God Alone…

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and their children forever!” Deuteronomy 5:29

The crossing of the Jordan was nigh and the Promised Land beckoned; years of wandering in the wilderness was almost over, the Lord was going to give them rest. But this weary servant of the living God knew that he would not go with the people into the Promised Land. He was old and had served a long time, his bones were weary and his heart was heavy…the Promised Land was within his sights but he would not go with the people. He knew it for he had broached the matter with his Lord and his God when he said “I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon” Deuteronomy 3:25. But the Lord was wrought with him for the sake of the people and said unto him “Let it suffice thee: speak no more unto me of this matter” Deuteronomy 3:26

The people must have been a sight to behold. The bible tells us that there were as the stars in the sky for a multitude, all the children of Israel. Most of his life had been in the service of God unto them. The reason he fled Egypt and the reason he returned. He’d led the people across the red sea by the mighty hand of God, and had seen miracles wrought in the name of God as they traversed the wilderness. Battles had been won, water had flowed from rocks. The backs of kings had been broken and manner had fallen from heaven. The ground had swallowed the unfaithful, snakes had bitten the disobedient. False idols had been raised up and cast down, 10 commandments had been given. And now, this servant of the Lord looked upon a people, none of whom, except two, had seen the land of Egypt. None of whom had felt the stinging whips of the Egyptian task masters, nor had labored under the yoke of Pharaoh.

What must have been going through his mind, I wonder: Will they understand? Shall they heed these instructions? How shall it go with them? He’d heard the passion of the Lord for Israel even in the face of their propensity to disobey. God’s frustrations with Israel were very familiar to him, for he felt a lot of what God felt for these people: The burning love and tender care; the disappointment and the frustration.

And now, at this pivotal junction of their journey the Lord says unto him “Go say to them, Get you into your tents again. But-as-for-thee-stand-thou-here-by-me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to posses it. Deuteronomy 5:30-31

Tell them to go to their tents, but as for you stand by me…

Brothers and Sisters, as you might have guessed the servant of whom I speak is the Prophet Moses. Oh what an honor to be singled out as the one to remain by God’s side even as an entire generation are sent to their tents! Moses had a special place in God’s heart because he was obedient and his heart was where God’s heart was. When God was hurt he was hurt, when God was angry he was angry…

But this is more about many than it is about one. It is more about us than it is about Moses.

There’s only God

My friends, we live in a season of life where many are looking for answers. The news reports aren’t good – Lost jobs, bankrupt companies, soaring food prices, global warming, famines, hurricanes…the list goes on.

But today of all days it is my hearts burden to suggest to you that God alone is the answer to all these problems, the cure of all ailments and the only medicine to restore a world that is spiraling out of control.

Man can be a curious creature. The answer to our problems lies at the door of hearts knocking and yet we look to each other for answers. There is a TV near my desk at work and it is normally tuned to a news channel. And in the midst of the financial crisis of our lifetime the best we can do is summon expert after expert in search for answers. We get a hold of the Financial Analysts, Economists, Political gurus and we ask them to pontificate on the state of our economy and indeed our world and how it can be made better. I see them all, they come, passionately state their views and leave…but the chaos continues. More jobs are lost, more homes are foreclosed more dreams are dashed.

And now, my heart wonders what Moses would say to our generation if he were here. My guess is that it would say something similar to what he told the Children of Israel right before they crossed the river Jordan.

How did it come to this?

Before the Children of Israel crossed the river Jordan Moses the servant of the Lord charged them to always remember the Lord their God. He told them to keep all of his commandments. He told them that blessings will be theirs if they obey the Lord, that they will lend and never borrow, that they shall be blessed going in and blessed coming out. But if they forsake the Lord their God and serve other Gods, they will be cursed going in and cursed coming out, they will be overtaken by their enemies and consumed by diseases. That the rain of their land will be powder and dust…Deuteronomy 28.

Brothers and sisters, the children of Israel had barely settled in the Promised Land when they started disobeying God. The book of Judges chronicles much of this disobedience, indeed it is littered with the phrase “And the Children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord”

The pattern was terribly simple: The people would do evil and God would deliver them into the hands of their enemies as he said he would. They would suffer for years and cry out unto him, he would hear them as he said he would and raise up a Judge amongst them whom he would use to deliver them. Eventually the Judge dies and the pattern begins afresh. Each time God would hear their cry and come to their rescue.

Last night a friend of mine asked me to pray for America. Brothers and sisters, we must pray and indeed cry out for our world. It has fallen to we who know the God who has the whole world in his hands. Because there has been a great forsaking of God in our land, greedy individuals and companies who have exalted themselves upon the earth at the expense of their brethren…but even the tower of Babel was cast down for the bible says “that no flesh should glory in his presence. 1st Corinthians 1:29.

Worse yet it does not appear that our land knows to whom it must turn. Many have turned to the U.S Congress and Senate looking for “bailouts”; others have gone a step beyond and looked to President elect Obama for answers, all the while God is looking for a generation of men and women who will stop looking to Washington or their bank accounts and look to him. God is looking for a generation of men and women that will march down to his house and stretch out their hands saying “O God I am in trouble, bail-me-out!”

It appears brothers and sisters that nobody wants Gods bailout plan; the bailout plan that was sealed when Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins giving us victory in life and death.
But tonight O friend, I put it to you that it is only God that can heal our land and restore all that has been lost. And I urge you, pray the prayer of Daniel wherein he, a righteous man profusely confessed the sins of his people. If they would not confess, he would confess for them. Pray the prayer of repentance in the name of Jesus unto the one true God.

And when the spirit moves you to speak, say unto this world as Moses said unto the people –
“Know therefore this day and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath, there is none else.” Deuteronomy 4:39.

Remain blessed in Jesus, forever…