. They were given Canaan’s land as a blessing from God, and they were able to defeat many strong nations that were bigger than them because of the hand of God that was upon them in blessing. They established a city, Jerusalem, for their country, and they continued in following God.
In short, if we read books like the book of Judges, we read of the rollercoaster that Israel went on – one moment, they were on track for God, following in His precepts, and the next they were abandoning Him as their main God, following a god of the people around them. God strictly warned them in Judges 2:3 - Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. God told Israel this because they did not fully obey Him. Going back to Judges 2:2, we read why God gave this judgment - 2And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? God told the children of Israel that since they chose not to rid the land of all of its idolatry, they would fall prey to idolatry themselves.
This is EXACTLY what happened to Israel – we read in Judges 2:11 - 11And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:. This is only EIGHT scriptures later! The Word of God came to pass with swiftness and exactness! The story is more thoroughly told in Judges 2:16-19 / 16Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
17And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.
18And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.
19And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
Israel kept falling away from the God of Israel, and He would always allow judgment to come upon them to cause them to cry out to Him. He had to prove to them over and over again that HE was the source of protection and prosperity – not ANY other gods.
And, so it is happening today in our country! We are abandoning the principles of the God of Israel for a more politically correct message – the message that our leaders are teaching us. The problem is, their message is CONTRARY to the message that God gave us. We read in Acts 5:29 - Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. It is important to obey the authority of the government in ALL things – except when they command you to fall from God and obey a different command. This is exactly what happened in Daniel 3 – Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, commanded all people to bow to the golden statue he had created. HOWEVER, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego chose not to bow, knowing that it would cost them their lives. God spared them their lives to prove a point – the command of God TRUMPS the command of a leader. Nebuchadnezzar learned that day that the God of Israel has power ABOVE that of the king.
In this day and age of political correctness, we have to make a choice to either be a respecter of men, or a respecter of God. As our country begins to choose its own path over the paths that God provides, we see the very promises that God gave in Leviticus 26 coming to pass in our country. We have seen a surge in natural disasters happen over the past few years. Some dispute that a loving God would do such a thing, but if you take a look at the Bible, it is perfectly in line with God’s nature. Take a good look at the judgments He brought on Egypt for their disobedience: blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and finally the death of the firstborn. They teach that a God of love would never do such things. But do those same people never discipline their children?
Guys, we have forgotten that just because our God is a God of love doesn’t mean that He also condones sin! HE HATES SIN! He loves us immensely, so He tries to work with us to lead us away from the sin. Remember – ALL SIN MUST BE JUDGED. If we continue in the sin, we will inherit the judgment we rightfully deserve. And if this country continues to rebel against the God that established it, it will continue to experience the judgments that it rightfully deserves! Take a quick look in the Book of Revelation and see the judgments that God will pour out upon the disobedient. If that doesn’t put the fear of God in you, I don’t know what will!
I will continue next week in greater detail about Israel being sold into captivity due to their disobedience, and how God raised them up when they turned back to Him. It is time our country turns back to God. The farther we stray, the more we will repeat the pattern that has already been shown in the Bible.