As the rain and snow

“If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’  you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and Egypt,  the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.  Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left… are destroyed. You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.  The Lord  will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. The Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. He will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you… The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.  And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house… You shall utterly detest and abhor it.” Deuteronomy 7:17-26

Moses knew well how vacillating and timid the Israelites could be. He told them to look at the Lord God and His wonders rather than the foreboding people of the nations, to consider His great deeds and deliverance instead of what terrible might be. Rather than stew in self and feelings, believe that the Lord was great and awesome in their very midst, mighty to guard and lead and save. Count on His promises, on His step-by-step clearing of their way in the land. He was with them to completely conquer if they revered Him alone.

Sin and self-preservation often taint or distort our view of things. When we are the center, with all else revolving around our concerns, we tend to turn inward and doubt God’s greater promises. We forget His grace, His faithfulness, His miraculous deliverances over the years because we are fixated on our present obstacle or fear. We may say we believe His word, but we fail to take hold of its substance. We ignore His presence.

Raising our heads to see with eyes of perspective and faith diminishes the size of enemies. Recounting God’s past victories inspires claiming His promises and following His commands, even if fulfillment is not on my timetable. Acknowledging and rejoicing in the fact that He is with us changes dread to expectation, hesitation to eager obedience.

What do I say in my heart that discounts what God has said? What causes this disconnect? Do I fixate on threatening situations, or the Word? Do I absorb reports designed to keep me in fear, or what I know is unshakably true? What gods of safety, comfort, or smug control are preventing my taking the land the Lord wants to give?

Father, help me live in the power of Your presence in my midst, eager to take in faith opportunities You present, to Your glory.

“You said,
‘No! We will flee upon horses’;
    therefore you shall flee away;
and, ‘We will ride upon swift steeds’;
    therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
A thousand shall flee at the threat of one;
    at the threat of five you shall flee,
till you are left
    like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain,
    like a signal on a hill.

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you,
    and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
    blessed are all those who wait for him.

“For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, ‘Be gone!’

“He will give rain for the seed with which you sow the ground, and bread, the produce of the ground, which will be rich and plenteous. In that day your livestock will graze in large pastures, and the oxen and donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned fodder… And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be brooks running with water… Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.” Isaiah 30:16-26

Isaiah prophetically describes when the nature of God meets the nature of man. As those made in His image exert their rebel impulses and unwillingness to conform, the Lord watches and waits to respond to surrender. His justice metes out natural consequences for disobedience, He sustains through adversity and affliction, His mercy welcomes the cry and confession of the needy. His guidance, provision, and rest await those who return. His loving nature is constantly nigh, and does not change.

And so with all God’s imperfect children and His perfect concern. We saunter, we boast, we flee His good commands to go and have our own way. He watches our arrogance turn to weakness and vulnerability, and waits to be gracious. O, how He waits, with long-suffering and undying affection. The moment we cry across the great divide between flesh and divine, weak will and unshakable purpose, He answers. He gives help, the impulse to put away idols and find satisfaction and light in Him. His whole and perfect nature thrumming in our mess cannot be ignored, and makes every difference.

What are some of the obvious and detrimental differences between our nature and the Lord’s? How can His presence affect our attitudes? Will we take the Lord at His word and ask for His intervention, guidance, and determination to worship aright? He is worthy of full obedience and trust.

Lord, sanctify my nature to be like Yours, to Your exaltation.

“In the fortieth year.., Moses spoke to the people of Israel.., ‘The Lord our God said to us in Horeb,.. “Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to… the Arabah, in the hill country and the lowland and the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the Euphrates.  I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession…”

“Then we set out and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness… And we came to Kadesh-barnea.  And I said, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord is giving us… Go up, take possession… Do not fear or be dismayed.’  Then you… said, ‘Let us send men before us [to] explore the land…’ They… brought us word, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’

“Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord. And you murmured in your tents, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us… to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us…’ I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord who goes before you will fight for you, just as he did in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where… [he] carried you… to this place.’ Yet you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.

“The Lord heard your words and swore, ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb… [and] Joshua… And as for your little ones,.. they shall go in.’

“Then you answered, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight…’ You rebelled against the command of the Lord and presumptuously went up into the hill country. The Amorites… came out and chased you as bees and beat you down… And you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not listen to your voice.” Deuteronomy 1:3,6-8,19-22,25-27,29-36,38-39,41,43-45

The people of Israel had a problem with fickleness. Moses repeatedly reminded them of the unchanging facts of God’s miraculous deliverance from Egypt and His promises for their future, but their fluctuating feelings and fears were stronger than their faith. What they saw and felt- whether giants or chastisement or disappointment or rejection- dictated their decisions. Their consequences were dire. Those who failed to take the land, then tried by their own effort against God’s word, would not ever taste its fruits.

Human nature is prone to swings of emotion, pulled by circumstances and what-if events, imaginations and harsh realities. God calls us to remain centered on His faithful word and character. He directs His children with steadiness, truth, and clarity.

What emotions sway our reasoning, effectuating the suffering of sorry consequences or missed opportunities to grow spiritually? Where have we disobeyed clear commands due to fear or stubbornness? Do we make choices by what is right or what feels good? Where are we letting surmised reactions or rejection dictate decisions that are better based on present and biblical realities? Sometimes obedience in faith is harder in the moment, but the Lord’s consistent undertaking and provision prove His way and ways are always best.

Lord, keep me steady, walking in Your truth and fulfilling Your purposes.

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
    and bring her into the wilderness,
    and speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards
    and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
There she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
    as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt…

“And I will make for them a covenant with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

“In that day I will answer, declares the Lord,
    I will answer the heavens,
    and they shall answer the earth,
and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
    and they shall answer Jezreel,
    and I will sow her for myself in the land.
I will have mercy on No Mercy,
    and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;
    and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” Hosea 2:14-15,18-23

Hosea the prophet experienced deep and painful sorrow in his personal life. He was God’s chosen to issue God’s prophesies with the passion of one who understood betrayal, unrequited love, and the brokenness that ensues from unrestrained wayward affections. His description of tender love and merciful redemption flooded the vale of judgment with hope only the Faithful Lord could give. (Hosea 1:2-10; 3:1-3)

In a valley, every step can be drudgery. Outlooks dim due to heads hung low, bodies and expectations weary as the vale stretches ahead with no end in sight. Grief, an incurable disease, a wayward child, scars from regret that never heal. Disagreement, dissension, division, depression. The weight of the burden, the heat where no fresh winds blow, can seem unbearable. How long, O Lord?

Every valley we encounter- of relational trouble, work distress, heartache, physical or emotional destitution- God can make into a door of hope. It may be dark and deep, and seem endless, but God makes it a passageway to the reality best seen against that very bleakness. His hope is bright and sure and never disappoints, calling the weary traveler forward, onward, upward, to see through to the light.

In what strange valleys have we found ourselves, only to experience the Lord’s unexpected love and care through another person, a need met, or miraculous deliverance? Are we presently trudging in one, bereft of energy or hope? Would we hear and believe the Lord’s tender allure, and trust His promises of rest, redemption, and deeper knowledge of Him? Hope in God renews our spirits and the will to persevere.

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.” ~ R. Keen (1787)

Lord, in my valley, help me see the door and take hope in the beyond.

“Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.  I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,  we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets… To you, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us open shame,.. because of the treachery… committed against you,.. because we have sinned against you. To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed…

“’O Lord, according to all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.  O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name…’

“While I was speaking in prayer, Gabriel… came to me in swift flight [and] made me understand.'” Daniel 9:3-10,16-19,21-22

“I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth… 

“I desire that in every place men should pray, lifting holy hands.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4,8

Daniel was a man of regular prayer. He had for decades invigorated his competencies with holy resolve and bold intercession. His high view of God gave him proper perspective of himself, his people, and his responsibility, and set the rhythm of his days on worship, humble confession, and prayer that sought God’s renown and honor. (Daniel 1:3-5,8; 2:16-23; 6:1-11)

Prayer begins with turning our faces toward the Lord- which necessarily supposes turning away from all else: self, agendas, devices, distracted thoughts. Its conduit is mercy sought and applied, and its power is in God’s greatness, righteousness, and faithfulness. Filling our minds with His majesty, holiness, and grace instead of ourselves and personal wants informs and emboldens this wondrous communion.

Gauged against His holiness, do we recognize our depravity and daily waywardness? How consistently do we humble ourselves in desperate contrition, seeking forgiveness on the basis of His mercy? What rebel thoughts and actions, what specific disobedience and dishonor need we confess?

Guided by Him, how faithfully do we plead for our city, those in authority who influence freedoms and governance, our churches? Whose glory and will do we seek? The Lord is swift to answer humble prayer. (James 5:16)

Lord, keep me honest and steadfast in prayer, for Your glorious sake.

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders), your south side shall be from the wilderness of Zin alongside Edom, and your southern border shall run from the end of the Salt Sea on the east.  And your border shall turn south of the ascent of Akrabbim, and cross to Zin, and its limit shall be south of Kadesh-barnea. Then it shall go on to Hazar-addar, and pass along to Azmon.  And the border shall turn from Azmon to the Brook of Egypt, and its limit shall be at the sea.

“’For the western border, you shall have the Great Sea and its coast. This shall be your western border.

“’This shall be your northern border: from the Great Sea you shall draw a line to Mount Hor.  From Mount Hor you shall draw a line to Lebo-hamath, and the limit of the border shall be at Zedad.  Then the border shall extend to Ziphron, and its limit shall be at Hazar-enan. This shall be your northern border.

“’You shall draw a line for your eastern border from Hazar-enan to Shepham. And the border shall go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain. And the border shall go down and reach to the shoulder of the Sea of Chinnereth on the east. And the border shall go down to the Jordan, and its limit shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land as defined by its borders all around.'” Numbers 34:1-12

The Lord had promised a land to Israel, and He delineated its specific boundaries to Moses. He had prepared it for them to inherit and enjoy, and appointed individuals who would apportion the parcels within its borders. The limits He imposed, geographically and morally, were to allow for the greatest fulfillment and fruitfulness, where He would be their all in all. (Numbers 34:17-18; 35:34)

God is infinite, beyond full of love, mercy, and compassion. His plans for His people are good, all their details for hope and a future. In His omniscience, He knows the extent of our weaknesses and worldly dangers, and therefore the best places and boundaries in order for us to flourish. While in His granted freedom all things are allowable, not all things are profitable or beneficial. The Lord who hems us in behind and before determines the threshold for abundant life. (Psalm 103:1-13; 139:5; Jeremiah 29:11; John 10:10; 15:11; 1 Corinthians 10:23; Galatians 5:1)

What boundaries have we experienced, imposed by the Lord, regulations, other people, or conscience, that have protected, guided, and enriched us? Are there situations, friendships, or modes of entertainment where we need more structure or distinct limits to enhance mutual edification or promote godly character? What boundaries can we set to guard against anticipated temptation, and whom will we ask to hold us accountable? The more we understand the where and how of divine boundary lines in all aspects of life, the freer we will be to enjoy and share our lavish inheritance. (Psalm 16:5-6; Acts 17:26-27)

Lord, keep me delighting in the lines You have drawn for me, vigilant in keeping them, and taking full advantage of the bounty to others’ blessing and Your glory.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Matthew 6:24

“Choose this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

The apostle John understood what leaving behind the old life meant. From the moment he left his livelihood to follow Jesus, the new Master reframed his world. Gradually he transferred attention, allegiance, and affection from earthly to heavenly pursuits. The natural son of Zebedee grew into his new identity as Jesus’ beloved disciple and an eternal child of God, his transient purpose overtaken by lasting hope. (Mark 1:16–20; 1 John 3:1-2)

When the Lord Jesus saves, He banishes the old and replaces it with new. His indwelling Spirit transforms desires, priorities, even ingrained thought- patterns and habitual practices. While everything may not change immediately, the process of sanctification has begun and will be completed. The shadowy world centered around self that once encompassed us, under new management becomes open-hearted and full of light. The Holy Spirit within dissolves old strangleholds, diffuses strange desires, and shines hope and wisdom to lead us forward. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 1:6)

Do we truly know Jesus? Since we’ve become His child, how has our world changed? What new passions have replaced the old? What personality traits have been freshly inspired, what tendencies redeemed? What loves of the world and its vapid offerings have diminished as our love for Christ has grown?

Are there rough character traits we want the Lord to soften, thought patterns that need reorienting? What irreverent, greedy, selfish, or immoral yens can we bring to Jesus to forgive and cleanse? Which world- this or the next- do we want to pursue, and inhabit? What can we bid farewell to help build Christ’s kingdom as we await His return?

Life in the orbit of Jesus will be marked by joyful, even if not easy, obedience. The thirst to please self, by faith and the influence of the Spirit, will reorder, and the fruit of the Spirit increase. If we are not wanting and experiencing redirected affections and inclinations, we must check to see who is our Master, whom we are actually serving. When we are committed to Jesus, our days will be characterized by increasing righteousness and Christ-like love. (Matthew 6:24; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 John 3:4-10,14-20,23-24)

“Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always.
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my treasure thou art.” ~St. Dallán Forgaill (530-598)

Lord, invade and possess my world so I serve and exalt You alone.

“Thus shall you speak to Hezekiah king of Judah: ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by promising that Jerusalem will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, devoting them to destruction. And shall you be delivered?  Have the gods of the nations delivered them, the nations that my fathers destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?  Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, the king of Sepharvaim, the king of Hena, or the king of Ivvah?’”

“Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord.  And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: ‘O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made the heavens and the earth.  Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands  and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed.  So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.'” 2 Kings 19:10-19

The truth about Sennacherib was that his condescending taunts were based on fact- he had indeed conquered many. But the trouble with him was he knew not God. In his world, other nations’ gods were useless, and success and pride distorted his view of the Almighty as nothing different. The truth about Hezekiah, however, was that no matter the verbal attacks and imposing threats, he knew God, and that He was more than a match to all gods and kings. Upon reading Sennacherib’s letter, he went up to the Lord, spread it out, and boldly asked for Him to save Judah and so prove His supremacy. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

We can daily choose whether to look up or down. Christians come under varied taunts, ridicule, and causes to doubt by way of acquaintances, strangers, media messages, or the enemy’s minions who would undo us. We can bow to fear or pressure, look low in shame, or pretend at superiority by looking down on others in comparison. Or, we can take in the world’s pelting messages and approach the Lord in reverence and confidence. He is enthroned on high, He alone is Creator and Ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth.

Taking every attacking care to Him and proclaiming His greatness illumines unreasonable thinking and dissolves derisive fears. He is God, He alone! If He is for us and on our side, who against us has any force or influence? (Romans 8:31-34)

What presently threatens steadfast resolve, or peace? Do we know God well enough as personal Redeemer and Lord to trust Him with our concerns and needs? Taking confidence in His past deliverances helps to see us through and exhibits His greatness. (Psalm 46:1-3)

Lord, may my confident trust in You display that You alone are God.

“In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah,.. Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.  He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon.  So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.” 2 Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34

“You, O Lord, are a shield about me,
    my glory, and the lifter of my head.” Psalm 3:3

Thirty-seven years, more than a generation, half of a lifetime. The days and weeks would have grown countless for Jehoiachin, but for the graciousness of a heathen king. It is hard to imagine the reaction of this deposed and humiliated exile when he was not only released but treated kindly, given new clothes, and welcomed to the royal table. Evil-merodach’s treatment toward him mimics that of a gracious Savior toward His wicked children. (2 Kings 24:10-16)

Every one of us is born a rebel, captive to the prince of darkness save for the grace of a merciful God. Even if we are in Christ, we have to deal with the ugly, harsh consequences of sin in the world, and long to be set free. How long, O Lord, must we endure? How long must we chafe at shackles of temptation and decay, sin and sorrow? At the human condition only God can release and repair? (Ephesians 2:1-7)

To give us hope in this life’s dark confinement we have the Word and its accounts and promises of gracious release. The languishing are satisfied, the lost are found, the bent are lifted up. The repentant are heard, the filthy are cleansed, and the broken are made whole. Do we believe? (Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18; Zechariah 3:3-5)

In what captivity do we suffer? We might struggle with unintended consequences of choices made, or unprovoked fallout from another’s sin. We might feel trapped in shame, unable to escape the haunting memories and regrets of the past. It could be that life circumstances, relationships, work pressures, or health are closing in and depleting of energy and hope.

Where will we look for strength to endure? How will we find relief? Will we recount the wonders of our God, His abiding and care? If we set our expectation on the Lord and His promises, our souls can rise up in triumph no matter where or how we suffer. (Psalm 34:4; Isaiah 25:6-9)

“Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!” Charles Wesley (1738)

Lord, daily release me from self to trust and praise You.

“The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, ‘Speak to the people of Israel and say, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and all their metal images and demolish all their high places. You shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you. You shall inherit the land by lot according to your clans. To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe a small inheritance… According to the tribes of your fathers you shall inherit. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.'” Numbers 33:50-56

Moses had faithfully led Israel for 40 years through the wilderness, a tangled route through arid desert and surprising springs, the long season in which all those who’d been delivered from Egypt died. His hope of entering God’s promised land was snuffed out by his own disobedience, his siblings had been buried. As his earthly end drew nigh, the Lord gave a vital warning for the generation who would enter Canaan: Drive out the inhabitants and destroy their gods. He’d brought Israel out in order to plant them in as His distinct people, worshipers of Him alone. Any foreign dalliances would deter their settling, any unauthorized allegiances would poke, pester, and trouble.

Jesus came to set His people free and give abundant life. He accomplished everything for our deliverance and in love extends agency to appropriate His gifts. His scriptural warnings are clear: ‘Have no other gods before Me, in Me alone trust.’ He understands the pesky temptations of strange gods, pride, and weakness of flesh, yet triumphed over every temptation and gives grace and strength so we can too. (Exodus 20:3-6; Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:18; John 8:36; 10:10; Hebrews 4:14-16)

Entertaining the barbs and thorns of sin destroys perspective and hinders spiritual progress. As long as we tolerate competing allegiances, anyone or anything working against wholehearted worship of God or His purity, we (and our witness) will be hindered. Could be that the stinging setbacks or miserable consciences we struggle with indicate a disordered affection?

Where and in what mindset are we most tempted to go after foreign gods, to erect high places that exalt self, ambition, and stuff? What situations and acquaintances lure us into idolatry of any kind? What will we do with God’s clear warning to deal with those prompts? As we open ourselves for the Spirit to expose and convict of false gods, and honestly admit where and when we are weak, He will lead us in His way out and give grace to drive out and destroy them. (1 Corinthians 10:13; Titus 2:11-14; James 1:13-15)

“Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith as its beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.” ~ Charles Wesley (1747)

Lord, turn me from wayward desire and false gods to settle in with and worship You alone.