UNCHANGED

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Have you heard that phrase before? The world has changed dramatically since Moses' time. Since Moses, the world has undergone the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, several stages of the industrial revolution, a technological evolution. The world has changed, but humanity has not; the promises of God have not changed.

We are still sojourners here on earth; walking, physically, a spiritual journey toward God's promised land. We posses the same characteristics, good and bad, that the people Moses led had. Since we are the same as the humans then, and since God's promise still applies, all of Moses' advice is relevant to us and applicable to our lives.

We might have a lot that 13-14 BCE peoples did not have: planes, trains and automobiles, skyscrapers and smart phones, but we still have everything they did have. We still have a physical body and a spirit, and the conditions of both. We share more than just a familiarity with sunrise and sunset, we also know what it is like to win, to lose, to love, to lose; we still experience anger, pain, joy, peace... none of that is antiquated. Plenty of Moses' world would be anachronistic in our own timeline, completely out of place and obsolete, but the humans would not be.

So when in Deuteronomy 8:11 Moses warns us: "Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God..." we have to think about that. How could we forget Him? Well, how did the Israelites? They forgot God because they had, and exemplified conditional faith. Something that is very much still here today.

Conditional Faith, Type 1 Faith in God only when life is easy/good and developed

People with this type of faith walk by sight, not by faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 advises us to do the opposite! We are supposed to live by faith, not by sight. People with this type of faith survey their life and while they are pleased with it, they cling to God.

Jesus referenced this type of faith in Matthew 13:4-7, Parable of the Sower:

“Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them."

This type of faith does not endure! It does not persevere. This type of faith is not a lifelong, steadfast relationship with God. This type of faith does not know, understand or trust God's dedicated character and purpose; because it does not understand, when tribulation inevitably comes, this type of faith sputters, withers and dies.

Jesus told us that tribulation will come, John 16:33. Steadfast faith turns tribulation into a productive phase of life: when we persevere through it faithfully, the result is transformation of ourselves and our world for the better. But conditional faith never allows that productive process to happen; that believer jumps ship because God can even drop the sails, before Jesus can calm the seas.

Our example: the Israelites exodus from Egypt. Their faith in God was bold and enthusiastic as God marched them out of slavery; the sight of their former Egyptian masters subdued and the gates opened stirred their faith! Beyond the gates, a wilderness. The sight was bleak, so their faith turned weak. They revealed that they did not walk by faith, by trust in God. They did not walk toward God, they walked toward that open gate. Had they walked toward God, they never would have noticed that the gate turned into a wilderness.

In the path of God, there is provision. It does not matter if we enter a wilderness or a utopia, we are sustained by God, not by what our eyes see. Yes, much has changed in the world by He has not. God has always been our provision. Much has changed in the world, but we can all agree that humans have stayed the same! How many 'believers' are still band-wagon fans? Wearing merchandise and the big foam finger until we start losing the games. Wearing the cross around our neck and praising God until we start losing.

How many of us believe in God until we see a figurative wilderness? Martin Luther King, Jr. called this "If" faith. As in, if God does "X", then I'll believe. So few walk into the wilderness by faith, with just as much love, gratitude and trust in God as we had before the wilderness, before the hard times.

Conditional Faith, Type 2 Faith in God only when life is hard/bad or underdeveloped

People with this type of faith also walk by sight, not by faith. People with this type of faith survey their life and because they are pleased with it, they no longer cling to God.

Believers that leave God behind in the good times. Our Example(s): King David, King Solomon. When they became content, they became complacent. David was described by God as a man after God's own heart. The enthusiasm of David's faith was unprecedented. David danced and prayed to God, he slew giants for God, trusting that the strength of God's arm would flow to his own. When life was tough, David's faith was tougher. 

But then life settled down, and David became content. And in David's contentment, David's faith became stagnant. He stopped pursuing God, and starting to pursue superfluous, selfish desires. The same thing happened with his son, Solomon. Solomon was described by God as the wisest man on earth; but later, things were good and Solomon became stagnant in faith. Stagnant faith, for David, for Solomon, and for us is tepid, shallow water... and our selfish motivations trampled all through it, and completely displace our faith. Stagnant, shallow faith does not have the immovability, the power of faith with depth. Stagnant water is not fed by the rushing, living water of God. It is not refreshed or replenished it is not progressed or strengthened. Without that power of God behind it, it makes no track in the earth. It causes a spiritual draught from which the conditional believer, and all those around them, suffer.

Just as in life it would not be fair or kind to abandon the people who helped you get to where you are, it is not fair or kind or wise to abandon God... who is the reason for everything good thing you will ever have. But humans have not changed! Like David and Solomon, if we are not careful, our gratitude toward God dwindles as time passes. He is with us as we climb the mountain, we must not forget to celebrate the view with Him when we reach the top. 

Do not use God. What kind of a relationship is that? To remember someone when you need something, but replace them when you don't? Conditional faith is not only unwise, it is also a hurtful insult to God, who loves you so and answers whenever you call, whether you deserve it or not.

Unconditional Faith

People with this type of faith walk by faith, not by sight. People with this type of faith survey God, and because He is always good, they cleave to Him whether life is easy or hard, they pant after Him as the deer pants for streams of water (Psalms 42:1).

This type of faith surveys God, not the landscape of their life. They survey God and they discover that God is truth, is good, is steadfast, is purposeful, is capable... and all of that renders a survey of the landscape of their life irrelevant! Because God is our haven, even in the wilderness. He is provision; He is water from the rock; He is manna from the heavens. When we do not see a source, He is the source; He is everything we need.

He leads us out of slavery, through the wilderness, into freedom. It is a beautiful faith, a blessed soul, that preserves in love and trust through every phase of life.

Therefore, since humans have not changed, Moses' exhortation in Deuteronomy 8 is alive and relevant! For them it was literal, for you, it is spiritual. The world has changed but God has been walking, leading each generation, leading this generation of humanity toward the promised land. God leads you to a promised land, the Kingdom of God, eternal life. 

Re-read it Deuteronomy 8 with renewed eyes, knowing that everything he said is directly applicable to your life. Do not abandon God when times are bad; do not forget God when times are good. Let him encourage unconditional faith in you.

“1 The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. 20 Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God."

NABOTH'S VINEYARD

Few things are as disturbing and destructive as a false witness. In fact, the subject of false witness even made it into the ten commandments.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20:16

In fairytales, fairies are beautiful and enchanting and clever. They possess a myriad of attributes that make them such fantastic characters in fantasy. By tradition, what they lack in tales is the ability to lie. In order to deceive someone, they have use their beauty, their cleverness and their ability to enchant to trick or cause doubt. In this, they are like Satan, the clever serpent in the garden, the tempter in the wilderness, who does not specifically lie but uses his attributes to twist, trick and cause doubt.

It worked on Eve in the garden but it did not work on Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus exposed Satan, and the people who perpetuate his lies. For though he never lies in an obvious way, he does cleverly distort the truth cause destruction.

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

If Satan were an obvious liar, Jesus would not have warned us to be vigilant. He would not have told us that He sends us out as sheep in the midst of wolves, that appearances may not be what they seem. But the subject for today shifts now from Satan to the perpetuators and victims of his lies.

PAULS DEFENSE BEFORE AGRIPPA 

Have you ever had to defend yourself against a false accusation? Paul had to. Before an audience that included a king, military commanders, and the most prominent men of the city, Paul stood to defend himself against a false witness. In his defense, Paul admitted to atrocities; he was honest about his past. They very church he supported, he formerly persecuted... with fervor, not reluctance.

Paul had made this defense before. Several times. For his work in Christ, he was constantly imprisoned. His righteousness was direct opposition to people who had more worldly power than he had. Paul preached the word of God to the masses who had something to gain, against their rulers who had something to lose. And he did so boldly: without fear, with faith. It was by God's will that his testimony 'failed' in a sense.

Paul was transported to stand before many people to bear true witness of Jesus, yet to be accused of a false witness. It never caused him discontentment or frustration. He never worried because ultimately, his judge was Jesus. Jesus who is immune to false witness. Jesus who observes the whole truth of the whole person and situation. 

In the world, we will be accepted and denied by people. Our intentions will be interpreted differently by others. Sometimes our good intentions will not be seen as such. We might, sometimes, be incorrectly condemned. Paul was an expert in that situation; we, likely, will suffer a bit from the injustice. We will have to work to lend ourselves, as Paul lent himself, as a instrument through which God's will was enacted. For whoever presents a false witness against us, has something to gain for themselves. The truth we present, whether it is accepted or not by our audience, is as a true witness against them which is accepted by God. Unlike Satan and the fairytales, God brings the unobscured truth to forefront. 

NABOTH'S VINEYARD

We do not need to lament, disturbed by the false witness of our neighbor. God is active against false witnesses. We can trust Him to keep up, follow up, and exert judgement.

King Ahab was the false witness. A rotten, weak king, and childish henchman to his evil queen, Ahab's dishonesty caused the death of an innocent man named Naboth. Naboth owned a beautiful vineyard near to king Ahab's palace. Ahab wanted it; he offered to buy it from Naboth. But Naboth declined the offer; the vineyard was more valuable to him than money; it had been in his family for generations. Ahab skulked home, lamented to queen Jezebel... and together they forced a false witness against Naboth. Their false-witness resulted in Naboth's death. Ahab took the vineyard, 1 Kings 21.

False witnesses think they will gain from their false testimony against you. They may not want your vineyard; they may want to tarnish your reputation out of jealously and elevate their own. Whatever they want to take for themselves, they will use their wiles to get it. But those wiles fail at the feet of Jesus.

JUSTICE IN THE JUDGEMENT OF JESUS

Is this sermon meant to persuade you not to present a false witness, or is it to strengthen you when you are the victim of one? Either, both. And it is also to present the character of God, and Jesus, who are above the wiles of Satan and those who are like him. 

We are not vulnerable here; God is the heart-knower. His omniscience is a truth tool. We can trust Him, in His way and in His time, to exert the truth. Because those in Paul's audience may not have believed in the God he preached, but they all knew he was not guilty of any crime. God might also use you to present the truth, to present an opportunity for false witnesses to hear and choose it. For others to observe the fruit of your truthful character opposed to their unfruitful false character. Or maybe they are just awful and you are collateral; the painful circumstance the impetus to follow Jesus's instruction: to be harmless as doves but wise as serpents, Matthew 10:16. For with God, we can use every circumstances, painful or otherwise, to grow in strength of faith and character and wisdom.

We can rest assured that false witnesses are held accountable for their behavior; God ensures that they cannot refuse or evade the consequences of their duplicity. God sent the prophet Elijah to Ahab and Jezebel to declare imminent disaster. Ahab repented of the evil he incited, Jezebel did not. 

The righteous can rest in God's results. Either the enemy repents after condemnation; their shame and regret so deep that it causes them extreme distress and catalyzes them to change... or the enemy is destroyed, as Jezebel was destroyed. Condemned and fully removed. 

SPIRIT IS WILLING

Here on earth, there are two parts of you: spirit and body. Spirit and body meet in the mind... and they wrestle. The apostle Paul ruminated on this before any of us, 

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." Romans 7:14-15

Everyday, we wrestle in some way when our body wants to react one way and our spirit the other. Our spirits know sin from righteousness, and subscribe to it...we agree that certain behaviors, thoughts and words are right and some are wrong. And yet we still sometimes choose wrong. In our frustration with the person in front of us on the road, the person on the other end of the phone line, or in a tension-filled disagreement with our spouse, neighbor, child or whoever, we react in a way that in a clearer moment, we would describe as wrong. Why? Jesus explained to Peter and two of His disciples when they failed to stay vigilant while He went to pray.

"And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:40-41

 The body is weak. Dethatched from the spirit, the body is like an undisciplined toddler: it wants what it wants and it wants it now. It cannot be reasoned with. When it is mad or greedy or even sad it just... detonates into a full blown tantrum. Like the toddler, screaming on the floor of the cereal aisle in the grocery store, making a fool of itself... and disappointing, embarrassing, the parent who is in this analogy, the spirit. 

Without the spirit, the body is enslaved to sin. Without the spirit, the body cannot exert any power over sin, over reacting in such a way that is unrighteous. It is the spirit which has the power to discipline the body. Jesus gifted us this power with His death, Romans 6:6. Let's return to Paul,

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

Just as the body readily answered its master, Satan, so the spirit readily answers its master, God. And since the two are, for now, inextricably linked, this is where they wrestle. And they wrestle in the mind, therefore we must discipline the mind. God preserved a whole book of blueprints on how to do that. He explained that it requires selflessness, perseverance, and even suffering sometimes. Paul explained it to us in a tangible way:

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Philippians 2:14-16

Moment by moment, in the midst of an imperfect world, from within and imperfect body, we need to grip onto the word of life in order to choose the response, the action that would make Christ proud. Maybe that means we will need to be slower to speak, because we may need those crucial few moments to collect ourselves, to redirect ourselves toward the light when the body was primed to run toward darkness. God understands that we will feel angry (etc. negative emotions)... we are asked to hesitate before we react angrily.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:19

The book of James is a great example of the way to discipline the body with the mind. It encourages steadfast faith and obedience to God. Reliance on spiritual provision from God. It reminds us that we can request support and direction and wisdom from God when we need it, when we ask with faith that He can provide. 

Nobody wants to be, or to be known, remembered, as a person with a short fuse, hot temper, or reliably destructive. We want to be known as patient and wise and reasonable. We do not want to be remembered as the one who flipped off the driver beside us or the person who cursed (in our day, cussed) the person on the other end of the phone. Patient, wise, reasonable people put in the work to be that way. They understand that resolution comes from God, rather than from detonation.

The toddler's/ body's tantrum could result in this way: they get what they want and are temporarily assuaged; their unreasonable behavior, seeming to have worked, is inculcated into them and they develop a proclivity for such behavior in the future. As they age, their behavior is less and less acceptable and less and less manageable.

Or the toddler's / body's tantrum quits wailing long enough to be reasoned with. They thing that it want harmful to themselves and/or others and unproductive for their growth, physically, spiritually, mentally, etc. Bad behavior is always unproductive for the situation as well; we fail to achieve the result we want when we react hotly. If we cannot reach the peach, should we roast the tree?

God sent Paul to encourage us to denounce the body, sin, Satan, as our master, Acts 26:18; to pronounce God as our master. And he presents a very blessed case for why it would be better to discipline our body and allow our spirit to choose its master instead:

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:20-23

The end result we desire is achieved when we allow God to direct our mindset and our movements. Whatever worldly thing body wants, it is to fill a void that cannot be quenched by the world. It certainly cannot be quenched by worldly methods. The body wants to be beautiful or powerful or intelligent or praised... those things only come from a disciplined mind and an in-control spirit. Those things only come from God; the spirit needs to be in-control in order to be a faithful conduit through which God's spiritual provision comes and satisfies all of the needs of the individual in healthy, steadfast, productive, blessed ways.

2 Corinthians 5:7 is our example to walk by faith, not by sight. Among other things, that means we should allow our spirit to lead, not our body. We should rely on our spirit to describe the situation, not our body. The body is, by nature, self-centered. The spirit, when the mind is disciplined, it able to be more objective. It does not 'fly off the handle'; it is reasonable because it is patient, observant, honest and dependent on God. It is more aware of the whole picture, more skillful with the problem, more empathetic toward the underdeveloped, underdisciplined mind with which they spar. It understands that God, and Jesus's methods, are more productive than the body could ever be.

Yes: Every day, in many moments, our body wrestles with our spirit. The self we, and Jesus, would be proud of can win! Our spirit will win when we dedicate our minds to God's instruction and Jesus's example. Conversation by conversation. Action by action. Thought by thought. Moment by moment.

SOJOURNER

 Scripture: Acts 24; Luke 15:11

"Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” Acts 24:25

It may not often feel like a convenient time to examine the state of your own righteousness and self-control with the backdrop of the judgment-to-come. But that is a habit we have to break. Our life here is our opportunity to grow under the guidance and mercy of God.

The apostle Paul was imprisoned for preaching the word of God; as he stood before the governor, Paul reasoned with Felix about those things: righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come. Just the mention of those things and Felix became afraid! Quickly Felix shut the conversation down and sent Paul away. He would periodically send for Paul, hoping Paul would bribe him with money for his release, but instead, Paul continued to broach the subjects of righteousness, self-control and the judgement to come with Felix. And Felix continued to send him away.

It seems that God sent Paul to that prison for Felix. Certainly Paul was an instrument through which God reached many people, and certainly Paul was there in prison for more than just one reason, but Felix was one of them. And from Felix, we can learn not to run from character reflection and accountability.

Felix was too afraid to contemplate his behavior; he was too weak admit to faults and definitely too weak to work on them. He preferred to prosper the condition of his temporary life on earth rather than on eternal habitation in God's kingdom. He wanted money from Paul rather than truth or justice... and definitely rather than self-growth. Perhaps we all have to admit to times when it seemed easier to maintain the status quo rather than challenge ourselves to be more or less of something. More productive in the kingdom, and less destructive on earth. 

Had Felix reflected on his behavior, he would have had to admit that he was unrighteous; he jailed and innocent man and put zero effort into settling Paul's case in a just and timely manner (or at all!). He had zero self-control; his greed drove him like a slave-master. And because he was unrighteous and lacked self-control, he could not stand thought of the judgement-to-come. But it does not have to be that way; we may never reach perfection, but perfection is not the point, it's the goal. The fact that we strive toward it is what matters. That fact that we try. 

Let's read about the prodigal son:

Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.

“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ” Luke 15:11-32

Maybe you are 'the lost son' in your own story, in your own way. We all have character flaws that prevent us from full emulation of Jesus. And that is only something to be ashamed of if we refuse to acknowledge it. God appreciates our accountability and applauds our attempts to fix what we break, no matter how clumsily we use the tools he gave us at first. We will not be overnight pillars of patience and generosity. We cannot possibly entirely suppress our anger or stubbornness. And our bodies are always going to try to control us with its desires. Our minds are always going to try to control us with its thoughts. 

But we can always step back, even for a breath, a moment, and allow our spirit to reason with our body, with our mind, before it reacts in a way we would not be proud of in the judgement to come. We can allow our spirit to reason with us as Paul reasoned with Felix. Will be push it away? Or will we endure that scary phase called growth? 

Recall Luke 15:7 in which Jesus explained that "there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance." The host of heaven is enamored with the journey of the person who spiritually fought to be better. There is love for the person who walked all their life toward the kingdom of God, certainly. Yet there is this joyous, celebratory love like no other for the person who climbed mountains to do it. Who crossed rivers and deserts to do it. For the person who was brave and steadfast enough to confront the worst parts of themselves and then wrestle to triumph against them.

We are sojourners here. We reside temporarily on earth. This is our tangible, visceral chance to be righteous and to have self-control so that when the judgement does come, we can present a life of earnest effort as students of God and servants of love for His people. So do not be afraid to admit to flaw, the experience the shame, to endure the process of rectification. With love and mercy and joy God and heaven celebrate your humility, no matter how ugly it looks at first.

DONKEY, HALTED

In life, there will be roadblocks. It's very rare for us to reach a barrier, or even a detour, and feel hopeful. To be forced stop, or to take a new direction causes frustration and maybe even fear. Immediately we feel that the alternate path will be inconvenient (at best) and impossible (at worst). 

This could be a lesson about how the scenic route it often worth the extra time and effort, as long as God leads the way... but instead let's talk about the three roadblocks themselves, specifically, the roadblocks that take place in these two chapters of the book of Numbers.

CAANANITE KING Numbers 21:1-3; 21-33

"The king of Arad, the Canaanite, who dwelt in the South, heard that Israel was coming on the road to Atharim. Then he fought against Israel and took some of them prisoners."

The Israelites reached a roadblock in their journey through the wilderness toward the Promised Land: a kingdom, an organized army. The were a band of former slaves, the smallest of the nations, (Deuteronomy 7:7). The Israelites had just recently been deterred: they were denied passage by the king of Edom. Though they promised to be polite and nonintrusive travelers, the only promise they received in return was that they would meet Edom's sword if they tried.

So Israel turned away from them, the roadblock changed their course. They had to take an alternate route, and it pointed to a place called Arad. Unlike the king of Edom, the king of Arad did not even give Israel a chance to ask for passage. As soon as the king was informed that Israel approached, he attacked and captured some as prisoners.

At this point, the Israelite's and their journey met defeat. We can all empathize with how they must have felt. We can all relate to it. We can relate to the moment when our good intentions and steadfast effort is blocked due to circumstances out of our control. And those circumstances are often unfair, unreasonable and unnecessary. If we let it, the roadblock can extinguish our hope. And it's extremely difficult to move forward without hope. 

Rather than accept defeat, the Israelites rallied in faith. They vowed to God that if He would secure their victory, they would do a complete job at manifesting His will. God accepted their vow; and with His support, the enemy was defeated and the roadblock was torn down. They way became clear.

Can we not promise God the same when we reach a roadblock? In Deuteronomy 9:4-5 God explained that the nations Israel would continue on to defeat were defeated because of their corruption. We can rely on God to tear down our roadblocks not because we are better than others but because we have committed to His will. It would benefit us to think about this scripture as we stand before roadblocks in our own lives. It would benefit us to make a vow to God: God, if you help me travel from this place, through this barrier, I will convert the place beyond it into an altar for you.

Because that should be our intention with everything that we do! Every job that we take. Every friend that we make. Every child we raise. Every word that we say. In everything that we do, our intention should be to make that 'place' one that is worthy of God's habitation. Israel promised to enter those cities and rid them of corruption. When our intention is to help earth evolve to be more like the Kingdom of God, we will prosper. 

Their vow was selfless and productive. God has a unique way of blessing us. When we focus our whole attention and heart on the Kingdom of God and prospering it, He focuses His whole attention and heart on us and prospering us (Matthew 6:33). When we stay focused on what is in our control, He focuses on what is out of our control. And the truth is, not much is in our control. But we can control our behavior and our words. We can control where we focus our sight, heart and hands here on earth. So direct your sight, heart, and hands toward the establishment of God's will here in earth, in your little corner of earth, and let Him take control over everything else, including the roadblocks.

Their vow was faithful; they did not ask God if He could destroy their roadblock; they asked if He would.

THE MOABITE KING Numbers 22:1-21

“... Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me! 6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land,..."

Do we praise God enough, or at all, for the roadblocks He busts before we reach them? The roadblocks we are unaware exist because He has made them irrelevant by the time we reach them?

The Israelites moved toward Moab. The king of Moab, named Balak, panicked! Unlike the previous kings, he was intimidated by the horde of people as they approached. Too afraid to fight them, too unreasonable to let them pass peacefully, he planned to sabotage them. To curse them. 

Balak made a plan. He offered to pay, handsomely, for Israel to be cursed. He met with a man named Balaam, known, apparently, for His ability to divine God's will. Balak misunderstood Balaam's gift. He thought that Balaam had the ability to bless and curse. But only God has that ability, and all Balaam could do was divine God's decisions as to who would be blessed and who would be cursed.

All of this took place without the Israelites awareness. It was a concrete roadblock; they approached a third king that had zero intention to allow their passage. But Balaam listened to God and relayed the message to Balak: God refused to curse Israel. Instead, He blessed them. Balak did not accept that answer. He sent people of higher rank and with more money to try to convince Balaam to curse Israel. Wisely, Balaam answered: 

"If [you] were to give me [your] house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the command of the Lord my God to do anything small or great."

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit who distributes them (1 Corinthians 12:4). Wherever you excel at life with the gift God gave you, there is always a chance that you will intimidate someone... even from afar. And their intimidation might be malicious. We may be oblivious to these unseen roadblocks, but we are not more vulnerable to them, because they are within God's line of sight and control. God looks at the inward heart (1 Samuel 16:7) and He is able to halt the malicious ones. That does not mean that we will never have tribulation; we will. Jesus told us that, (John 16:33). In the world you will have trouble, but Jesus has overcome the world. So trust that God will render irrelevant the roadblocks, the curses, the plots against you that will not prosper you. The ones you would not have been able to get through. Trust that He will prosper you through the plots that will build your character, through the ones you can handle (1 Peter 5:10; 1 Corinthians 10:13) with Him.

THE DONKEY AND THE ANGEL Numbers 22:22-41

"Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me."

Lastly, sometimes God is the roadblock.

Balaam saddled his donkey; he had permission from God to travel with the king of Moab's officials. But, if he chose to travel with them, it had to be as a spokesperson for God and not for any other reason. So Balaam rode his donkey until suddenly, she turned off of the path. She saw the angel of the Lord, a roadblock in the path, and changed her course. Annoyed, Balaam hit her. They continued on. Further along the way, the donkey saw the angel of the Lord between two stone walls; she halted, retreated and inadvertently crushed Balaam's foot against a wall. Frustrated, Balaam hit her. A third time, the donkey saw the angel of the Lord in a narrow pass and she crouched. Now incensed, Balaam beat his donkey and threatened to kill her.

It was then that the angel of the Lord appeared to Balaam... standing in the path, in the way, as a roadblock. The angel asked Balaam why he hit his donkey. The donkey tried to help Balaam, for Balaam was not on the path God approved. His intentions were not right. Balaam was supposed to be spokesperson for God, but he must have daydreamed about all of gold he could gain from the king instead. The angel told Balaam that God opposed the path because it was perverse. And to his credit, Balaam repented. He told the angel that he had sinned and that he would turn back.

Sometimes our path, our plan, our dream is blocked because God rejects it. Out of love, he halts our donkey. Because sometimes (often) we do not listen. We become so focused on obtaining something we want that we forget to ask God if He wants it for us. And because we will not stop, He has to get our attention. He stands in the way; He forces us to redirect our course or even stop altogether. Sometimes the Lord crushes our foot against a wall, so to speak, to stop us from further error.

Build a relationship with God so that you will be able to discern between the roadblock that is His disapproval and the roadblock that is constructed by our enemy. Because you can pray through the enemy's obstruction; you can make a vow like the Israelites did and pass right through it with God's help. But even if you manage to get past God's roadblock, there's nothing there for you beyond it. If God had not blocked Balaam... he may have become a rich man, but he would have thrown away the opportunity to work directly with God! And what does it profit a person to gain the whole world but forfeit his soul (Mark 8:36)?

You do not want to in the place God blocks you from. If you love the Lord and consult Him in all of your movements, you will be able to figure out which roadblocks you can destroy with prayer and which ones are meant to stay in place and protect you.

WATERS OF MERIBAH

"Why have you brought the Lord's assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It's not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!" Numbers 20:4-5

WATER FROM THE ROCK

Do you believe that God is the rock, your rock? (Psalm 18:2) Do you believe that the Living Water of God will flow from the believer who builds their house on the rock? (John 7:38; Matthew 7:24-27) The answer will determine the character of the course of your life. 

Many people are familiar with the results of the journeys of the people in the Bible. They know that the red sea was crossed; they know that Jericho fell; they know that Goliath was slain; they know that Jesus was born and resurrected. But most people do not think about the journey itself.

The Israelites in the wilderness were not concerned about the journey, either. They wanted the results... and they wanted them now. Even Moses struck the rock twice, after the Lord said that once would provide the result He promised. I am afraid that many of us traverse life continually, metaphorically, striking the rock. 

UNTO HIS ETERNAL GLORY

Even if only begrudgingly, we all have to admit that 1 Peter 5:10 tells it true. We must endure unpleasant things in order to have our character strengthened. God allowed each individual, throughout generations, to have their own agency. People will use their free will for good and for evil. We will use our free will for God and for evil. Because of that, we will sometimes suffer. Our own actions, and others' actions, will cause us to have unpleasant circumstances. 

But how will we respond in those moments? Nobody wants to live or hear about those parts of the journey. We were invited, called to God's eternal glory. He has good plans for us, but we have to trust that, and trust that this journey here prepares us for those plans, for that destination. 

We must be able to endure and reflect on our situations in faith. We must learn to pray continually, to consistently ask God: what do you want me to learn from this situation? Meanwhile, we must trust and follow Him through it. We must trust that He will provide what we need without repeatedly striking the rock.

With grace, God will help you to be accountable. He will help you to change and grow with love in His heart. And if the problem is the other person, or a circumstance that is out of your hands, God will help you to reinforce the places in your faith that allowed that person, or situation to hurt you or make you afraid. God is our rock and our fortress. He is our outer wall, our defense. He is the edifice that keeps us safe, and He is the Father inside. 

When we live to learn from God, life becomes more fruitful. We wake up every day more capable in our attempt at emulation of Jesus and more like a citizen of heaven. Frustration, impatience, and woe are so prevalent in our society today! We are so like the Israelites in the wilderness. At the first hitch in the plan, at the slightest delay, we lament. We complain. We give up. We too stand at the waters of Meribah grumbling. And why? Because we do not trust God.

WHATEVER STATE I AM

Do you want to live life that way? Like the Israelites, stagnant in a wilderness because you lack the faith to learn from the journey and move into the promised land? Listen to the apostle Paul:

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:11-13

Paul believed that whatever happened to him, happened to further the gospel (Philippians 1:12). That can be true for us as well! The destination is heaven, but the journey here on earth can be beautiful, too. Beautiful in its productivity, in its furtherance of the gospel! 1 Corinthians 3:9 tells us that we are fellow workers with God. The development of your character is a furtherance of the gospel... of God's word, of God's plan. The development of your character is the just the start of your part in the furtherance of the gospel.

If we stop complaining long enough to ask and listen to God, we will allow Him to do exactly what 1 Peter 5:10 says He will do: perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us. We will learn to be content in whatever state we are in, like Paul. Paul was chased, beaten, imprisoned; he endured those things happening to his friends; Paul lived with the weight of his past; he suffered in his own ways, as we suffer in our own ways. Yet he through trust in God, he learned to be content in no matter his circumstances. 

If we do that, we will determine the character of the course of  our life here. No longer will the character of the course of our life be woeful and weak and unproductive. We will wake up every day ready to learn from, ready to trust, ready to thank God no matter what we wake up to. We can put the stick down and trust that we need not need to strike, God has released the Living Waters and they flow right through us.