Thursday
Evening Bible Study
September
30, 2010
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
The name “Deuteronomy”
means “Second (deutero) Law (nomos)”.
This book is a series of messages that Moses gave to the nation of Israel
during the last month and a half of his life.
It’s been almost forty years since God gave Moses His laws on Mount
Sinai. It’s time for a review.
Moses started
with a brief historical review.
He reminded them of how they made it through the wilderness and began to conquer the Amorite
kings.
We now begin the review of the Law.
Deuteronomy 5
5:1-22 Ten
Commandments reviewed
:1 And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the
statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn
them and be careful to observe them.
:2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.
:2 covenant
– b@riyth – covenant, alliance,
pledge
The Ten Commandments were part of a legally binding contract that God made
with Israel.
The sealing of the contract took place with the sprinkling of blood –
(Ex 24:5–8 NKJV) 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered
burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in
basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and
read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be
obedient.” 8 And
Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the
covenant which the Lord has made
with you according to all these words.”
This was like signing a contract, making the agreement between God and the
nation of Israel official.
(Heb 9:18 NKJV) Therefore not even the first covenant was
dedicated without blood.
As Christians, we don’t fall under this contract, but a newer contract, one
that does away with the old one.
(Mt 26:26–28 NKJV) —26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it,
and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 Then He took the cup,
and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new
covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
There is great value in understanding the Old Covenant, the Old Testament,
the Old Contract. God’s nature hasn’t
changed, and the Old Covenant tells us much about God’s nature.
But God’s conditions for approaching Him have changed, so that we now come
through the blood of Christ, and not the obedience of the Law.
Lesson
The value of the Law
1. The Law shows
us our need.
One of the things the Law produces in us is the awareness of how far short
we fall of God’s ways.
(Ga 3:24 NKJV) Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us
to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
(Ro 3:20 NLT) —20 For no one can ever be made right
with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we
are.
2. The Law shows
us God’s ways.
When we are filled with the Spirit, God will begin to produce all these
kinds of things automatically in our lives under the Spirit’s power.
(Ro 8:4 NKJV) that the righteous
requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to
the flesh but according to the Spirit.
:3 The LORD did
not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today,
all of us who are alive.
:4 The LORD talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of
the fire.
God was not just a person in a Sunday School story for these people. They had encountered God at Mount Sinai.
They saw something on the mountain.
Even more important, they actually HEARD God’s voice. They heard God give the Ten Commandments.
:5 I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the
word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go
up the mountain. He said:
:6 ‘I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of
the house of bondage.
:7 ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.
:7 no other gods
This begins a review of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20). This is the first commandment.
:8 ‘You shall
not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth;
:9 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God,
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the
third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
:10 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
:8 You shall
not make for yourself a carved image
This is the second commandment.
:11 ‘You shall
not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him
guiltless who takes His name in vain.
:11 the name
… in vain
This is the third commandment.
It’s using the Lord’s name for the wrong purposes, such as manipulation or
magic or selfish desires.
It’s misrepresenting Him.
:12 ‘Observe
the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you.
:13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
:14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you
shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant,
nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle,
nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your
female servant may rest as well as you.
:15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD
your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched
arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
:12 Observe the
Sabbath day
This is the fourth commandment, the end of the first “table” of the Law. The first four laws (or, the “first table”)
deal with man’s relationship with God.
The last six laws (or, “second table”) deal with man’s relationship with
man. We think each “table” was one of
the stone tablets.
When Jesus was asked what He thought was the greatest commandment, He
summarized each “table” of the Law.
The first was
to love the Lord, summarizing the commandments about God.
The second was
to love your neighbor, summarizing the commandments about men.
There is a balance we need to consider with the Sabbath Law.
It’s not for us.
It was a law intended for the Jews.
(Ex 31:16–17 NKJV) —16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath,
to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17
It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the
Lord made the heavens and the
earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ”
Some people want to make it an issue as to what day we
worship on. They say that worship must
always be done on the Sabbath, on Saturday.
We choose to follow the example of the early Gentile
church, that seemed to choose Sunday as their worship day, in honor of the
resurrection:
(1 Co 16:2 NKJV) On the first day of the week let
each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there
be no collections when I come.
Someone may want to make an issue of the specific day, but
in reality the day isn’t an issue.
(Ro 14:5–6 NKJV) —5 One person esteems one
day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced
in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who
does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it…
It would be a cool thing to worship God EVERYDAY!
Lesson
Sabbath Principles
There are still valid principles to follow.
1. Work hard
In our times, some people are experimenting with the four day work
week. We can become overly protective or
our “free time”. But sometimes I wonder
if our culture is conditioning us to thinking that we aren’t able to work very
hard. The Bible’s idea of work is a six
day work week. Hmmm.
2. Rest
Some people over-do it and never take a break. God wants you to take a break. He wants you to honor Him by taking a
break. Not only is it good for your
health to take a break, but it’s a step of obedience and faith. Do you trust God to take care of your needs
enough that if you give Him a day of rest, you believe He’ll take care of your
needs?
Today’s Bible reading included:
(Is 58:13–14 The Message) —13 “If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don’t
use my holy day for personal advantage, If you treat the Sabbath as a day of
joy, God’s holy day as a
celebration, If you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’ making money,
running here and there— 14
Then you’ll be free to enjoy God!
Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all. I’ll make you feast on the
inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.” Yes! God
says so!
It’s good to take a day and honor God.
:16 ‘Honor your
father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days
may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your
God is giving you.
:16 Honor your
father and your mother
This is the fifth commandment.
Paul says this is the first commandment with a “promise” – if you obey this
commandment then God will prolong your life.
I’ve often wondered if that’s just
because your parents couldn’t put you to death, which they could do if you were
a rebellious child.
:17 ‘You shall not murder.
:17 murder
This is the sixth commandment.
No, this does not mean that a state should not put a murderer to death.
It’s this same Law of Moses that gives the government the right to put to
death a person who was guilty of murder.
:18 ‘You shall not commit adultery.
:18 adultery
This is the seventh commandment.
:19 ‘You shall not steal.
:19 steal
This is the eighth commandment.
:20 ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
:20 bear
false witness
This is the ninth commandment. Do
not lie.
:21 ‘You shall
not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house,
his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or
anything that is your neighbor’s.’
:21 not covet
This is the tenth commandment.
Paul used this commandment as an example of how the Law works with our
sin nature.
(Ro
7:7–12 NKJV) —7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the
contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not
have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But
sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil
desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. 9 I was alive once without the
law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the
commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin,
taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12
Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Lesson
Learning contentment
I think this is certainly one of the things that can get us into great
trouble. It seems that we never have
“enough”, but always want “more”.
(Pr 27:20 NKJV) Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are
never satisfied.
Illustration
A customer in a bakery was observed carefully examining all the rich-looking
pastries displayed on trays in the glass cases. A clerk approached him and
asked, “What would you like?” He answered, “I’d like that chocolate-covered,
cream-filled doughnut, that jelly-filled doughnut and that cheese Danish.” Then
with a sigh he added, “But
I’ll take an oat-bran muffin.”
Paul wrote,
(Phil 4:11-13 NASB) Not that I speak from
want; for I have learned
to be content in whatever circumstances I am. {12} I know how to get along with
humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every
circumstance I have learned
the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance
and suffering need. {13} I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
:22 “These
words the LORD spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of
the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no
more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
5:23-33 The
people respond with fear
:23 “So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness,
while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the
heads of your tribes and your elders.
:24 And you said: ‘Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His
greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen
this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives.
:25 Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us;
if we hear the voice of the LORD our God anymore, then we shall die.
:26 For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God
speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?
:25 this great
fire will consume us
Lesson
Holy Fear
They are terrified of the reality of just who God is.
Sometimes I wonder if we really are aware of just how awesome, magnificent,
powerful, all-knowing, and pure that God is.
They have caught a glimpse of God, and they are terrified. They aren’t sure they are going to survive.
I sometimes wonder if you haven’t really tasted of God’s presence if you
haven’t had an experience similar to this one.
Isaiah had a
glimpse of God. His response was:
(Is 6:5 NKJV) So I said: “Woe is me, for
I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a
people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”
:27 You go near
and hear all that the LORD our God may say, and tell us all that the LORD our
God says to you, and we will hear and do it.’
:28 “Then the LORD heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and
the LORD said to me: ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which
they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken.
:29 Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and
always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their
children forever!
:30 Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.”
:31 But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the
commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that
they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’
:27 You go near
Lesson
The Mediator
The people were too terrified to come directly to God. They were okay with Moses being their
“go-between”, their mediator.
Moses is no longer the “mediator”.
(1 Ti 2:5–6 NKJV) —5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and
men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified
in due time,
Jesus died for our sins so we would no longer have to be afraid of God’s
wrath in facing God.
You now have someone who will stand before you and God.
You now have a way to God. Say yes
to Jesus.
(Heb
4:14–16 NKJV) —14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed
through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but
was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come
boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need.
We are now allowed to come boldly before God ourselves, because of what
Jesus has done for us.
Sometimes I wonder if I really understand all this. An indicator that I don’t take this as
seriously as I should is the fact that I worry so much.
Paul said,
(Phil 4:6-7 NLT) Don't worry about anything; instead, pray
about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
{7} If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more
wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts
and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
If I am really putting my problems and worries in God’s
hands, and if I really believe that God is going to do what is best, then I am
able to receive God’s peace.
:32 “Therefore
you shall be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall
not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
:33 You shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God has commanded
you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may
prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.
Deuteronomy 6
6:1-9 The
Greatest Commandment
:1 “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments
which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them
in the land which you are crossing over to possess,
:2 that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His
commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the
days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
:3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be
well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your
fathers has promised you— ‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’
:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
:4 Hear, O Israel
The Shema
שְׁמַ֖ע
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
יְהוָ֥ה
אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ
יְהוָ֥ה׀ אֶחָֽד
(shmah yisrael adonai elohenu
adonai echad)
This is what is known as the great Shema,
the basic cry of a Jew.
Shema comes from the first word, “hear”.
According to rabbinical tradition, the Shema
originally consisted only of verse 4 but was later expanded to include verses
5-9; 11:13-21; and Num. 15:37-41.
According to verse 7, it was to be recited morning and night.
There are two emphases in this verse.
1) Yahweh is unique, and the only God of
the Jews.
It could more properly be translated, "The LORD is our God, the LORD
alone."
2) He is one God.
This doesn’t contradict the doctrine of the Trinity, since the word for “God”
(Elohim) is a plural word, and the
word for “one” (echad) is also
used of the union of Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:24) to describe two persons in one
flesh.
:5 You shall
love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all
your strength.
:5 heart – lebab – inner man, mind, will, heart,
soul, understanding
:5 soul – nephesh – soul, self, life, person,
mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion
These two words are very close in their
definitions, yet in comparing other Scriptures where these two words are found
together, it would seem that the word for “heart” might indicate more things
like emotions and passion, while the word for “soul” might indicate things like
the mind and understanding. (Deut. 19:6; 4:9; Ps. 13:2)
Loving God isn’t the only thing we’re supposed to do with our heart and
soul, we are also to seek Him (Deut. 4:29), serve Him (Deut. 10:12), and put
God’s Word into our heart and soul (Deut. 11:18).
:5 strength – m@‘od–
might, force, abundance; muchness, exceedingly
:5 You shall love
the LORD
A. W. Tozer
said, “We are called to an everlasting preoccupation with God.”
Jesus said this
verse was the GREATEST COMMANDMENT. (Mark 12:30).
Everything in life flows from this.
God desires that we have a strong, intense, love relationship with Him!
When I truly love God, everything else falls into place.
If I love God, will I follow other gods?
If I love God, will I spend time with Him (Sabbath)?
If I love God, will I murder my neighbor?
If I love God will I covet what my neighbor owns?
:6 “And these
words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
:7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them
when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and
when you rise up.
:7 teach them
diligently – shanan – to sharpen, whet (as in
sharpen a knife)
When used in the “intensive” form (as
it is here), it means “to teach incisively”.
It’s not just running the knife blade a
few times over the pumice stone, it’s going over and over and over it until its
razor sharp.
It’s turning a piece of steel into a
scalpel.
The idea is that we are to keep going
over and over and over God’s Word with our children until they’re “razor sharp”
in God’s Word.
Lesson
Sharp kids
It is a parent’s responsibility to teach God’s ways to their children.
Notice when this is to happen:
…when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie
down, and when you rise up
The idea is that this is to be happening all the time.
This is supposed to be a natural kind of thing, an extension of life.
It’s not having a half hour of “Sunday School”, it’s passing your own way
of life on to your kids.
God’s Word isn’t going to be a part of
your vocabulary with your kids unless it’s a part of your life. You need to
spend time in God’s Word. You be sure to
be hearing what God is saying to you.
In Paul’s teaching, he wrote,
(1 Co 11:23 NKJV) For I received
from the Lord that which I also delivered to you…
Have you received from
the Lord? Do you have anything to share
with the kids?
:7 when you lie down … rise up
Late at night and early in the morning.
Our responsibility is to be teaching them at both ends of the day. It
should be a natural, way of life kind of thing.
God isn’t saying you have to sit them down and have a Sunday School
class once a day. It’s more than
that. It’s teaching them all throughout
the day, learning from all of life’s situations.
Illustration
Little Johnny
and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother’s house. Everyone
was seated around the table as the food was being served. When little Johnny
received his plate, he started eating right away. “Johnny, wait until we say
our prayer,” his mother reminded him. “I don’t have to,” the little boy
replied. “Of course you do,” his mother insisted, “we say a prayer before
eating at our house.” “That’s at our house,” Johnny explained, “but this is
Grandma’s house and she knows how to cook!”
:8 You shall bind
them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
:8 a sign on your
hand
The Jews took this literally, and developed “phylacteries”, which are little leather boxes with
a bit of scripture inside. They wear
them on the hand or on the forehead.
They were originally intended as ways of reminding people to think about
God’s Word but eventually became a religious ritual kind of thing, where you
make a show of how spiritual you are to impress others.
:9 You shall write
them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
:9 doorposts
– m@zuwzah – doorpost, gatepost
This too has been taken literally. Years
ago when Calvary Anaheim used to meet at the Jewish Community Center, you would
see these little clay scroll things with Hebrew lettering on them nailed to the
doorframes.
It is called a “mezuzah” (= doorpost)
Lesson
Where does Jesus live?
It’s not uncommon for us to be giving our kids the wrong idea about where
Jesus lives.
We can give them the impression that church is where Jesus lives. We tell the kids that on Sunday we’re going
to the “Lord’s house”. But what they
need to see is that Jesus lives at their house too.
When our kids see us be all nice and sweet to people at church, but yell,
kick, and scream when we’re at home, then they’re not learning about the real
Jesus. Your kids will learn most about
Jesus by watching what you do at home when you relax in front of them.
6:10-25 Don’t Forget
:10 “So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of
which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large
and beautiful cities which you did not build,
:10 beautiful
cities which you did not build
It’s never really about what we have done for God, but what God has done
for us.
:11 houses full
of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not
dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant— when you have eaten and
are full—
:12 then beware, lest you forget the LORD who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
:12 beware,
lest you forget
Lesson
The danger of good times
If we had to choose between “good times” and “bad times”, we’d all choose
to live our lives in “good times”. But
in reality, it’s during the “bad times” that we tend to seek the Lord more.
When I see a single person walk into the church for the first time, and
they are pretty new to this “Jesus stuff”, most of the time they are here
because something has fallen apart in their life.
Their husband/wife left them. They lost their job or have been given a
warning. They’ve been kicked out of the
house. They’ve been arrested.
The sad thing is that when things begin to straighten out in their life,
the temptation is to “forget” about the Lord and walk away.
This was what
happened to King Uzziah:
Uzziah followed the Lord for most of his life, and God blessed him.
(2 Ch 26:5 NKJV) —5 He sought God in the
days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as
he sought the Lord, God made him
prosper.
But one day, Uzziah seemed to have thought he had “arrived”.
(2 Ch 26:16 NKJV) But when he was
strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction, for he transgressed against
the Lord his God by entering the
temple of the Lord to burn
incense on the altar of incense.
Uzziah crossed the line of doing the things God wanted him
to do, and he did something that was not lawful for him as a king to do, he
went into the temple and started doing something that only priests were allowed
to do.
As a result, God struck Uzziah with leprosy.
This is the warning/blessing of Deuteronomy.
It’s the “Second Law”. It’s the review of God’s Word.
This is why it’s so important to make God’s Word a part of your life every
day.
Remember what God has done. Remember
who God is. Remember how much you need
Him.
:13 You shall
fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.
:14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all
around you
:15 (for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of
the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the
earth.
:16 “You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah.
:17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His
testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you.
:18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that
it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of
which the LORD swore to your fathers,
:19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken.
:18 do what is
right and good
Lesson
Obeying is good
Obedience is not always the easiest thing to do.
But it’s the best thing to do.
There are rewards.
:20 “When your
son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies,
the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’
:21 then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt,
and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand;
:22 and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and
severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household.
:23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give
us the land of which He swore to our fathers.
:23 brought us out to bring us
in
Not just deliverance from our past
life.
God has a whole new promised life
for us.
The Christian life is not just
about things that you no longer do – it’s about a new life of things that you
do.
:24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the
LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is
this day.
:25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all
these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.’
:20 when your son asks
Lesson
Passing it on to the next generation
There seems to be two steps
involved in passing on your faith to the next generation.
You have to be living the life.
The Israelite
parents had been delivered from Egypt.
It was a real story.
How would your
children ever ask you about the Lord if they don’t first see you living it?
You need to talk about it.
Talk to your kids
about what God has done in your life.
:16 You shall not
tempt
Jesus quoted this verse when He was tempted by Satan:
(Lk 4:9–12 NKJV) —9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle
of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down
from here. 10 For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To
keep you,’ 11 and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a
stone.’ ” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall
not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
Satan suggested that Jesus put God to the test by jumping off the top of
the temple and expecting God to rescue Him.
Jesus considered this “tempting” God.
:16 Massah
– Maccah – “temptation”
“Massah” refers to an event that took place in Exodus 17 when Israel had
entered into the wilderness and ran out of water.
The people complained to Moses that God had led them into the desert to
die.
God responded by asking Moses to strike the Rock with his rod, and water
would come out.
(Ex 17:7 NKJV) —7 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because
of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Just like Satan
suggested that Jesus test God by jumping off the temple, these people were
testing God with their complaining, challenging God’s plan and purposes for
them.
These people had no place of challenging God like that. They had more than enough proof of God’s care
for them in how He delivered them from Egypt.
The issue is this: Are you
challenging God or asking Him? Do you
have the attitude of demanding God to do something, or are you crying out to
Him, in dependence on Him.
Lesson
Complain or trust?
There’s a Psalm that gives us some commentary on this incident.
(Ps 95:6–9 NKJV) —6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. 7 For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you
will hear His voice: 8 “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, As in
the day of trial in the wilderness, 9 When your fathers tested Me; They tried
Me, though they saw My work.
Verse 8 can and should read:
(Psa 95:8 NASB) Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As
in the day of Massah in the wilderness;
The situation is this: You are in a
difficult situation. How are you going
to come to God?
Are you going to challenge Him in what He is doing in your life? Are you going to proudly dare Him to fix your
problem? That’s “tempting” God.
Are you going to humbly submit to Him, praise Him, and ask for His help?
That’s the heart that God is looking for.
I grew up singing in choirs. You may
not like or appreciate choir music, but it’s a part of who I am. The emphasis of my music bachelor’s degree
was choral conducting.
Complaining or trusting? What is
your “choir” singing?
A movement began in Helsinki Finland, where people decided to put their
“complaints” to music. It’s that’s
spread around the world, people are singing out their complaints. I counted 27 choirs around the world doing
this.
Play
“Chicago
Complaint Choir” video.
On the other hand, other people choose to sing about God instead of their
complaints.
Play
Brooklyn Tabernacle “I’m
Amazed” video.