DEDICATING/DEDICATION-V—Joshua 6:15-27
The Task Of Dedication
Attention:
Pastor Bob on summer vacation & visited a small country church—Congregation hot, sleepy, dozing largely because they had no air conditioning.
Their preacher says, “The best years of my life have been spent in the arms of another man’s wife!”
The Chairman of Deacons, sitting on the back pew, wakes up slams head into the wall & lets out a painful yelp—Hymn books hit the floor—Bibles drop.
The preacher then says, “That woman was my mother!”
Pastor Bob files that little trick away for future use because he’s got some sleepers in his congregation too.
Pastor Bob is before his congregation on hot summer day, & the congregation is beginning to drift.
But he then remembers the other pastor’s trick to wake them & says,
“The best years of my life have been spent in the arms of another man’s wife!”
Victoriously, the pastor gets the same reaction as the little country church he had visited!...The Chairman of Deacons, sitting on the back pew, wakes up slams head into the wall & lets out a painful yelp—Hymn books hit the floor—Bibles drop.
Pastor Bob thinks, “I’ve got ‘em now”...Until he realizes he’s forgotten the punch line!
Attempting a recovery he says, “And for the life of me I can’t remember her name!”
Pastor Bob’s joke was not fully dedicated to the Lord.
What we dedicate to God is vital for today & for our future!
What is demanded of us is to dedicate every aspect of our lives to the Lord!
Need:
We must remember that whatever we do, we do by the Lord’s direct instruction, & thus ‘for’ Him who has graced us with salvation by faith in Christ...
...God’s people DEDICATE their lives & our surroundings to Him!
2Cor. 10:3-6—“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments & every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, & being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”
The children of Israel were to dedicate the entire pagan city of Jericho—inanimate & animate—to the LORD.
Israel began the conquest of Canaan with the dedication of Jericho to the Lord.
God’s people are to begin God-given tasks by wholly dedicating/devoting them to the Lord.
How are we to devote/dedicate ourselves, our ministries, & our world to the Lord?
Some consideration toward fully dedicating ourselves to the Lord.
Previously we’ve found that Dedicating you & your world to the Lord demands the considerations of...
1. OWNERSHIP(:17a)
2. DEPENDENCY(:17b, 22-23, 25)
3. PURITY(:18a)
4. EFFECT(:18b)
5—Dedicating you & your world to the Lord demands consideration of...
The TREASURY(:19, 24b)
Explanation:(:19, 24b)
:19—“But all the silver & gold, & vessels of bronze & iron, are consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury of the LORD.”
:24b—“...Only the silver & gold, & the vessels of bronze & iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD.”
The “Treasury’s” existence & purpose is a Standing Testimony to....
GOD’S—Divinity/ Sovereignty/ Faithfulness/ Provision/ Holiness/ Worth/etc...
...And likewise the “Treasury” is a testimony to the—Call/ Trust/ Charge/ Purpose/ Dependence of God’s people.
Most temples/shrines of lesser gods had/have treasuries associated with them. The one mentioned here is a particular “treasury”, “the treasury of the LORD.”
The “Treasury” of the LORD was many things—
1)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s bountiful blessing, to His people ...& even to the profane.
2)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s provision, apart from worldly riches. That is to say, ‘The devil’s had it(that resource) long enough!’
3)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s provision, thru those separated from the commonwealth of Israel(Ps. 23:5a).
4)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s provision, of resources for those that are His servants(Levites/priesthood).
5)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s provision, of resources for His physical/tangible presence(tabernacle/corporate worship). A depository for the acceptance of & disbursement for upkeep of Tabernacle/Temple.
6)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s provision, for His people as a source of ‘purchasing power’ among the nations thru Almighty God. Undertaken as a nation/body & thru the Tabernacle/Priesthood of YHWH.
7)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s omnipotent abundance, beyond overflowing.
8)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s power, to undermine/dispossess/destroy even those of seemingly great power & ability. Retaining the ‘spoils of battle’ presented a means of declaring as negligible, all but YHWH.
9)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s ownership, as a financial hedge against encroaching enemies.
10)A constant & tangible reminder of the LORD’s purity, as all the Dedicated items were removed from any common & personal use, by placing them within the watchcare & oversight of all that was associated with the Tabernacle/Temple, including the priests & Levites.
11)A constant & tangible reminder of the vulnerability of the LORD’s servants. God’s people are completely dependent upon YHWH.
“Metals” were to be “removed from common use by being placed in the treasury of the sanctuary where they would provide for the necessities of the sanctuary & the priests.”—EBC
Later in David’s day, there were several men in charge of the treasuries(plural)(1Chron. 26:20-26).
1Chron. 26:20-26—“Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasuries of the house of God & over the treasuries of the dedicated things. The sons of Laadan, the descendants of the Gershonites of Laadan, heads of their fathers’ houses, of Laadan the Gershonite: Jehieli. The sons of Jehieli, Zetham & Joel his brother, were over the treasuries of the house of the LORD. Of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, & the Uzzielites: Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was overseer of the treasuries. And his brethren by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, & Shelomith his son. This Shelomith & his brethren were over all the treasuries of the dedicated things which King David & the heads of fathers’ houses, the captains over thousands & hundreds, & the captains of the army, had dedicated.”
After the temple was built, “there were treasuries of the House of God located in the courts of the Temple.”—ISBE1988
“When King Hazael of Syria threatened” to conquer Jerusalem, “King Jehoash of Judah depleted the treasuries of the Lord in order to buy off The king of Syria(2Kgs. 12:17ff.). Such depletion occurred on at least six other occasions by different kings(1Kgs. 14:25ff.; 15:18; 2Kgs. 14:14; 16:8; 18:15; 24:12ff.)”—ISBE1988.
•Such actions by the king would have brought to mind all of the former provisions of YHWH(see above) for His people Israel. That reminder should serve to draw the people back to God.
All those things which would not be burned with fire—precious metals—without exception—“all the silver & gold & articles of bronze & iron”, were to be willingly given into the “treasury.” The things destined for the treasury consisted of those things which have no life & can pass thru fire unscathed.
•This presents a picture of God’s cleansing fire. Anything that could pass thru fire unscathed(Num. 31:22-23a)—“all the silver & gold, & vessels of bronze & iron”—was considered “clean”, or fit for God’s use.
Num. 31:22-23a—“Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, & the lead, everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, & it shall be clean...”
•Later, in the New Testament, the reality is shown to be that the presence & actions of Christ in bringing actual cleansing thru the Holy Spirit & the ‘fire.’ It is a separation of what is consecrated to God versus what is consecrated to earthliness. Only that which passes the scrutiny of the fire of God’s determinations by the Holy Spirit enters heaven!
Mat. 3:11-12—John the Baptist declared—““I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He[Jesus] who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit & fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, & He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, & gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.””
“All”—lk kol OR--lwk kowl—Noun Masc.—1) All, the whole. Strong—properly--The whole; hence--All, any or every(in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).
“Silver”—Pok keh’-sef—Noun Masc.—1) Silver, money—1a) Silver—1a1) As metal, 1a2) As ornament, 1a3) As color, 1b) Money, shekels, talents. Strong—from Pok kaw-saf';[a primitive root; properly--To become pale, i.e. by implication--To pine after; also--To fear]; Silver(from its pale color); by implication--Money.
“Gold”—bhz zaw-hawb’—Noun Masc.—1) Gold—1a) As precious metal, 1b) As a measure of weight, 1c) Of brilliance, splendor(fig.). Strong—from an unused root meaning to shimmer; Gold, figuratively--Something gold-colored(i.e. yellow), as oil, a clear sky.
“Vessels/Articles”—ylk kel-eey’—Noun Masc.—1) Article, vessel, implement, utensil—1a) Article, object(general), 1b) Utensil, implement, apparatus, vessel—1b1) Implement(of hunting or war), 1b2) Implement(of music), 1b3) Implement, tool(of labor), 1b4) Equipment, yoke(of oxen), 1b5) Utensils, furniture, 1c) Vessel, receptacle(general), 1d) Vessels(boats) of paper-reed. Strong—something prepared, i.e. any apparatus(as an implement, utensil, dress, vessel or weapon).?From—hlk kaw-law'; a primitive root; To end, whether intransitive--To cease, be finished, perish, or transitive--To complete, prepare, consume.
“Bronze”—tvxn nekh-o’-sheth—Noun Masc.—1) Copper, bronze—1a) Copper(ore), bronze(as copper alloy), 1b) Fetters(of copper or bronze), 1c) Copper(as value); 2) Lust, harlotry—2a) meaning dubious. Strong—Copper, hence, something made of that metal, i.e. Coin, a fetter; figuratively--Base(as compared with gold or silver).
“Iron”—lzrb bar-zel’—Noun Masc.—1) Iron—1a) Iron—1a1) Iron ore, 1a2) As material of furniture, utensils, implements; 2) Tool of iron; 3) Harshness, strength, oppression(fig.). Strong—Iron(as cutting); by extension--An iron implement.?‘Barzillai’=‘Iron-hearted’
“Consecrated/Holy/Sacred”—vdq ko’-desh—Noun Masc.—1) Apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness—1a) Apartness, sacredness, holiness—1a1) Of God, 1a2) Of places, 1a3) Of things, 1b) Set-apartness, separateness. Strong—A sacred place or thing; rarely abstract--Sanctity.
“LORD”2X—hwhy Yeh-ho-vaw’—Noun Proper Deity—Jehovah = “the existing One”—1) The proper name of the one true God—1a) unpronounced except with the vowel pointings of ynda Ad-o-noy’. Strong—from hyh[To exist, be, become, come to pass]; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God.
“Come”—awb bow’—Qal Imperfect—1) To go in, enter, come, go, come in; 1a) (Qal)--1a1) To enter, come in, 1a2) To come—1a2a) To come with, 1a2b) To come upon, fall or light upon, attack(enemy), 1a2c) To come to pass, 1a3) To attain to, 1a4) To be enumerated, 1a5) To go; 1b) (Hiphil)--1b1) To lead in, 1b2) To carry in, 1b3) To bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon, 1b4) To bring to pass; 1c) (Hophal)--1c1) To be brought, brought in, 1c2) To be introduced, be put. Strong—a primitive root; To go or come(in a wide variety of applications).
“Treasury”—ruwa ow-tsawr’—Noun Masc.—1) Treasure, storehouse—1a) Treasure(gold, silver, etc.), 1b) Store, supplies of food or drink, 1c) Treasure-house, treasury—1c1) Treasure-house, 1c2) Storehouse, magazine, 1c3) Treasury, 1c4) Magazine of weapons(fig. of God's armory), 1c5) Storehouses(of God for rain, snow, hail, wind, sea). Strong—A depository.?From—rua aw-tsar'; a primitive root; To store up.
Argumentation:
Gen. 1:1—“In the beginning God created the heavens & the earth.”
Gen. 1:31-2:3—“Then God saw everything that He had made, & indeed it was very good. So the evening & the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens & the earth, & all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, & He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day & sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created & made.”
What in your life, has your Lord ‘set apart’ for Himself?
Lk. 20:22-25—“’Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" But He detected their trickery & said to them, "Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness & inscription does it have?" And they said, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, & to God the things that are God’s.”
Is the money for which you are responsible—is it your own, to do with as you wish, or is it actually God’s money? If you are a Christian...if you are one of God’s people, then the day you committed yourself to God thru Christ, then you also simultaneously committed all of your resources to Him!
Ex. 13:2—“Consecrate to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man & beast; it is Mine.”
Ex. 19:5—‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice & keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.”
•Titus 2:11-14—“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness & worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, & godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope & glorious appearing of our great God & Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed & purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
•1Cor. 10:27-28—“If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, & you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, & for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the LORD’S, & all its fullness.”
Lev. 25:23, 55—“‘The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers & sojourners with Me.”..... “‘For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”
Ps. 50:10-12—“For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, And the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, & all its fullness.”
Num. 8:14—“Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the children of Israel, & the Levites shall be Mine.”
Ps. 3:8—“Salvation belongs to the LORD....”
Ps. 24:1-2—A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’S, & all its fullness, The world & those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters.”
Lk. 14:28-32, 33—Jesus said,—“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first & count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it--lest, after he has laid the foundation, & is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, “saying, ‘This man began to build & was not able to finish.’ “Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first & consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation & asks conditions of peace.”
•:33—“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
•Lk. 14:25-27—“Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned & said to them, “If anyone comes to Me & does not hate his father & mother, wife & children, brothers & sisters, yes, & his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross & come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
What comes into your life that is unscathed by the perfect ‘fire’ of heaven’s perfection?
Do you surrender to God, that which has come into your possession?
Everything created is at God’s disposal...To do with as He pleases!...To provide for His people! He has entrusted all of His possessions to people, to do with as they please, BUT with the intent of our recognizing Him as our worthy provider!...& thus God entrusts His people to use His possessions in accordance with His will!
Your purpose can be restored, by God’s provision!
Your direction can be restored, by God’s provision!
Your relationships can be restored, by God’s provision!
Your family can be restored, by God’s provision!
Your spouse can be restored, by God’s provision!
Your children can be restored, by God’s provision!
Your career can be restored, by God’s provision!
BUT...in order to see their restoration, you MUST personally surrender all those things to Him thru Jesus Christ!
Illustration:
House or Car payments/Most loans are just that—loans! The money is loaned to you on the basis of your accepting the thing being purchased as collateral for the lender in case the pay-er falls short of their obligation/So—If you(the borrower) spend your paycheck-income on things other than the repayment of your loan...then the lender(bank/credit union) determines that your attempted purchase item, will come back into the possession of the lender—which is a situation also known as—‘foreclosure’(to close out the loan before it is due)/Consideration of The TREASURY...
In Cordele, GA there used to be a particular manufactured(mobile) Home dealership/It was called ‘American Mobile Homes’/Of course it had a Sales lot with a few model homes/But right across the street was the ‘Repossession’ lot where you could get a ‘gently used’ home for much less than new, which obviously existed because some potential home buyers took no Consideration of The TREASURY
Titheing/The basis of titheing is ‘regular’-‘faith’-‘giving’/Consideration of The TREASURY
Application:
?You Remembered the significance of The TREASURY?
?Does the stench/impurity of the world remain on what you hold to yourself?
?Are you truly Dedicated to God?.....?By & For Whom, do you do what you do?...?Yourself or the Savior?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Pastor Bob's forgotten punch line—His joke was not fully dedicated to the Lord.
Action:
Dedicating you & your world to the Lord recalls/demands consideration of...
5. The TREASURY(:19, 24b)
1. OWNERSHIP(:17a)
2. DEPENDENCY(:17b, 22-23, 25)
3. PURITY(:18a)
4. EFFECT(:18b)
Pt# 5 only! Presented 08/25/2019am to:
FBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave. SW(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 1-4 Presented 04/09/2000pm to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Rd.
Whigham, GA 31797
