SET For RESTORATION-IV—Joshua 5:2-12
Attention:
Border Declaration
Finishing up their work at a trade show in San Diego, Maureen & her co-workers decided to go sightseeing across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. While there, they went shopping & bought a few pieces of clay kitchenware.
As we crossed back into the United States, a Border Patrol agent asked if we had anything of value to report.
"Not really," Maureen replied, as she dug in her bag for the bean crock she had purchased.
Maureen’s next statement caused her co-worker’s eyes to widen in horror, while everyone around them started straining to see the situation. Maureen’s answer to the agent was, “I only bought a little pot.”
Maureen’s reputation needed to be Restored in the Border Patrol’s eyes.
God’s people—You & me, we are urgent need of restoration!
God restored/renewed/rededicated Israel as His covenant people.
God’s people must be restored.
How can God’s people be restored?
What can bring restoration to God’s people?
4 settings for spiritual restoration.
Ps. 147:3— “He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.”
We have found that a setting for spiritual restoration is...
1. A RENEWED FLESH(:2-8)
2. A RENEWED HEART(:8-9)
3. A RENEWED WORSHIP(:10)
Today we will also discover that...
4—A Setting for spiritual restoration is...
A RENEWED BLESSING(:11-12)
Explanation:(:11-12)Future/Response
:11—“And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened cakes & parched grain, on that very same day.”
The children of Israel are about to embark on a new phase/era of ministry...
Will this mean that God is no longer with them? No!
But it does mean that God will be working with & thru them in a somewhat different manner than before, as they are now in the place which God had promised them.
Such a new diet of “unleavened cakes & parched grain” assumes a source of flour—“the produce of the land.” Israel must be taking from the fields which the Canaanites had planted. Israel is now aware of the land’s fruitful potential as the land of milk & honey.
“Ate”(See :12)—lka aw-kal’—Qal Imperfect—1) To eat, devour, burn up, feed—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To eat(human subject), 1a2) To eat, devour(of beasts & birds), 1a3) To devour, consume(of fire), 1a4) To devour, slay(of sword), 1a5) To devour, consume, destroy(inanimate subjects - ie, pestilence, drought), 1a6) To devour(of oppression). Strong—a primitive root; To eat(literally or figuratively).
“Produce/Old Corn”(See :12)—rwbe aw-boowr’—Noun Masc.—1) Produce, yield. Strong—the same as rwbe; or rbe[properly--Crossed, i.e. abstractly--Transit]; Passed, i.e. Kept over; used only of stored grain. Used 2X.
“Land”(See :12)—Ura eh’-rets—Noun Fem.—1) Land, earth—1a) Earth—1a1) Whole earth(as opposed to a part), 1a2) Earth(as opposed to heaven), 1a3) Earth(inhabitants), 1b) Land—1b1) Country, territory, 1b2) District, region, 1b3) Tribal territory, 1b4) Piece of ground, 1b5) Land of Canaan, Israel, 1b6) Inhabitants of land, 1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under)world, 1b8) City(-state), 1c) Ground, surface of the earth—1c1) Ground, 1c2) Soil, 1d) (in phrases)—1d1) People of the land, 1d2) Space or distance of country(in measurements of distance), 1d3) Level or plain country, 1d4) Land of the living, 1d5) End(s) of the earth, 1e) (almost wholly late in usage)—1e1) Lands, countries—1e1a) Often in contrast to Canaan. Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; The earth(at large, or partitively a land).
“Day After/Morrow”(See :12)—trxm mokh-or-awth' OR Mtrxm(1Sa 30:17) mokh-or-aw-thawm’—Noun Fem.—1) The morrow, the day after. Strong—feminine from the same as rxm maw-khar’[properly--Deferred, i.e. The morrow; usually (adverbially)--Tomorrow; indefinitely--Hereafter]; The morrow or adverbially--Tomorrow. Used 32X.
“Passover”(See :10)—xop peh’-sakh—Noun Masc.—1) Passover—1a) Sacrifice of passover, 1b) Animal victim of the passover, 1c) Festival of the passover. Strong—A pretermission, i.e. Exemption; used only technically of the Jewish Passover(the festival or the victim).
From—xop—a primitive root; to hop, i.e. figuratively--Skip over(or spare); by implication--To hesitate; also literally--To limp, to dance.
“Unleavened cakes/Unleavened Bread”—hum mats-tsaw’——from Uum[a primitive root; to suck[le]] in the sense of greedily devouring for sweetness; properly--Sweetness; concretely--Sweet(i.e. Not soured or bittered with yeast); specifically--An unfermented cake or loaf, or elliptically--The festival of Passover(because no leaven was then used).
“Parched grain/Parched corn/Roasted grain”—hlq kaw-law’—Qal Passive Participle—1) To roast, parch—1a) (Qal)--To roast; 1b) (Niphal)--1b1) To be burned, 1b2) Burning(participle). Strong—a primitive root [rather identical with hlq through the idea of shrinkage by heat]; To toast, i.e. Scorch partially or slowly. Used 4X.
“Very same”—Mue eh’tsem—Noun Fem.—1) Bone, essence, substance—1a) Bone—1a1) Body, limbs, members, external body, 1b) Bone(of animal), 1c) Substance, self. Strong—A bone(as strong); by extension--The body; figuratively--The substance, i.e. as pronoun--Selfsame.
:12—“Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land, & the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.”
The nation of Israel’s previous dependence(manna) is being removed.
“The manna ceased”--& now they must move on, graduate, let go of how they had operated in the past.
They are losing old securities, in order to operate with a new security. The switch is potentially difficult because...‘they’ve never done it that way before.’ Similarly as Christ is the end of the law today(Rom. 10:4), so Israel was losing old securities to accept new securities.
Now instead of gathering “manna” Israel must grow their own food, harvest, prepare, & store it properly.
YHWH will now bring His blessings upon them(Deut. 28:1-14).
Deut. 28:1-14—[Moses to Israel]—“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you & overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God: “Blessed shall you be in the city, & blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground & the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle & the offspring of your flocks. Blessed shall be your basket & your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, & blessed shall you be when you go out. The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way & flee before you seven ways. The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses & in all to which you set your hand, & He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God & walk in His ways. Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, & they shall be afraid of you. And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, & in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, & to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the LORD will make you the head & not the tail; you shall be above only, & not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, & are careful to observe them. So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.”
Israel is restored as God’s people.
NEGATIVE:
There are some of you here today who ‘desperately’ want all of God’s blessings to fall upon them. In fact, the focus of your life is to be blessed by God. Your reputation depends upon those blessings, you tell yourself. But your ‘good work’ is seemingly ignored by God & by others, & you are left disappointed with God’s inattention. You don’t get the recognition that you would like to have. You cannot understand why God doesn’t reward you with a ‘good’—AKA--‘soft’—life.
You desire His blessings, but do not honor Him in the depth of your heart. You serve Him like King Saul did, fully but wrongly convinced, that you have obeyed Him, while all along your heart was not sold out to Him(1Sam. 15:1-35).
1Sam. 15:13-14—“Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
You get upset because, like Esau(Gen. 27:20-38), you are insistent that someone else has stolen your blessing. You blame others for the personal misery which you have brought to your own house.
Gen. 27:36-38—“And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, & now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” Then Isaac answered & said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, & all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain & wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?” And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me--me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice & wept.”
Yet the reality of your situation is that you are unwilling to present your body as a living sacrifice, nor are you seeking to be holy, nor do you seek to be acceptable to God(Rom. 12:1).
You approach God on YOUR terms only rather than being submissive to His. You set up boundaries for living that you can accomplish, rather than overcoming the evil one & the world thru the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. If you read thru the Gospels(Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) you will discover very quickly that you are very much like a pious Pharisee. You are forcing your way into the Kingdom of God(Mat. 11:12; Lk. 16:16).
Mat. 11:12—“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, & the violent take it by force.”
God is calling to you to ‘eat of the land’ by His hand. He is calling you to accept His provision as He offers it by your own hand but only as it is devoted to Him.
POSITIVE (is vastly easier to diagnose & is a bringer encouragement):
There are others of you here, who live in the constant outpouring & infilling of intimacy & fellowship with God & with His people.
“Manna”2X—Nm mawn—Noun Masc.—1) Manna—1a) The bread from Heaven that fed the Israelites for 40 years of wilderness wanderings, 1b) means 'What is it?’ Strong—literally, ‘a whatness’(so to speak), i.e. Manna(so called from the question about it). Used 14X.
“Ceased”—tbv shaw-bath’—Verb—1) To cease, desist, rest—1a) (Qal)—1a1) To cease, 1a2) To rest, desist(from labour), 1b) (Niphal) to cease, 1c) (Hiphil)—1c1) To cause to cease, put an end to, 1c2) To exterminate, destroy, 1c3) To cause to desist from, 1c4) To remove, 1c5) To cause to fail; 2) (Qal)--To keep or observe the sabbath. Strong—a primitive root; To repose, i.e. Desist from exertion; used in many implied relations(causative, figurative or specific).
“Produce/Old Corn/Fruit”(See :11)—rwbe aw-boowr'—Noun Masc.—1) Produce, yield. Strong—the same as rwbe; or rbe[properly--Crossed, i.e. abstractly--Transit]; Passed, i.e. Kept over; used only of stored grain. Used 2X.
“No longer/Neither”—hnh:w ary:w—“No”—al lo’, awl low’, hl loh(De 3:11) or wl—Adverb—1) Not, no—1a) Not(with verb - absolute prohibition), 1b) Not(with modifier - negation), 1c) Nothing(substantive), 1d) without(with particle), 1e) Before(of time). Strong—a primitive particle; Not(the simple or absolute negation); by implication--No; often used with other particles.—+—“Longer/Any more”—dwe `owd OR de `od—Substantive—1) A going round, continuance. Adverb—2) Still, yet, again, besides—2a) Still, yet (of continuance or persistence), 2b) Still, yet, more(of addition or repetition), 2c) Again, 2d) Still, moreover, besides. Strong—properly--Iteration or continuance; used only adverbially(with or without preposition), Again, repeatedly, still, more.
“Food/Fruit/Yield”—hawbt teb-oo-aw’—Noun Fem.—1) Produce, product, revenue—1a) Product, yield, crops(of the earth usually), 1b) Income, revenue, 1c) Gain(of wisdom)(fig), 1d) Product of lips(fig). Strong—from awb bow’[to go or come]; Income, i.e. Produce(literally or figuratively). Argumentation:
*Deut. 8:1-14—“All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live & multiply, & go in & possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers. And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And He humbled you & let you be hungry, & fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. “Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways & to fear Him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains & springs, flowing forth in valleys & hills; a land of wheat & barley, of vines & fig trees & pomegranates, a land of olive oil & honey; a land where you shall eat food without scarcity, in which you shall not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, & out of whose hills you can dig copper. When you have eaten & are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. Beware lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments & His ordinances & His statutes which I am commanding you today; lest, when you have eaten & are satisfied, & have built good houses & lived in them, & when your herds & your flocks multiply, & your silver & gold multiply, & all that you have multiplies, then your heart becomes proud, & you forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”
Deut. 11:26-32—[Moses to Israel]“Behold, I set before you today a blessing & a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; & the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known. Now it shall be, when the LORD your God has brought you into the land which you go to possess, that you shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim & the curse on Mount Ebal. Are they not on the other side of the Jordan, toward the setting sun, in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the plain opposite Gilgal, beside the terebinth trees of Moreh? For you will cross over the Jordan & go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you, & you will possess it & dwell in it. And you shall be careful to observe all the statutes & judgments which I set before you today.”
*Prov. 11:11—“By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.”
2Chr. 7:14—“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, & pray & seek My face, & turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, & will forgive their sin & heal their land.”
Mal. 3:10-12—“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts; “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts.”
Isa. 43:1-4—“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia & Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life.”
*1Pet. 3:8-9—“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
Js. 1:25—“But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty & continues in it, & is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
*Eph. 3:8-21—“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities & powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness & access with confidence through faith in Him. Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted & grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width & length & depth & height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever & ever. Amen.”
Illustration:
Mom & Dad always planned an overnight or day-trip to the NC mountains in the fall/They loved seeing the colorful fall leaves/Entire mountainsides became magnificent, awe-inspiring, beautiful blends of color/Repeated yearly in similar circumstances/RENEWED BLESSING
Weekend/Time off—Time to re-evaluate your life & work & put things into proper perspective/RENEWED BLESSING
When my wife & I were first married(before children), we lived in Savannah, GA & we would occasionally eat at a restaurant called ‘The Pirate’s House’(It is an experience for tourists!)/But for one month or so the kitchen was being refurbished & they had a seafood buffet available/On the buffet, they had a dish called ‘Oysters Savannah’/The dish was normally only served per-person on-the-half-shell(as oysters are served around Carrabelle, Eastpoint & Appalach)/But on buffet night I would always load my plate up with the ‘Oysters Savannah’/All I can remember about the recipe is that bacon played a major part/I don’t remember much but I remember that dish!—It was absolutely delicious!!/Months later we returned to ‘The Pirate’s House’ & I ordered ‘Oysters Savannah’/By then their renovation had been completed & the Oysters were brought out to me on-the-half-shell/The oysters were good delicious in fact...BUT they couldn’t hold a candle to the buffet version!/Do I quit eating oysters or quit eating altogether because I could no longer get Oysters Savannah?...No!/I needed to receive & be a RENEWED BLESSING
Some whom you try to help/bless, will not have it!...These need to re-examine God’s Blessings.
Some of you here need to begin to put your hand to the plow in order to ‘eat’ again. You have been attempting to ‘eat’ upon the ‘coat-tails’ of your past life with the Lord, when all along He has continued to invite you, not only partake, but to feast upon His goodness & blessing today!
Application:
?You need the RENEWED BLESSING of God in your life?
Renew your BLESSING thru a renewed FLESH, HEART, WORSHIP!
?Are You missing the Blessing
If you’re looking for Renewal/Restoration...
...They are experienced in a close walk with God thru Jesus.
?Are You Set for God’s Restoration?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
“I only bought a little pot.”—Maureen’s reputation needed to be Restored in the Border Patrol’s eyes.
Action:
4 settings for spiritual restoration are...
4. A RENEWED BLESSING(:11-12)
1. A RENEWED FLESH(:2-8)
2. A RENEWED HEART(:8-9)
3. A RENEWED WORSHIP(:10)
Pt. 4 only! presented 01/14/2018pm -END-to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-4 Presented 03/12/00pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, GA 31797
