As one looks back over they years of Israel wandering in the wilderness, we are amazed at their unbelief and hardness of heart. Not to mention their complaining about something. It makes one wonder if these really were God's people yet we know they were. Why would God put up with such nonsense and rebellion? He didn't! There were heavy casualties because of trying the Lord, idolatry, immorality and grumbling. We sit amazed wondering why they never learned. "If I had seen the plagues of Egypt, watch the waters part over a vast lake so we could walk to the other side, see rocks pour forth rivers of water and food fall from the sky, I sure would believe!" This I have heard said by many in the church today!
As we look around in our modern era and this people called the church, are we really so far removed from Israel? I'm not sure where the church is today. Many are just wandering about looking for something not knowing what. There are more and more stretches in the borders of the truth, God's children going beyond what is written. There are those who continue to hold to some legalistic ideas of salvation that because they do good things in the name of the Lord, are at every assembly the Lord won't reject them. Immoral behavior surfaces and many just turn a deaf ear to it while embracing unrepentant sins. We have the complainers where they don't like the way something is done or approached. Complainers who try to make the elders look sinful when they aren't. That seems to be a brand mark of such. They voice their hurts or opinions and twist it to make it look sinful to others when it isn't. These things sounds a lot like OT Israel doesn't it?
Paul reminded the church in I Cor. 10 about the wanderings of Israel and warns them (and us) not to follow suit. The Hebrew writer declares what happened to Israel in Heb. 3-4 and warns the saint about coming up short. We are no different today. Those warnings to Israel, those actions from God to get them to change their hearts are still happening in the church. Just read Rev. 2-3!
We need to learn to lean on and trust God! We need to realize with all our heart that it's not about going beyond what is written, just because God's word doesn't say we can't do something but being a people, this new creation (II Cor. 5), a people that present to God pleasing sacrifices, a holy people that proclaim His excellences of the One who called us from darkness into His marvelous light (I Pet. 2:9-10). Looking back Israel was not just another nation among others. It was a nation chosen by God and God was trying to shape them into His children. A sinful people, selfish people, grumbling people yet God made a covenant with them. The same with the church. The church is Christ's body, those chosen by God and God is trying to shape us into the image of His Son as His children. Sometimes we are sinful, selfish and complain to easily yet God made a covenant with us through Jesus and Jesus mediates that covenant. That alone should affect our behavior and thinking!
No comments:
Post a Comment