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Note: NASB used throughout this aricle. |
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Ten times Israel tested Yahweh. They sinned because they did not listen to His voice, His word, or His commandments. We're going to apply some lessons for our own day and see the applications for our own lives. We're going to do this based upon the ten times Israel tested Yahweh. |
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Stand Still At the Red Sea, Israel was brought to a point when it looked like there was no hope. In fear they regretted their decision to leave Egypt and pointed backward, not forward. Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness,” Exodus 14:11-12. Even with this complaint they were blessed and escaped from any harm even though the enemy pursued them. Notice the positive confidence that Moses had which he expressed to the people, and Yahweh's simple command to move forward. Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of Yahweh which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 'Yahweh will fight for you while you keep silent.' Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward,'" Exodus 14:13–15. What are the lessons and applications for us today? Do we get unsettled because of problems that arise within our lives? Does it ever feel like we're under attack? Do we struggle with family, work issues or something else? We're not to worry about the situation. In other words, we're not to lose hope. Realize, especially, if you're newly baptized or seeking to be baptized in Yahshua's name, that the enemy (Satan) has you in his sights (in the crosshairs). Keep moving forward and Yahweh will help you, if you seek His help. In general, Satan would like to destroy the whole assembly and have it crumble into nothingness. Yahweh is not going to allow that to happen. Yahshua Himself has promised the gates of Hades will not overpower us. Satan cannot overpower you, especially, if you have Yahweh's Spirit within, because the power of Yahweh's Spirit in you is stronger than Satan's spirit. This is why we don't need to worry. Move forward, don't give up. Look past the problems and focus on the future. Pull up your bootstraps, soldier! Man your position and stand fast! Be courageous! Yahweh promises not to forsake us nor leave us. A weight lifter will have a spotter; Yahweh is that spotter. He is allowing certain things in our lives to help us to grow spiritually. It is a sure thing, too, that He'll sometimes test us, to see if we will trust Him as the Spotter in our lives. |
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Bitter Waters One of the first things a survivalist will tell you is that we cannot live very long without water. This is something the Israelites must have known, especially in the dry barren desert area that they were in. From the Red Sea where they had been, they now came to an area called Marah after being without water for three days. Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Then he cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of Yahweh your Elohim, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, Yahweh, am your Healer,” Exodus 15:22–26. In all of these situations, the people grumbled and basically didn't trust Yahweh. If they had, they would have acknowledged His will for their lives and trusted Him so their needs would be met. Indeed, even though they complained and didn't show trust toward Him, but rather tested Him, they were nevertheless blessed again and again. The bitter water was made sweet, and they were able to be refreshed at Elim (pronounced Eelim) with date trees. Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters, Exodus 15:27. Though Yahweh is longsuffering, we know the end from the beginning, as the Exodus (that is, leaving Egypt) account is not new to us. If we think of the parallel of us today, coming out of a symbolic Egypt (the world), compared to them coming out of physical Egypt, we'll gain a much deeper appreciation and understanding of what is happening to those who are called out by Yahweh today. |
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Not Always Easy Do we sometimes feel exhausted and distraught, not knowing when relief will come? Do we feel like giving up when our expectation sometimes turns out to be more of a burden for us than the relief we had hoped for? For example, you get your motor fixed in the car, but then the transmission goes out. Or, you get a job that turns out to be worse than the previous one you left. You get sick, but rather than getting better you get worse. The test in the Exodus for the people, though, was to obey Yahweh's word. Has anything changed? It's a test for us, too, especially knowing that we have to strive to do better than just keeping Sabbath holy or not stealing, but also the weightier matters as well (justice, mercy, faithfulness). To Extend your hand to help someone in need; to being the good Samaritan. To love in action, while being obedient to |
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the law. It's not easy at times, but guaranteed it is a process of growth that we have to go through. Does Yahweh promise to help us? Yes, He is still spotting us, protecting us, healing us at times, and not allowing us to go through more than we can handle. There is a man who was born without arms and without legs, a thalidomide baby who was born into this world. Today, he preaches the best he can about overcoming tragedy and difficulties in life that we all face. He sees the hope that someday he will be made whole, by a loving and merciful Father.He realizes that any trial and trouble that we face today will not always be with us. His own situation and good attitude in life shames a lot of people as they see that their own problems are nowhere near the magnitude or scope that this individual has lived his whole life in.Though thirsty, we are promised that our thirst will be quenched. Further from Marah, the Israelites found themselves in an area called the Wilderness of Sin (ciyn), in which they tested Yahweh a third time. Though Israel's thirst was satisfied they found reason to grumble because of their hunger. Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by Yahweh's hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction," Exodus 16:1–4. This time Yahweh had blessed them with something they had not seen before, with manna from heaven. They said, “What is it?” (manna), “because they had never seen it before." It seems that Yahweh wanted to get their attention, and to look up, rather than down, as they had the tendency to do. |
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Stop Complaining If we haven't already gotten the message, it's the following: "Don't complain, because we will be provided for." This is a trial; we are being tested. Yahweh is giving instruction to Israel and they are expected to follow it. We are given instruction, both by Yahweh's word and by His Spirit. We are not to ignore them, but rather rely on them. We don't always understand, but we are not to rely on our own understanding. Are you having difficulty with a spouse or an employer? Are you growing resentful because of his or her treatment of you? Be an example of love to them; let them see how the Messiah acts and reacts in such situations. Put your best foot forward, not a condescending kick toward them, but a sincere attitude of cooperation and love. Ask yourself, what would Yahshua do? He was peaceful, kind, gentle, at times kept His peace. He didn't show His disgust all the time for the foolishness of others. And we are all foolish at times; and we sometimes even hurt those that |
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we love. We need forgiveness just as much as we need to extend forgiveness to others. As we progress into the wilderness complaints, we see a fourth time of testing Yahweh. It came with the disobedience concerning the manna and instructions thereof. Those that didn’t listen to Moses had worms and stench to deal with. This is what Yahweh has commanded, “Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.” The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them, Exodus 16:16-20. Even with this, there were blessings. However, this time Yahweh specifically blessed those who obeyed. Those that obeyed did not have worms and stench to deal with. It's a cause and effect many times when Yahweh instructs us how to live. Don't we suffer the consequences of our own actions? Are there lessons to be learned, like, don't do what is wrong? Isn't it Yahweh who decides what is right and what is wrong? Why would we ignore His commandments then? In this section of Scripture we see a distinction of those that obey compared to those who don't. Isn't that a lesson for us? Is Yahweh holy? Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, “You shall be holy, for I Yahweh your Elohim am holy. Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am Yahweh your Elohim," Leviticus 19:2–3. Yahweh says be holy and then shows we are to follow His word, given from His Spirit. |
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In Spirit and Word We'll want to recognize the correct Spirit within us, and not push past it to do our own will, which would be against His word. We have a conscience, unless we sear it. We have Yahweh's Spirit, active in our lives, unless we quench it. For those baptized in Yahshua, Yahweh has given a portion of His Spirit, a heart to follow Yahweh, and spiritual eyes to see. Israel of the past did not have the Spirit within them as Yahweh's people do today. In thinking about being sensitive to Yahweh's Spirit, we have to realize there are deceiving spirits in the world. What do deceiving spirits do? They go out to deceive people. How do we discern a deceiving spirit? By testing it against Yahweh's word. The parable of the wheat and tares says when the wheat becomes evident then the tares will show up also. While seeing a resurgence of truth in the times we live in, do we also see an increase of doctrines of demons? But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 1 Timothy 4:1. Do we hear of any strange doctrines today? Any that you've heard? They are out there, and I'm not talking about the obvious ones, such as the so-called Sunday Sabbath, Trinity, and Pre-trib Rapture. There are those today, for example, teaching Paul was a heretic and that his word cannot be trusted. They have basically thrown most of the New Testament out. We've seen people do this before and it isn't too long before they throw the whole New Testament out and go straight into Judaism with its many traditions. Deceitful spirits and false doctrines lead to more doubt and more trouble. Remember how Satan influenced Adam and Eve by causing doubt. He said, "Indeed, has Elohim said?" Doubt can cause us to lose the battle, but if we submit to Yahweh's Spirit and His holy word, then we will not lose. Eternal life is for those that overcome by doing His will. |
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7th Day Sabbath The fifth time Israel tested Yahweh was concerning the Sabbath. It's interesting to note that it was at this juncture we find Yahweh getting angry. Yahweh is a jealous El we read in Scripture, and it looks as though He is jealous for His Sabbath. He wants His holy people to keep the 7th day holy. Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, then he said to them, “This is what Yahweh meant: Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to Yahweh. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it. Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to Yahweh; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none. It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. Then Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions? See, Yahweh has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day, Exodus 16:22–30. We notice that there was a blessing of a double portion on the 6th day, so they could keep the Sabbath. This same principle of blessing exists in the Sabbaticals as well, with crops yielding more in the sixth year. In thinking about the manna portions provided on the sixth day, and how Israel went out on the Sabbath looking for more, do we ever think Yahweh doesn't give us our fair share? |
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Our Fair Share We know that there are people starving in the world with the kind of starvation that causes you to put the fist of your hand up into the stomach to try and stop the starvation pain of hunger and thirst. It has been related by some who survived the holocaust, that this was exactly what they had to do. Some use this area of Exodus chapter 16 to show that we are not to go out of our dwellings on the Sabbath, but this was a unique situation that required unique steps at that specific time. Because they could not follow simple steps, they were given more restrictions to prevent them from sinning. It' s like Nehemiah telling the people to keep the gates shut, because they were buying and selling on the Sabbath. Our restricter today is the Holy Spirit of Yahweh. If you push past it, nothing else written in Scripture is going to help. It is our gate. It's our hedge, so to speak, that keeps us from the worldly ways of doing things. It's the Spirit of Yahweh that keeps us focused on His will and on His ways. It quickens our spirit to study His word and to be in alignment with the commandments on a higher level, just as the Messiah taught. It's something that Israel did not have abiding within themselves. Today, a portion is granted to stay with us each individually. It's our fair share, so to speak, until the fullness comes at the first resurrection. |
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Thirst At Rephidim While our thirst is quenched today both physically and spiritually at Rephidim (root meaning: "spread out" or "refresh"), the ancient Israelites were again thirsty and were getting upset to the point of wanting to stone Moses. Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of Yahweh, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?” But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to Yahweh, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me." Exodus 17:1–4 . |
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Forgetful Israel Do we get forgetful of what Yahweh has done for us in the past? It's interesting that they complained about not having water again. They knew Yahweh provided before. Shouldn't they have realized He would provide again? Yahweh's longsuffering can be seen in the blessing granted Israel's children. They were given water from the rock and, in addition, another enemy was again destroyed before them. Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of Elohim in my hand.” Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword, Exodus 17:8–13. Yahweh has an interesting way of dealing with us at times. For the Israelites at this time, they were ready to stone Moses, so Yahweh provided a way to get their frustration out with an enemy, the Amalekites. |
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Horrible At Horeb The seventh time Israel tested Yahweh is a time when Yahweh starts to seriously punish the Israelites for their disobedience. They became utterly corrupt with idol worship, Egyptian style. This occurred at the mountain range that Mount Sinai was a part of. Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” Yahweh said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation," Exodus 32:7–10. Yahweh relented after Moses reasoned with Him. Moses took a strong leadership role and told those who were on Yahweh's side to come to his side. Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies—then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for Yahweh, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him. He said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel, Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.” So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day, Exodus 32:25–28. All of Levi came to Moses’ side (Yahweh’s side) and they were allowed to live and serve. They were dedicated to Yahweh's work: Then Moses said, “Dedicate yourselves today to Yahweh—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today," Exodus 32:29. |
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Parallel For Today When we heard Yahweh's calling, we readily accepted it. Just like the Levites did when Moses called the people to Yahweh's side. Levites: They came over to Yahweh, They took up the sword (his brother, friend, neighbor), They were given the right to directly be involved in the work of Yahweh. Those in Messiah today: We came over to Yahweh, We took up the symbolic Sword (the Bible) with our brothers, friends, and neighbors, We are given the right to directly be involved in the work of Yahweh. We've made changes in our lives to be in line with Yahweh's way of living by being obedient to His commandments. We've repented of our past errors against Yahweh and we are moving forward sharing the Good News with others, so that they may also receive mercy and forgiveness. While there are parallels to the Levites, we are also likened to Moses telling people to come to Yahweh's side. With Yahweh's Spirit working within us, it is, in a sense, actually Yahweh calling out and proclaiming His word to others. Not only the word from Scripture, but the Word incarnate, Yahshua the Messiah. |
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Taberah (Burning) Moving further along, we find again the ancient Israelites complaining and testing an eight time. This time Yahweh's anger literally burned among them. Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of Yahweh; and when Yahweh heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of Yahweh burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to Yahweh and the fire died out. So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of Yahweh burned among them, Numbers 11:1–3. Moses here again intervenes on behalf of the people, and again Yahweh relented from any further calamity. Indeed, the prayer of a righteous man avails much. When we make mistakes, and we will, what should our first reaction be? We need to turn to Yahweh, through His Righteous Son, Yahshua. He is at the right hand of Yahweh and is the High Priest and Mediator for us today. |
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Israelites Not Alone The Israelites were not alone when they came out of Egypt. There were also some of Egypt that actually came, referred to as rabble (the foreign element). The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna," Numbers 11: 4–6. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. The rabble's greed seemed to affect the Israelites. Today, we get bombarded with commercials on TV, radio ads, ads in the paper, and signs on the major freeways while we are driving. Sometimes it's the influence around us that we need to be on the alert about. Doesn't Scripture say, "Don't be deceived, bad company corrupts good character"? We need to limit our exposure to as much as we can. The Israelites and the rabble were blessed with quail for meat, though. Yahweh was not happy with them and their lack of trust that He would provide. Say to the people, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, ‘Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well off in Egypt.' Therefore Yahweh will give you meat and you shall eat. ‘You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected Yahweh who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” (Numbers11:18–20) Three things come to mind: 1) The people kept looking to the physical, rather than the spiritual; 2) They kept looking back to Egypt, rather than to the promised land; and 3) They were given so much quail it made them sick, so let's be careful what we ask for as we might just get it! |
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Kadesh Barnea The tenth time we find in Scripture of Israel testing Yahweh in the wilderness, before entering into the promised land, is at Kadesh Barnea (meaning “consecrated”). They spied the land, but lost faith as they still kept looking at the physical circumstances around them. They kept forgetting Who was leading them and that nothing is impossible for Him. Still the people wept, not trusting Yahweh. Yet, there were a precious few who did. Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is Yahweh bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If Yahweh is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against Yahweh; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and Yahweh is with us; do not fear them.” But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of Yahweh appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel. Moses pleads for the people. Yahweh said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they," Numbers 14:1–12. |
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Enough Is Enough At this point Yahweh had had enough. Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it, Numbers 14:22–24. Certain ones who followed Yahweh, and all those who were not of the age of accountability (age of 20), were able to enter the promised land. Our life can be spent on thinking and worrying that things won't work out. We can wish it were better. We can wish it were different. Is this the attitude we are to have? Or, alternatively, can we have the hope and courage of the likes of Joshua and Caleb? Yes, of course we can.The lesson and application for us is clear. We, with Yahweh's Spirit, can have a patient and loving attitude toward others. We, with Yahweh's Spirit, can be joyful and happy. We, with Yahweh's Spirit, can trust in Yahweh to work out whatever severe situation we find ourselves in. But what if we don't trust Yahweh and turn away from Him? All we have to do is look at what happened to Israel of old. It's the same thing that will happen to us if we don't learn from it. Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it, Numbers 14:22–23. While this had physical consequences for ancient Israel, the consequences for those in Messiah today are indeed eternal. Don't give up hope, don't complain and test Yahweh as Israel did in the past. Be like Joshua and Caleb. Take courage and have courage that Yahweh will not leave nor forsake you. |
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Disobedience = Unbelief We are to believe. Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that Yahweh, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe, Jude 1:5. Yahweh destroyed those who didn’t believe, but the understanding of just what that means goes deeper in thought. We hear so much today about believing, but little about obeying. What is unbelief? Is it just complaining? Can complaining lead to disobedience? It sure did for the Israelites. Their attitude was one of complacency when Yahweh instructed them. They had a bad attitude that led them right into sin. Unbelief is related to disobedience. We may not think that we test Yahweh with how we sometimes think, but that is an example we see with the Israelites and those with them. Yahweh, Himself, says, they tested Him with their attitude toward His leaders, toward His instructions, and tested Him with their attitude toward Him. Do we ever do the same? It's a road best gotten off of, if we ever find ourselves on it. Notice carefully the following Scripture that is quoting the Old Testament in part: Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED ME BY TESTING ME, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS”; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, “THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.” Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living Elohim. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Messiah, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, while it is said, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.” For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see [understand] that they were not able to enter because of unbelief, Hebrews 3:7–19. Did you notice especially the last part, "...those who were disobedient...were not able to enter because of unbelief." This is not saying you can sin if you believe. It's saying that if you sin you are as an unbeliever. Unbelievers will not inherit the Kingdom, just as ancient Israel was not able to enter into the promised land. This entire section of the New Testament is addressing the brethren, those in Messiah, who have Yahweh's Spirit. The message from Israel's example for us is not to sin, that is, stop breaking the Father's laws; rather, do them. If you are doing them, then you will be obedient and believing children of the Most High. |
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The Promised Land We are the children of Israel having come out of symbolic Egypt and are now sojourning in the wilderness, looking forward to a promised land. The Spirit imparts the ability to be in the right attitude toward Yahweh. Let's not forget what happened to those who turned their hearts back to Egypt. On the way to the promised land, do we complain about our finances, the weather, other people, our boss? Do we ever consider we may very well be complaining against our Creator? Let's not put Him to the test as ancient Israel did. There are better things for Yahweh's people today. Look up, look forward, look toward Yahweh and the coming Kingdom. But never look back nor yearn to go back to Egypt. There is nothing there for us, for our home is a heavenly home in the coming New Jerusalem. It is for all those who love Yahweh and do His will in Yahshua the Messiah. This is the lesson and application for us today. We are to learn from ancient Israel and be the Israel today that Yahweh expects us to be: an obedient and faithful people. Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of Yahweh and their faith in Yahshua. And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Master from now on!’”, “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them," Revelation 14:12–13. |
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-Elder David Brett |
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