OF A DIFFERENT SPIRIT
(by brother Tarran Dookie)
ENOCH
Gen 5:21-24 And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Genesis chapter 5 gives the generation of Adam up to the time of Noah. Most of the people lived in excess of 900 years. But Enoch departed this earthly life when he was 365 years. However, he did not die for God took him. Why did God take him? God did so because Enoch walked with Him. He began to walk with God after he begot Methuselah. The birth of Methuselah represents a turning point or crisis in the life of Enoch. It is from this point that we are told that he walked with God. Many a believer can testify that it took a crisis, a special problem or difficulty to deepen their spiritual walk. It resulted in drawing closer to God and depending upon Him to resolve the difficulty.
We learn from Jude 14-15 that Enoch was a prophet of God, the first one we have recorded as giving a prophesy. He prophesied that the Lord will come with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment. Before the Lord comes to execute judgment the saints will be translated. 'Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.' Enoch being caught up unto God typifies the translation of the saints.
Enoch's walk with God had to be deep and especial. Among the prophets only Elijah and Enoch did not die. Such a walk with God involves deep fellowship and total consecration. Being caught up in God in spirit, he was caught up bodily as well. Let us walk with God that we would be translated at the sound of the last trump and not be found wanting.
CALEB
Num 13:26-33 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Num 14:20-24 And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word: But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Moses had sent twelve leaders from the tribes of Israel to search out the land of Canaan. Ten of these spies gave a report that greatly discouraged the children of Israel. Although they acknowledged the bountifulness of the land, the presence of the giants in the land made them afraid. According to them the enemy was stronger than they.
However, Caleb sought to encourage the people and he said that the children of Israel were able to overcome the giants of the land. But the people would not heed and actually wanted to return to Egypt. Caleb and Joshua rent their clothes and again sought to encourage the people. Again they paid no heed and wanted to stone these two faithful spies. This is when the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle and God was about to strike the children of Israel for their murmurings and unbelief. Moses interceded for them but God swore that the murmurers would not enter Canaan's land. Only Caleb and Joshua did enter the land.
God was well pleased with the spirit of Caleb. He had another spirit, a different spirit from the rest. The sad reality today is that too many Christians are carnally minded. Paul told the Corinthians that they were carnal and to the Hebrews he said that they were babes when they should have been teachers, unable to eat meat and still needing milk. God wants a people today who are of a different spirit, a people who will not be afraid of the giants. Let us follow God fully and He shall make the giants bread for us.
PHINEHAS
Num 25:1,6-13 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab... And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; And he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.
Ps 106:30-31 Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed. And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.
This plague was brought about by the idolatry of the people of Israel who bowed down before the gods of the Moabites. Twenty-four thousand were killed in the plague but the zeal of Phinehas stayed the plague. What a display of holy anger! He did not sit idly by but he was zealous for his God. We should not just frown at the abomination and idolatry that is overtaking the church. The doctrines of Balaam and Jezebel is among God's people (Rev 2: 14, 20). Are we moved to holy anger by it or are we sitting idly by? Let us speak out against it, let us act, let us be of a different spirit and not follow the multitude.
God will not forget our zeal nor will He ignore our agony over the sins of His people. He shall reward us. Phinehas was given the covenant of peace and his zeal was counted unto him for righteousness. May the zeal of the Lord be upon us that we may execute His judgment.
JABEZ
1Chr 4:9-10 And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
The first eight chapters of the first book of Chronicles record the genealogies of the tribes of Israel. But in the midst of the various genealogies we have this small passage telling us about Jabez from the tribe of Judah. His mother gave him the name Jabez because she bore him with sorrow. But Jabez chose not to live up to his name. He had caused sorrow but he did not want to continue causing sorrow and be grieved by it. He cried out to God for a blessing, for enlargement, to be kept from evil. He wanted God's hand to be with him. God was well pleased with such a request and granted him what he asked for. He was singled out for this. He was pronounced more honourable than his brethren.
Have we not caused sorrow to Him who gave us a new birth? Has our life been what it ought to be? It is time that we lay hold of God and cry out to Him to change us and to change our circumstances, to bless us and make us a blessing. Those with a different spirit God shall wean and separate and make more honourable. May we be well-pleasing unto Him.
ANTIPAS
Rev 2:13 I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Apart from John who wrote the book, Antipas is the only believer mentioned by name in Revelation. You may not be significant in the eyes of men but if you are living for the Lord Jesus, He takes note of you. Antipas will always be remembered as the Lord's faithful martyr. We are not told anything else about him except that he was a faithful martyr. He dwelt where Satan's seat was. Let us understand that this world has gone after Satan but God has a few who have not defiled their garments, who will stay faithful even unto death.
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