Perspective - God's vs. Man's - Day 76 Through the Bible

One of the famous Ben Long frescoes.  This is "The Mystery of Faith" in a church in Western North Carolina.  Another "Suffer the Little Children" is located at the Crossnore School, about 1 hour from Mt. Celo Church.

God's Last Command to Moses Before the People Enter the Promised Land - Numbers 31 and 32 - There will be other commands, historical recountings, and warnings, but this is the last command by God of unfinished work before leaving the wilderness wanderings.  It is ominous not only in the present gravity of the command but in fulfilling a promise of God to His people and in future prophecy with the Second Coming of Christ:  "Take vengeance on the Midianites for the children of Israel.  Afterward you shall be gathered to your people (Numbers 31:-12)  And Moses commands the people:  "Take vengeance for the LORD on Midian." Numbers 31:3).  Even the people could not conceive of - or follow - the extent of this command.  The 12,000 Israelites sent into battle allowed the women to live but killed the men.  Moses was angered by this.  They were to kill all women who had known a man because they had "caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor (Numbers 31:l6)."  Only the virgin women, the female children, the livestock and booty were to be kept - and all of that with restrictions.

My Lessons/Applications - Throughout the Bible we are reminded that vengeance belongs to God. (Romans 19, Deut. 32:35-36, Heb. 10:30, Lev. 19:18 and 1 Sam. 25:10, 26.)  He may use His people or His enemies to exact that revenge - but in His time, in His way, at His command.  The LORD's ways and thoughts are not man's ways and thoughts (Isaiah 55:8).  Just before the people receive their great reward - The Promised Land - they have this very difficult command to fulfill.  This same "cleansing" will be mandated early on in the Promised Land.  They will not fulfill it, and the ramifications for horror against Israel will continue down through the generations.  There are times we are commanded to leave / have nothing to do with/ rid ourselves of certain situations, people, places, or habits that may be very difficult.  We will either honor God in this - regardless of the immediate consequences to us, or we will stay and bear the more difficult consequences at some time in the future.  When these commands seem to conflict with the world's perspective, it is often difficult to see that God means this for our eternal good and His purposes.  It is also difficult to remember that God WILL arise, He WILL avenge His people - in His time.  This is a great comfort to us and a reminder of the gravity of causing others to sin.

Psalm 35:1-8 is an imprecatory psalm dedicated to remembering that vengeance belongs to God and David's prayer for God to arise on his behalf...Plead my cause...fight against..take hold of...stand up for...draw out the spear...stop those who pursue me...let them be put to shame...brought to dishonor...turned back...brought to confusion...like chaff before the wind...let the angel of the LORD chase them...let their way be dark and slippery...let destruction come upon them, let them be caught in their own net...because...without cause....they strive with me...fight against me...seek after my life...plot my hurt...have hidden their net for me in a pit.  David reminds God of His promise.

Jesus Falsely Accused, Lied About, Beaten, Spat Upon, Blindfolded, Mocked, Denied - The passion of Christ continues from the agony of Gethsemane to the humiliation before the chief priests and all the council.  When we become discouraged by the corruption in our present legal and judicial systems, we are wise to remember this.  The only sinless Man to ever live was put to death in the most horrible way known at the time - accused by false witnesses, found guilty despite obvious uncorroborated testimony.  He kept silent before His accusers except to confirm that He is "the Christ, the Son of the Blessed." Mark 14: 61-62)  These religious leaders of the day spat on Him, blindfolded Him, beat Him, mocked Him, and struck Him with the palms of their hands.  The greatest insult - the disciple who had openly confessed a few days earlier that Jesus is the Christ - now denies that He ever knew Him.  Yet, all of this was according to the Plan of God - for His Beloved Son to be The Final Sacrifice - for the saving of our souls, that we might spend eternity with Him - our Holy, Just, Loving God.  Peter, like each of us, learns the essence of sorrowful repentance to have a restored relationship with our Lord, to be fruitful in His kingdom work.

My Lesson/Application - Am I able to remember the passion of Christ, what He suffered on this earth, how He was treated, how He lived, what He owned, how He responded or kept silent when I am unjustly treated, stolen from, schemed against, lied about?

They gave our Master a crown of thorns.  Why do we hope for a crown of roses? – Martin Luther

God has never, in the history of mankind, allowed His name to go long offended. - David Wilkerson

Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time. Oswald Chambers

The good man has his enemies. He would not be like His Lord if he had not. If we were without enemies we might fear that we were not the friends of God, for friendship of the world is enmity to God. - Charles Spurgeon