“They sinned still more against [God],
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
They tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God, saying,
'Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
He struck the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?'
“Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
because they did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.
Yet he commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven,
and he rained down on them manna to eat
and gave them the grain of heaven.
Man ate of the bread of the angels;
he sent them food in abundance.
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
he rained meat on them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
he let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
And they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.
But before they had satisfied their craving,
while the food was still in their mouths,
the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed the strongest of them
and laid low the young men of Israel.” [1]
Talk about ingratitude! In the account detailing how the LORD led His people out of Egyptian bondage, we witness a disturbing display of ingratitude. Moses recorded the account of God’s might and power pitted against the gods of Egypt. His power was displayed on behalf of His people. The might of the sole world superpower of that day was insufficient to defeat the Lord GOD. The contest ended about as you would expect. The final score was God – 1, Egypt – 0.
As an aside of considerable interest, the combined might of the nations would be no more effective against the Lord in this day. Have they never read,
“Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
‘Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.’
“He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
‘As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.’”
[PSALM 2:1-6]
Perhaps you recall another Psalm that depicts the inability of the nations to stop the LORD from doing what He wills. In that Psalm, we witness the Psalmist writing,
“The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
He utters his voice, the earth melts.”
[PSALM 46:6]
God needs but speak and those who think they can depose Him melt away into nothing. And when we align ourselves with the Lord, we are victorious in every situation. Truly has the Lord spoken,
“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The LORD is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.”
[PSALM 118:6-7]
The LORD our God is the victor in every contest, and we also are victorious when we stand with Him. Truly, He is our Rock [e.g. PSALM 18:2], our Fortress [e.g. PSALM 59:9], our Shield [e.g. PSALM 84:11] and our Defender [e.g. ISAIAH 19:20].
Turning again to our text, we read that as the people journeyed toward the Land of Promise, the people began to complain. Moses dutifully recorded what was happening. “[Israel] set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, ‘Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger’” [EXODUS 16:1-3].
Is it possible that people who have been blessed with freedom after years in slavery would long to return to slavery? Is it possible that people who have received such rich gifts that God alone can give would actually consider going back to live on the husks that litter the pigpen? Doesn’t such ingratitude seem utterly ridiculous when it is presented in that way. It is not only possible that people freed from slavery would wish to return to the thralldom they had once known, but we know that it is an ever-present possibility. Though we have been delivered from the slavery we knew when we were in the world, each of us has known the allure that grips our mind and beckons us to leave the peace we know to turn again to the bright lights glaring against the darkened skies.
The prodigal longed to feed himself with pods that the pigs ate, though he brought upon himself the sorrow he then experienced because he thought he could be in control of his own life. Peter determined that he would go back to fishing after he had denied the Lord. And this was despite the fact that he had brought the disgrace upon himself by seeking to be near the crowd rather than stand resolutely against even giving the appearance of evil. Our text this day reveals widespread ingratitude as a free people complain against a gracious God.
REBELLION AGAINST THE MOST HIGH —
“Yet they sinned still more against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
They tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God, saying,
'Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
He struck the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?'
Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
because they did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.”
[PSALM 78:17-22]
God is gracious to all, but not all who receive God’s goodness and mercy are willing to acknowledge the grace they have received. Have you never heard the words Jesus spoke during the Sermon on the Mount, when He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” [MATTHEW 5:43-48].
What a contrast Jesus makes between the view that seemingly prevails in society that dictates how we are to respond to those about us, and the way in which God responds to us. Jesus notes that God makes His sun rise on the evil and the good. He sends rain on the just and the unjust. Each of us as members of the human race are blessed, and yet the most of us fail to recognise the goodness that God is showering upon us. We don’t think about the source of our daily blessings. And for all that, our ignorance does not change the goodness of God. God demonstrates grace toward all mankind.
You may recall that during the first missionary tour, the Apostles were confronted by people wanting to worship them as gods. However, the missionaries restrained them, rushing into the midst of the crowd while crying out, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” [ACTS 14:15-17]. The message Paul shouted out as he tried to restrain the good intentions of the people was, “God is good to all mankind, and His goodness is not withheld because people are evil.”
I dare not speak of the goodness of God without noting the manner in which the Apostle opens his letter written to the Christians in Rome. Take note of the first chapter of the Letter to the Romans. Paul asserts his commitment to the Gospel of Christ, writing, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’” [ROMANS 1:16-17].
Having positioned himself as standing boldly with the Gospel, the Apostle then focuses on the dark nature of society. He was looking in particular on Gentile society, especially as he was then witnessing that society on display in the city of Corinth and as it was acknowledged to be lived out in the city of Rome. Therefore, the Apostle writes, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him” [ROMANS 1:18-21a].
The record of the dark character of fallen mankind that follows is the natural consequence of a lack of gratitude toward God. Refusing to be thankful toward God, culture begins a rapid descent into ruin and moral degradation. Underscore that dreadful thought in your mind—a failure to be grateful to God leads to unimaginable wickedness. This is precisely the dark condition that is rapidly settling over contemporary western society. And I fear that there is no turning back from the plunge that will lead us to being cast onto the garbage heap of history alongside of other once great societies.
We assumed that we deserve the blessings we now enjoy. We thought that our very existence was the reason we have been blessed so richly. We imagined that it was our strength and our wisdom that has secured the freedoms and the comforts we have; and we concluded that we really didn’t need to acknowledge the goodness of the Lord God. Bereft of God’s blessing, we began to assume that moral restraints were a burden we could jettison without consequence. The growing threat to freedom and peace should have been a wakeup call, but we were blinded by our own supposed greatness so we could not realise the growing danger, leaving us to stumble from one crisis to the next.
Long years before this present date, the LORD cautioned Israel not to assume that they possessed what lay within their oversight was the result of their own ingenuity and their own wisdom. God blessed Israel; yet, in their arrogance the people presumed against God. The cautionary words of the LORD need to be heard once more by the western world today.
The LORD warned Israel through Moses, “Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God” [DEUTERONOMY 8:11-20]. Take care lest you forget…
And just as He warned His ancient people, so God warns us who live in this day. If we do not heed Him, if we ignore His Word, then nothing remains for us save divine judgement. And one of the great tragedies of divine judgement is that when it is unleashed on a society, all alike within that culture suffer. The redeemed are caught up in the harsh judgements as are the wicked. In one sense, I suspect the redeemed suffer more in that they immediately recognise the reason for the judgement poured out on the nation. The wicked may try to characterise what has happened as mere happenstance, as unavoidable, as unintended, but the righteous will know that the people have brought the judgement of God upon themselves. And that knowledge intensifies their grief.
GOD’S RESPONSE TO REBELLION —
“Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
because they did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.
Yet he commanded the skies above
and opened the doors of heaven,
and he rained down on them manna to eat
and gave them the grain of heaven.
Man ate of the bread of the angels;
he sent them food in abundance.
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
he rained meat on them like dust,
winged birds like the sand of the seas;
he let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
And they ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they craved.
But before they had satisfied their craving,
while the food was still in their mouths,
the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed the strongest of them
and laid low the young men of Israel.”
[PSALM 78:21-31]
The Lord’s wrath was kindled because the nation did not believe in God, because they did not trust His saving power. Societies take on the character of the most prominent people within that society. Though a given society may choose a godly person to lead, if the culture is resistant to grace and determined to do evil, even godly leadership will be unable to avert the judgement of God. In a similar vein, in a democratic society it is more than likely that the leaders of that society reflect the character of the electorate. If the people are recalcitrant and refractory toward righteousness and toward God, they will almost inevitably look to individuals displaying the same characteristics to provide leadership. Such action only cements the inevitability of divine judgement.
You may recall the poignant warning we are given in the Letter to Hebrew Christians: “We know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” [HEBREWS 10:30-31]. Little man, your hands are too short to box with God. Shall you actually prevail when you imagine you can fight against the One Who gives you your being? He holds the power of life and death over you! You cannot prevail against God.
Jesus has warned all, “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” [LUKE 12:4-5]! It is one thing to fear being killed, to fear losing your physical life; it is quite another thing to face the possibility of being cast into hell, of being forever separated from grace. The thought of being separated from all that is good and from all that is positive is terrifying. Is it even possible for any of us to imagine being separated from the love of God, to even begin to grasp the concept of never hearing a kind word, to be removed forever from hope or from love? There is genuine terror in such a concept.
We are strange creatures. We are frightened at the thought of dying. The Bible notes this innate fear that touches each of us when the writer of the Hebrew Letter wrote, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, [Christ] himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” [HEBREWS 2:14-15].
Note that it is “fear of death” that holds us in “lifelong slavery.” I suppose that is to be expected. I’ve often pointed out; that we are tripartite beings possessing a body, though each of us is a living soul and we each have a spirit that must return to God. We understand this is the case when we allow ourselves to think about our situation, but our primary focus is nevertheless the physical aspect of our being. We are terrified at the thought of dying, though we don’t often pause to think that what is truly frightening is the knowledge that we will no longer exist. In other words, though focused on the physical act, it is the knowledge that the soul will no longer be in the realm of the living. We will no longer have the stimulations that define us now, and we are uncomfortable at that thought. We are terrified because we imagine that we will no longer be able to think.
We can’t grasp the concept of an existence without stimulation. But is that even realistic? The Westminster divines were correct when they stated that, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever.” [2] Truly, if we are to enjoy God forever, our senses will be stimulated as never before as we worship the Infinite God. We ourselves will begin to be filled with the sense of the infinite because of the One Whom we worship. Is this not the promise witnessed as we read the words of the Psalmist?
“Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
“For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
hat I may tell of all your works.”
[PSALM 73:25-28]
Contemporary society chooses leaders reflecting the nature of society, but the character of contemporary society appears to be guided in disproportionate fashion by the entertainers of our culture. Entertainment rather than thinking, vapid imagination rather than thoughtful consideration appears to direct our thinking. To our detriment, movie and television stars, musicians and influencers set the standard for much of society. And these people so adulated by the unthinking masses are seldom noted for righteousness, much less for their intelligence. These drones appear to have concluded that they are worthy of being heard because they are adored, admired, and adulated by the masses. This situation tragically proves the adage that politics is downstream from culture. [3]
But is rebellion against God actually that bad? May I remind you of what an unnamed writer said concerning rebellion against the Living God? “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said,
‘Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’
For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked 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 that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
“Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
‘As I swore in my wrath,
“They shall not enter my rest,”’
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world” [HEBREWS 3:12-4:3].
Through His Word, the Lord reaches back to events that occurred during the exodus from Egypt. There were among the nation of Israel many who agreed to the reign of the LORD over their lives. Then, when the going began to be demanding, they rebelled; they were unwilling to continue with God as their leader. The consequence of their choice was far greater than they could have imagined. Though they had witnessed the Lord’s might and power as He delivered them, and though He was providing for them as they trekked through the desert, they came to the opinion that they could do a better job of directing their lives than had the Living God. The cost to them was that they were debarred from entering into the Land of Rest.
To those who grumbled against God’s goodness at that time, the LORD promised, “As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.” Then, God avowed, “I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die” [NUMBERS 14:28-35].
Even their children, whom they had presented as the reason for their rebellion, would suffer; those very children whom that generation attempted to use as an excuse for their rebellion would be compelled, together with those of the generation of their parents, to wander through the trackless desert for forty years. Together, all would be kept from the land promised because of the refusal of the prior generation to believe God’s Word. However, at the last, those same children whom their parents attempted to use as an excuse were the ones who would cross over the Jordan and enter the Promised Land. Nevertheless, it was only after all the members of the rebellious generation to which their parents belonged had dropped dead in the desert. Each member of that older generation would know as each grave was dug in the desert that this was the result of the sin of those who had rebelled against God.
I cannot imagine the terror the rebels experienced as God began to exact the full measure of punishment for rebellion. Surely, the words cited by the writer of the Letter to Hebrew Christians is true, “We know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” [HEBREWS 10:30-31].
When the first individuals from that generation began to drop dead, those members remaining knew that the divine sentence was real. As a man fell to the earth, his wife and his children would know it was the result of rebellion against the God Who had shown such grace. As a woman fell ill, and as the illness progressed, she would know, as would her husband and her children that this was the result of refusal to obey the Word of the Living God. Each new grave in the desert would testify to the sin that was embraced. From that time when the people rebelled, each member of that generation would waken in terror with each new day wondering if that would be their last day on earth. They would retire to bed each evening wondering if there would be a tomorrow for them. They would look at their children wondering if they would be there when evening came to see them. As they neared the fortieth year of wandering, all doubt would have been removed, and each surviving member of that generation would know that their days would soon end. Indeed, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” And each Israelite would assuredly know that rebellion against the Living God was a fool’s game, for God is more powerful than the puerile imagination of man.
RESPONDING TO GOD’S JUDGEMENT —
“In spite of all this, they still sinned;
despite his wonders, they did not believe.
So he made their days vanish like a breath,
and their years in terror.
When he killed them, they sought him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God their redeemer.
But they flattered him with their mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
Their heart was not steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
Yet he, being compassionate,
atoned for their iniquity
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
and did not stir up all his wrath.
He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes and comes not again.”
[PSALM 78:32-39]
I was raised by one of those old-fashioned dads who believed that the board of education should be applied to the seat of knowledge whenever appropriate. And I am a better man because I did have such a dad. The wisdom that I gained through such fatherly concern served to encourage me to focus on what was crucial to becoming a man. Dad believed that hard work and responsibilities around the house would provide training that would be essential for a growing boy to become a man.
He did on occasion find it necessary to hand me his Old Timer pocketknife with the instruction that I needed to find an elm switch that would be used to assist me in discovering some flaw in my ability to reason. Admittedly, I became a connoisseur of switches. Too big, and the switch would bruise. Too small, and the switch would sting. I do know that elm trees send out a steady supply of saplings that are always available to serve as a switch for a mischievous boy. Not even the snows of winter will totally eliminate those dreaded memory aids.
I learned some valuable lessons from those “study sessions” administered by my dad. If I tried to pull away from him, it allowed him to make a full swing with that dreaded sapling. His hands, made strong through his years of labour as a blacksmith, gripped my hand tightly. I could not escape from those powerful arms that had held glowing plowshares steady with hand-forged tongs as a triphammer beat the hot metal. Though I could not escape his powerful grasp, I quickly discovered that if I moved close to him to hug him, he couldn’t get a full swing and the switching, which I admittedly deserved, didn’t hurt nearly so badly. Something like that is true when we are disciplined by the Lord. Try to run, and the pain of discipline is greater than if we turn to Him in contrition and repentance.
I must wonder whether Canada has witnessed divine judgement during these past several years and we are too obtuse to realise what has happened. We are a godless society, as becomes increasingly evident with each passing day. Perhaps you wouldn’t think that we are more godless today than we were yesterday, or even more godless than we were a week ago. However, even a brief time of reflection will startle most of us. Can you remember a time when the womb of a pregnant woman was sacrosanct and a child in the womb was protected by law? Can you remember when doctors held to the Hippocratic oath, refusing to assist a sick person, or one who was deeply despondent, to take his or her own life? Can you recall a day when marriage was between a man and a woman, and that union was seen as vital to a healthy society? Do you recall when there was no confusion about whether a person was a male or a female, and little boys knew they were boys, and little girls understood they were girls? Can you remember when teachers taught their students how to think rather than indoctrinating them? The situations I’ve just described describe life for most Canadians in the not-so-distant past. But things have changed, and not necessarily for the better!
I’m not certain that things are going to change any time soon. The opposition against God and against His righteousness is strong, and those who have seized power over modern society will not willingly relinquish the grip they now have. Nevertheless, there is a God, and He holds all power. I’m not about to advocate that we rage against the wickedness of those who are now destroying society. Neither do I intend to urge any follower of the Risen Lord of Glory to resort of the weapons of this world to fight against the evil that now spreads inexorably across the landscape. I do, however, call upon the people of God to take seriously their vital place in the midst of a broken world.
First, look to God rather than look at the conditions that now exist. Noah was recognised as a man who walked with the Lord though he lived in the midst of a wicked world that was ultimately destroyed. He did not spend his time worrying about the evil that was being advanced around Him; rather, he walked with God. He took time to hear the voice of the Lord and time to speak with the Lord. You, also, can take time to hear the voice of the Living God as you allow Him to speak to you through His Word. You can have time to hear Him speak as you pause to allow your mind to reflect on what He has said in His Word.
Just as Noah spoke with the Lord, you, also can speak with the Lord, telling Him of your concerns and pleading with Him for mercy for those about you. Pray especially for those whom you love—your family, your friends and neighbours, and your colleagues at work. Pray that God will enable you to reveal the love of God to them and that He will speak to their heart through your gentle and quiet spirit. I still hold to the thought that the promise of the Saviour is true: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” [JOHN 14:12-14].
But here is a battle plan that must be put into action. “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit” [EPHESIANS 6:14-18].
Yes, this is a war, and we are forced into battle whether we want to fight or not. However, we fight with weapons this world does not recognise. Do you remember how the Apostle to the Gentiles instructed followers of Christ? He wrote to the Corinthians, “Though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” [2 CORINTHIANS 10:3-5].
We equip ourselves to confront evil with righteousness. We study to know the mind of Christ so that we can refute the errors of the wicked of this world. We prayerfully expose evil as evil, refusing to compromise with that which is dishonouring to our Master. We prepare ourselves to repudiate the foolish arguments that are generated in a vain effort to bamboozle the darkened minds of this fallen world. God will give us wisdom to know when to speak and how we should speak, just as He promised when He said, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” [MATTHEW 10:16-20].
How comforting it is to know that it is the Spirit of your Father speaking through you when you are compelled to answer those of this world. Though you may second-guess what is said, questioning whether your words could have been stronger, rest assured that the Father has used you to speak precisely as He intended. Dear people, either our God is in control, or we are in charge. I like it far better when my Father controls my speech.
Wickedness abounds, and it will continue, without doubt. And yet, God is on the throne. And it pleases the Father to use you who walk with the Saviour to glorify His Name. Don’t allow yourself to slip into the error of giving credence to the wickedness of this fallen world. Serve Christ and always honour Him. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] The Westminster Shorter Catechism: With Scripture Proofs, 3rd ed. (Logos Research Systems, Inc., Oak Harbor, WA 1996)
[3] See Timothy S. Goeglein, The Man in the Middle: An Inside Account of Faith and Politics in the George W. Bush Era (B&H Books, Nashville, TN 2011)
