The Skipped Over Books of the Bible
Part 1: the Laws
Absolute Laws: obeyed then, obeyed NOW
Holiness Laws: to show how we can LOVE GOD
Civil Laws: to show how we can LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR
Wellness Laws: to show how we can LOVE OURSELVES
Part 2: the Gems in the Desert
God’s Hornet, preparing a way for us but LITTLE BY LITTLE
Caleb, the Giant Killer
Preface: The miracles of God and evidence of God’s presence
Ten Plagues on Egypt
Pillar of Fire and Cloud to lead them
Crossed Red Sea on dry ground
Egyptians destroyed on same dry ground
Wealth of Egypt with them
Manna given every morning in the dessert
Water from a ROCK
Quail flying low enough for meet
God’s presence on a mountain, on a tent, on the face of Moses
Numbers 13-14
Send one from each tribe to explore the land
Brought back the GOOD
- flowing with milk and honey
- grapes clusters so big it took two men to carry them
Brought back the BAD
- People are powerful, Anakites
- Huge fortified WALLs
Brought back the UGLY
- Spread a bad report
- Grumbled against Moses
- Let’s go back to Egypt
Caleb and Joshua
- Tore their cloths, a sign of EXTREME anguish, sorry, repentance
- God is please with us!
- Don’t REBEL
- Don’t be AFRAID - BELIEVE!
Numbers 26:64-65
A new census, none alive of those who left Egypt except
Numbers 32:6-13
Tribes of Gad and Reuben don’t want to fight for rest of Israel
Don’t be like your fathers in the desert!
Joshua and Caleb followed God WHOLEHEARTEDLY
WHOLEHEARTEDLY
As opposed to HALF heartedly
That was a “half-hearted attempt”
Basketball practice was a challenge by the coach to turn half-hearted players into whole hearted players. My coach would not be happy unless we had floor burns on our knees. My coach placed a bucket on each end of the court for players to throw up in. We would run until we threw up, drink water and run again. Any half-hearted attempt at a pick, a pass, or getting position for a rebound was answered by the coach with running. He didn’t care about talent, he cut a lot of talent, what he cared about was HEART, a wholehearted attempt at basketball AND LIFE. I still love the man today and would hug him and thank him if I saw him.
As a manager I had good employees and bad employees. Good ones were wholehearted at work, bad ones were half-hearted. Good employees understood the need to work hard and take ownership of their job and the company. Bad employees didn’t care about the work or the company they only cared about doing just enough so they would not get into trouble and would still get their paycheck. I promoted, gave raises to, and more responsibilities to the good, wholehearted employees. I demoted, didn’t give raises to, and took responsibilities from the bad, or simply began the documentation leading toward firing them.
God wants your WHOLE heart!
It is like stepping out in faith out into a chasm like Indiana Jones. BUT
- You have seen God send and angel to carry people across the chasm before
- You have been carried by an angel across other chasms before
- You have seen and been a part of MANY MORE miraculous things before
- You have been trained by your Coach for years to leap
- SO LETS GO LEAP!!!!
Joshua and Caleb wanted to take a flying leap – the other 10 wanted to go back
Joshua and Caleb KNEW God would carry them – the other 10 doubted
Joshua and Caleb couldn’t believe the people didn’t remember all the other miracles
Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes in sorrow and repentance while the others spread bad reports and grumbled
Joshua and Caleb made it to the promised land – the others didn’t
WHOLEHEARTEDNESS = Confidence and trust in God
No “BUT” s
Confidence and trust born out of:
- Obedience - “If the Lord is pleased with you” (Num. 14:8)
- Servanthood - If you “do not rebel against the Lord” (Num. 14:9)
- FAITH – “their protection is GONE but the Lord is with us. Do not
Be afraid!” (Num. 14:9)
Caleb, The Giant Killer
Joshua 14:6-15
Caleb now 85, still strong
Give me the HILL COUNTRY
Give me the land of the Anakites, the Giants
Give me the large fortified cities
Give me the uphill battle
With the LORD helping me I will drive them out
Joshua 15: 13-14
Caleb kicked out the Giants BECAUSE he followed the Lord Wholeheartedly
How is YOUR heart today?
David said in Psalm 86:11-12
Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
Ezekial said in Ezekiel 11:17-21
"Therefore say: ’This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’
"They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD."
How is YOUR heart?
Are you WHOLEHEARTEDLY going after the things of God or
Halfheartedly playing at being a Christian
Are you WHOLEHEARTEDLY putting your faith into practice, taking leaps, or
Halfheartedly trying out Jesus to see if you like it or not
Are you WHOLEHEARTEDLY seeing giant obstacles as nothing compared to your God or
Halfheartedly running in fear from giants
Lord give us ALL an UNDIVIDED HEART!
