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WILDERNESS TRUTHS FOR MODERN TIMES-40 TEXT: "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." (Proverbs 26:4-5)

 

I. KEEP IT SIMPLE

A. We must simply believe the Bible and take it for what it says. Man seeks a nicely laid out arrangement of answers, exactly defined. That arrangement is illusive in the Bible as the Bible itself tries to communicate.

B. There is not much in the Bible that is neatly packaged to fit into man's logical arrangement. Man cannot find a set of rules which will satisfy his intellectual mechanism. Each application God makes will move under its own set of circumstances, as Proverbs 26:4-5 implies.

C. Just because someone is afflicted does not in itself reveal to anyone the conditions relating to it. In fact when a person refers to the word "afflict" in the Bible they do not really grasp the idea -- no fault of theirs. There are no less than 12 different Hebrew words in the OT which are translated "afflict" and its derivatives. The word "afflict" could mean "discomfort" or "humbled" or a number of other meanings.

D. Affliction can be many things brought about by many causes and for different reasons. The only way you will know what's really going on, is for the Lord to tell you.

E. Sickness in one case may be related to biblical affliction as a result of what God must accomplish in the person. The very same sickness in another person can be directly from the enemy with no relationship to its being God's arrangement, but contrary to the will of God. The complexity of God and life transcends the simple mind of man.

F. God shared with Adam the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was told what he should do (good) , and what he should not do (evil). But when the knowledge of good and evil came through another source, it was sin.

G. Moses numbered the people. That was obedience. King David did the same thing, and that was sin. (See Numbers 1:19 and II Samuel 24:10-17)

H. Many believers seek to know the complexities of the Kingdom of God through rules and definitions. Since man has had little success in living a natural life through attempting to know its complexities, there is little hope for the believer's success in the spiritual life when using this same method. If it's life eternal you seek, lay aside a quest to know its complexities, and seek to know the Giver. Jesus said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)

I. "Let Reuben live, and not die." This is God's concern for life as expressed in Deuteronomy 33:6 in the wilderness. It was God's concern even for Ishmael when he was in the wilderness, threatened with death (Genesis 21:14-20).

J. God is the Giver of life. He is not out to kill anyone. Sometimes we image that He is out to kill us when he is killing our flesh. But if God doesn't kill our flesh, our flesh will kill us. Our flesh is our worst and most dangerous enemy. "And this is the blessing of Judah: and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help to him from his enemies." (Deuteronomy 33:7) The theme of help is carried further in verse 11, smite through the loins of them that rise against him [Israel]; strike his foes till they rise no more" (NIV) and of them that hate him, that they rise not again. (KJV)

K. Given a chance, God will kill the enemies within us, and insure our life. If we do not fight against God in His destruction of our flesh, we will be able to live in victory.

II. PARTING THOUGHTS

 

A. There is no defeat in God, only victory. If there is defeat in the life of a believer, it must come through unbelief, disobedience, or some such condition. God ordains victory in the lives of His children. He does not ordain defeat; that is not part of His arrangement for us.

B. You bring about your own defeat. Once defeat comes to your life, God will work with the situation the best He can, and try to use that defeat to teach and strengthen us. Failure is not sin. Defeat is not sin. Sin is sin. Failure and defeat become sin when we get stuck in it.

C. Remember, failure is a better teacher than success, and so defeat can be a teacher, if we allow God to work in our lives. Hopefully, He will be able to bring you us of defeat into victory.

D. This theme continues in Deuteronomy 33; "The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by him; and the LORD shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders." (Deuteronomy 33:12) His divine care and dedication toward us insure us a life of victory. E. Blessing upon blessings are directed by God toward Israel at the end of their wilderness experience. Through the rest of Chapter 33 of Deuteronomy they continue to be stated. And they continue today for His children.