Spiritcode

The Bronze Serpent

TRIAL NUMBER 9.

Numbers 21:5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents (fiery - from the copper colour plus the poisonous inflammation) among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
So the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take the serpents away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

NOT TRUSTING GOD ALLOWS THE SERPENTS TO BRING DEATH.

‘The Lord sent fiery serpents’. The serpents were already out there – copper coloured poisonous desert snakes. Because the people could no longer trust the goodness of God to them God lifted his protection from Israel and the snakes came in to bite and cause death.
In the Garden of Eden the serpent was also already out there, and God let the serpent in to do his tempting with the forbidden fruit to show that Adam and Eve no longer trusted the goodness of God. And that allowed the serpent to bring death and separation.

The fruit was seen by them as good and pleasant and desirable. But when the desire to grasp and eat the fruit was fulfilled in them the drastic separation of sin occurred. ‘In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die’ (Genesis 2:17). The desire for self gratification overcame their desire for God.

GOD SETS ABOUT TO OVERCOME THE SEPARATION OF SIN IN US.

Isaiah 59:2 Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you…
Sin comes from the lurking mindset of separation that was always resident in humanity and causes us to miss the mark, looking in the wrong direction.

Isaiah 45:22 Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.
This looking is directed at our minds (Isaiah 12:6 – ‘you will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon you).

The Law was designed to get people to walk closely with God and not be separate from him. David loved the Law for this reason - but the lurking separation mindset remained, always at the door. David’s sins came back to bite him. The law was unable to fully deal with the mindset of separation.

THE STRATEGY OF THE SERPENT’S TEMPTATION IS TO BRING SEPARATION AND DEATH
James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires (longing) and enticed (trapped). Then, when desire (longing) has conceived (is grasped), it gives birth to sin (missing the mark, going off course); and sin, when it is full-grown (totally off course – 180), brings forth death (separation)

In this trial (NUMBER 9) he sent serpents to bite them to get them to look in the right direction – to turn back to God and not live in separation from God in their minds and hearts.

We look to Jesus (Hebrews 12:2, 2Corinthians 10:5) who became sin for us on the cross and caused the serpent to be judged (John 16:11).

John 3:12 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Looking to Jesus is bringing our thoughts into captivity to him – from separated to non-separated.

 

Angry to gentle

Numbers 20:1 A great mob formed, and they held a protest meeting; "Would that we too had died with our dear brothers the Lord killed! "they shouted at Moses. "You have deliberately brought us into this wilderness to get rid of us, along with our flocks and herds. Why did you ever make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this evil place? Where is the fertile land of wonderful crops--the figs, vines, and pomegranates you told us about? Why, there isn't even water enough to drink!" Moses and Aaron turned away and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where they fell face downward before the Lord; and the glory of Jehovah appeared to them. And he said to Moses, "Get Aaron's rod; then you and Aaron must summon the people. As they watch, speak to that rock over there and tell it to pour out its water! You will give them water from a rock, enough for all the people and all their cattle!" So Moses did as instructed. He took the rod from the place where it was kept before the Lord; then Moses and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock; and he said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this rock?" Then Moses lifted the rod and struck the rock twice, and water gushed out; and the people drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron," Because you did not believe me and did not sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, you shall not bring them into the land I have promised them!"
Moses and Aaron became angry and shouted at the people they were given authority over to protect and provide for (Devil is in the decibels). The result was that they did not enter into what they could have received of the promise of God. Anger causes us to miss out on what God has for us.

Husbands and wives – The authority that lays down its life
1Peter 3:7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, as heirs with you of the grace of life so that your prayers are not hindered.

Parents and children – The authority that directs corrects and encourages
Ephesians 6:4 And now a word to you fathers. Don't keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful. Rather, bring them up with the loving discipline the Lord himself approves of, with suggestions and godly advice.

The Church – The authority that nurtures and feeds
1Thessalonians 2:7 As Apostles we could have made demands upon you, but we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. So we had such care for you that we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us.
There is a selfless protective anger that is directed against the harm that people in our care can be threatened with, such as protecting our family from attack. That is like God’s wrath against darkness.
There are two kinds of wrath.
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

One another – The mutual submission of one to another so that all will be blessed
Matthew 5:21 You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not kill. If you do, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! Put in simple terms anger kills relationships.
1Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and gentle. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
“Behold I make all things new” (Revelation/2Corinthians) Behold I make all things NOW.

Overkill

OVERKILL - TRIAL NUMBER 7

Numbers 11:4-6 Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our soul is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” This heart and soul attitude is more than just complaining. It is an intense craving to indulge. Israel became tired of eating manna, and remembered seven things they desired from Egypt. (v.5). They said their soul was dried up. They craved seven things (the fullness of self indulgence - Overkill). This was a trial for Moses too, as their murmuring became a great burden for him. (vs.10-15). There were too many needs and too much to do. So God gets him to choose out 70 men to help upon whom he will give his Spirit (That worked out to about 1 helper per 42,850 people).The same provision was made in Acts when the Apostles chose the seven deacons.; Acts 6:3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The Lord decided to give Israel as much to eat as they wanted, till it came out of their nostrils; Numbers 11: 19 Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the Lord who is among you, He allowed a multitude of quails to fall around them, and when they were eating them God smote Israel with another plague (severe blow) (maka). God can give us what we want, to show us that it brings death and not life. This same word maka is used in Proverbs to show the inward work of cleansing. Proverbs 20:30 Punishment that hurts chases evil from the heart. TLB Ps 106:14 They demanded better food, testing God's patience to the breaking point. So he gave them their demands but sent them leanness (wasting and emptiness) in their souls. The OT displays finality in judgment, while in the NT the new replaces the old. Defqon 1 was 15/9/18 where two died and 700 sought medical assistance. Our current culture has given access to all forms of self indulgence to people of all kinds of different ages and circumstances and the consequences have caused grave torment of the soul. There is also a groundswell of realization and regret as people today observe the damage that this unrestrained indulgence is doing to people of this age in which we live. The problem with an entitlement-based culture is that the lack of restrictions and restraint along with the encouragement of self determination, if not addressed, means that further and greater damage will occur. And the reality is that this behaviour can be curtailed and disciplined with good leadership and wise counsel and social restraints. So the good news is that the wake up call can be heeded and the injury can be redeemed. (The story of the shepherd and the injured lost sheep) The bigger reality is that God wants us to have his best in over abundance, and he has made his best available and accessible; 1Corinthians 3:21… For God has already given you everything you need. He has given you Paul and Apollos and Peter as your helpers. He has given you the whole world to use, and life and even death are your servants. He has given you all of the present and all of the future. Everything is yours, and you belong to Christ, and Christ is God's. We say ‘But Lord I cannot believe that is true’. The Lord says ‘That is why I gave you faith’.

Baptism of fire

TRIAL NUMBER 6 - COMPLAINING
Numbers 11:1 Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some on the fringes of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched. So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.
Now the mixed multitude that was among them had an excessive longing. And the people of Israel also wept again…

Complaining comes from an excessive longing because of a sense of lack, a preoccupation with what we don’t have instead of what we do have. We are called to reflect the image of Jesus.
1Corinthians 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (a complaining Jesus or a grateful Jesus? )

This is a fire of judgment. Old Testament judgment had finality about it. Saul was judged and taken out of the way and David replaced him. The old had to be judged so that the new could come forth. In Jesus, the old in us is taken away so that the new can come forth. Jesus intercedes for us just as Moses interceded for Israel.
The Greek word for judgment is krisis, a crisis. That means a place and time of challenge and decision, for our good, to purify our hearts by faith by trusting in him more.

Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he 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 and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver,

1Corinthians 3:10 But let each one take heed how he builds on it (The foundation of Christ). For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day (of judgment) will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1Timothy 5:24 Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.

1Peter 1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ,
1Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

There is a movement of faith in the heart from complaining to being grateful, from resisting to accepting. It is the partnership between faithfulness and supernatural faith. This is the place where trust grows, and hope arises, and gratitude flows. As complaining begins in our mind we move further away from the flame of love so God sends his fire out to the edge for us. God always comes after us. God is always more than we think he is, not less.

Who am I to complain, and who am I helping by complaining? If I look at it from someone else’s point of view, especially God’s, it ends up being all about me. When a complaint is a genuine offence it needs to be handled in the right way for the right reasons (shop).
There are degrees of complaining from the trivial to the attitudinal. It starts by dwelling on and ends by dwelling in an atmosphere of self preoccupation with what we do not have.

The fire is the judgment (krisis) that is sent to make us re-evaluate what we have and do not have and what we value, the inner or the outer life, the inner journey or the outer journey.

Thanks for that fire Lord, I can throw some of these dead branches I just noticed right into it so that I can bring forth branches that bear fruit. There are some negative attitudes here that don’t grow my faith or my faithfulness.

We don’t have to fear that kind of judgment. The bible says we can joyfully welcome this kind of crisis because it helps perfect and complete our hearts of faith.
James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 

The golden calf

Exodus 32:2 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people broke off the golden ear-rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.

Israel’s basic problem was impatience, an inability to wait, trust, and rest, which led to making something happen that would pass for God, a stand-in. It was the same old story of ‘Is God really with us or not?’ People do not like to have to live in the world of the unseen (faith that God is at work). They want to see some material evidence of God’s power, so they became impatient and made themselves a god. Feverish activity acts against real faith (God acting on our behalf). We build some kind of image, whether it be a system, or method or anything that can be a substitute for what only God can do.

Exodus 32:4 Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
The golden calf was not meant to be another god. It actually represented God, Yahweh, on their terms. They proclaimed a ‘sacred feast’ to Yahweh, not just to a golden calf. Their concept was shaped by their past experience. They fashioned what was the 'sacred cow' of Egypt, a golden calf (or golden bull). People tend to seek empowerment from the power symbol that helped shape their concept of power/authority. Israel never fully overcame idolatry, and it remains as mankind’s problem to this day. Christians of all cultures are often not sure whether it is God or money that they trust.

God said He was a jealous God. His jealousy is the aggressive side of His love and protectiveness, and He will destroy all other gods that are put before Him, as He had Moses destroy the golden calf. God judged Israel with a plague and showed His hatred for Idolatry
“I will destroy them, and I will make you alone into a great nation." (Moses a type of Jesus’ sacrifice)

We become like what we worship.
Psalm 135:15-18 (puts it perfectly).
15. The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. 16. They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; 17. They have ears but they do not hear; Nor is there any breath in their mouths. 18. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.

We are given God to worship in spirit and in truth so that we will become like him. (His terms)
John 4:21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Worship is an elevated way of declaring love. Human nature wants to put something on a pedestal. The moment you put God there and present yourself to him at the altar of your heart you are touching heaven. Romans 12:1-2

 

Temple Prayer

In ancient times people believed in gods of one kind or another and the gods lived in a different world, an unseen world, so they made idols. There’s a simple logic in this. Something bigger than us it seemed was in charge of what happened at a mega level of cosmic activity and design, the weather, the seasons, life and death, what appeared to be good fortune and bad fortune etc. So they did their best to manage the moods or whims of the unpredictable gods with a thousand superstitious rituals ranging from the trivial to the murderous. But our Creator God of the Bible did reveal himself to his beloved humanity to do them good, and he finally asked his people to make a home for him to dwell in upon Earth, where he would come and meet with them.

The man he asked was Solomon. Solomon’s prayer to dedicate the temple held within it this extraordinary idea of a meeting place on earth between man, and the God who lived in a world of his own. Their heart was to have heaven come to them upon the earth.

2Chronicles 6:18 But will God really live upon the earth with men? Why, even the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you--how much less this Temple I have built!
(Acts 7:48 AND 17:24) (Job 19:25 I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my body I will see God)

"O How I pray that you will heed my prayers, O Lord my God! Listen to my prayer that I am praying to you now! Look down with favor day and night upon this Temple--upon this place where you have said that you would put your name. May you always hear and answer the prayers I will pray to you as I face toward this place.
1. Prayer for God’s justice in oppression 2. Recovery from the blows of the enemy
3. Providing resources to prosper the work of our hands
4. Healing and remedy of the plight of one who knows their own burden and their own grief and spreads out their hands to God. 5. That a foreigner can pray to you and be heard so that all people who don’t know you will come to know your name and know your temple is called by your name 6. Victory when we enter into battle. 7. Supernatural release after being taken captive.

John 2:18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body
The temple was destroyed 40 years later and was never rebuilt. It did not have to be rebuilt as now we are his temple, just as he was the temple.

1Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price;

John 14:23 We will come and make our home with you

How can we contain God?
Only by being an open vessel, always filled and overflowing..

Ian Heard - Grace at Ha Makon

Psalm 26:8; Psalm 27; Psalm 91; Hebrew 4:16
The fallen-world system can only offer uncertainty and chaos. It can assure nothing. Everywhere, people try to mitigate uncertainty by placing faith in superannuation, the stock market, investments, medicine, alliances, formulas. Millions of dollars go into prognostication, yet fear, depression, paranoia and stress abound. These are in fact, disorder! If that environment becomes ‘home’ to us , we will speak, work and live from that centre. We will live and speak uncertainty, doubt and fear, even though a different and superior place is available; a place of security, out of which we can live and speak certainty, grace and faith. It’s not God’s intention for us to live from disorder. He is righteous—meaning everything in his realm (kingdom) is in right order and alignment—and, if we know him, he bestows on us his righteousness (government of right order… ‘I bestow on you a kingdom’ Lk. 22:29) , intending us to live out of the same place as he! Here’s a typical description of where it’s possible for me to live (typical because these descriptions occur again and again in God’s word!). This place (see Psalm 91) provides for us...

*Deliverance from traps deliberately set to bring me to harm and from plagues of mischief. * Protection as a hen protects its chicks; ‘You can’t hurt them without hurting me’! *Absolute Truth shielding me.
*Freedom from fear...the dreads that night awakenings can bring or the danger of attack in the light of day. *Angels taking charge over me, to watch, protect and deliver. *Authority over that which would either eat me or poison me (lion and cobra). *Answered prayer, assurance of salvation and length of days! (What’s not to like!?)
Is this where I want to live? How does it become reality? Who gets this? Those who learn to live where David lived. This is the ‘come what may’ place! The, ‘though the fig tree does not blossom….yet will I rejoice in the Lord’ place of Habakkuk 3: THIS IS…

THE SECRET PLACE: (Psalm 91:1 and 26:5 ) David knew about the ‘secret place’, HaMakom (The Place) where God settled among his people. In the tent, among them, yet hidden. He lived then, and now, in hidden accessibility. The people could not enter the most holy place; only their representative could go there, once a year, taking the blood! That meant that faith was required to draw near—a heart response. God still lives in this ‘hidden accessibility’ but the difference now is that the veil has been torn away and all may enter into the Presence freely, but it’s still by faith because it’s a heavenly room; the heavenly holy of holies! Still the Secret Place—but we’ve been allowed (indeed, invited) in—it’s by the blood of Jesus! Our High Priest now takes us in for we are in him! This is our HaMakom, from which we are to live!

THE PRESENCE PLACE: the word translated ‘dwells’ in Psalm 26:8 and ‘dwell’ in Ex. 25:8 is from the Hebrew SHAKAN from which the word ‘shekinah’ (a Rabbinic word not in the Bible) is derived. It describes where His presence and its glory settles! They had to believe he was in there….above the mercy seat, between the wings of the cherubim, just as he said he’d be—THERE…for them and with them! (‘Have them make me a sacred place [miqdash—sanctuary] that I may dwell [settle] in amongst them’ Exodus 25:8). This was what made them a distinctive people. We, no matter where we are physically, can be in the Presence. Paul was there on a sinking ship with 200 unbelievers, assuring them and instructing them. He and Silas were there in a Philippian jail. No matter our physical location…we can be at HaMakom. This is what made it, for David—

THE BELOVED Place: David said, ‘LORD, I have loved the habitation of your house, HaMakom where your glory dwells’ (Psalm 26:8). David’s heart was always there. Wherever he went his heart was connected by a cord to the Locus of his life; into battle, among liars and cheats, facing Goliaths and dealing with Sauls. Like the sons of Korah (Psalm 84:5-6) he could say, ‘blessed is the man whose strength is in you; in whose heart are the highways to Zion’—that is, those who, even though separated physically, make pilgrimage in their hearts into God’s presence in Zion. For such people, says the Psalm, ‘as they pass through the Valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs’!

THE PRIORITY PLACE: For David, HaMakom was the priority in his life. He said, ‘one thing have I desired of the Lord (Yahweh), that will I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord….’ This was David’s first desire; the one nothing else could supplant. It’s why God described David as a man ‘after my own heart’ (1 Samuel 13:14 & Acts 13:22). David said, ‘I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved’ (Psalm 16:8). By faith, wherever he went, he was dwelling there! (And this, under an inferior covenant!)

THE MEETING PLACE: God’s heart and David’s heart met at HaMakom. It was where David’s desires became one with God’s so they flowed together…the place of answered prayer! He wrote, ‘when you said, “seek my face” my heart said, “your face Lord will I seek.” Jesus said, ‘if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done for you’ (John 15:7). The meeting place is where our will becomes subsumed in his and his desires become ours and ours, his. God’s heart is that we seek his face. He has provided a place where this can occur. He longs to meet with us.

THE SECURE PLACE: ‘In the day of adversity He shall hide me (as treasure) in his hiding place (den), in the secret place of his tent he shall hide me.’ It was where David found utmost safety. Here was a security nothing in the world could provide; not David’s armies and valiant men; not fortresses and palaces; not wealth or power or success. This is not escapism, but the place from which to function in total security!

THE EXALTING PLACE: ‘And now my head shall be exalted above my enemies all
around me’; being properly in the Presence and living from there, guarantees that God is taking care of those spiritual (or physical) enemies against us. Why is this? Because if we will humble ourselves in his presence, he will exalt us. Peter wrote ‘humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God (that in due season he may exalt you), casting all your care on him.’ We humble ourselves by casting ALL our care on him! And from that place THE PLACE, he is then able to exalt us.

His grace for me, for us, flows at HaMakom, THE PLACE. As soon as I allow my heart to go to another ‘place’ there’s a sense in which I’m on my own, becoming independent. THE PLACE is where he calls us to live from and to live out our days.
‘Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ (Heb 4:16)

Ian Heard - Sept. 2/2018 www.until-we-see.com

Living waters

THE TEN TRIALS – Trial - THE LIVING WATERS
Exodus 17:1… There was no water for the people to drink... and they complained against Moses
And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river. I will stand before you there on the rock between you and Mount Sinai; and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may have water.” So he called the name of the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (dissatisfaction), because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord’s presence among us or not?” That was the real test and the real complaint!

1Corinthians 10:1 I don’t want you to forget about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago.. . All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that traveled with them, and that Rock was Christ. These things were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age so that we would not crave evil things as they did.

So from Christ our Rock pours forth the water (The Holy Spirit) satisfying thirst and giving life.
So what is God saying to us here?
GOD IS SAYING THAT HE WILL JUST KEEP SHOWING UP FOR US. BUT HE WANTS TO GIVE US A HUNGER AND A THIRST FOR HIM.
John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

JESUS AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES (Jesus prophetically fulfilled all the feasts of Israel)
John 7:37 On that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink, he who believes in Me.” As the Scripture has said, “Out of His heart will flow rivers of living water.” (The Temple Ezek 47, and the Rock Exodus 17, Zech 14). He was speaking of the Holy Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive (embrace)

The activities of the FEAST OF TABERNACLES were something to make a song and dance about

1. The ceremonial drawing of water each morning from the pool of Siloam (reflected in 7:37-38)
2. A reminder of the water that came from the rock smitten by Moses, when the people were in danger of perishing from thirst (Exod 17:1-6)
3. A golden pitcher was filled with water and carried back to the temple.
4. Trumpet blasts and singing of Isaiah 12:3, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
5. A chosen priest ascended the altar then the priest called for people to come and get the water.

When Jesus "stood and cried out" at that moment when the priest at the altar lifted up his hand to signify the calling to come and get the water, the effect of the cry on the multitude would have been as a thunderclap from heaven. Everybody would have known whose cry it was, and many would have seen its significance, namely that Jesus had come to embody all that past experience in the wilderness. (vs. 40 Surely this is the Prophet etc.) The police officers said ‘no one has ever spoken like this man. Nicodemus defended Jesus saying the Law couldn’t judge unless people have heard what the man has to say. Jesus had turned their historic feast into a proclamation of their (and our) salvation, our present faith, and our future hope, an astounding fulfillment of prophecy.

The Bread of life

THE TEN TRIALS – Trial 3 - THE BREAD OF LIFE
Exodus Chapter 16:3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food (manna vs.15) from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” Vs.16 … “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning

This was the next test and was also prophetic of Jesus being our ‘Bread of Life’, and our ‘Sabbath Rest’

JOHN 6:48 I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;

God had to let them get hungry to reveal to them that their craving for food was not about hunger but about appetites (a good test). This relates to food for the soul. Appetites are essential for a normal life but can be disastrous if their intensity not managed. They are attached to an emotional loop system but hunger is attached to nourishment and wholeness. What we want and what we should have are often two different things.

John 4:34. Then Jesus said: “ My food (for strength) is to do the will of him who sent me and to make his work complete” (He didn’t say ‘My duty is to…’)
Just as the healing (not bringing forth) of the waters of Marah was for the healing of their bitter disappointment by being touched with the Tree of Life for new hope, so there is also the provision of supernatural food that nourishes our heart and soul, as we share in the supernatural work of the doing of God’s good will to others. The powerful energy of God’s love to others feeds our soul as well as theirs. (Jesus fixes our thirst before dealing with our appetite).

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (filled).

Doing the will of the Father is towards God before it is toward others. Toward God is something we arrange purposefully as an act of worship. But doing the good will of God for others we cannot always arrange (other than in prayer). The opportunity tends to land on your doorstep unexpected. How many interruptions last week were actually opportunities to eat the bread of life and be nourished and strengthened. But we so often don’t get it. Jesus can often seem like an interruption to our day. He comes disguised as our everyday up and down life.

The Sabbath rest means that we don’t work in our own strength but we do the good will of God on our new (everyday) Sabbath, that is, in His life giving energy as we rest in the faith of His work being done.
JUST BE READY not striving in your own strength - Sabbath IS Sabbath. OR THE MANNA GOES OFF!
Vs.20 But of course some of them wouldn't listen, and left it until morning; and when they looked, it was full of maggots and smelled terrible; and Moses was very angry with them.
It is on the Sabbath that the Manna is most enjoyable because we are not even gathering it – it has already been gathered and waiting for us to eat it and be nourished. Doing the Sabbath goodwill of God is always fresh and refreshing.
What’s waiting for you today?

 

Disappointment and the bitter waters

THE TEN TRIALS – Trial 2 - THE BITTER WATERS
Exodus 15:22-25 So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur, and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast the tree into the waters, the waters were made sweet 25…and there He tested them.
God wanted to reveal to Israel their reaction to disappointment, shown by their bitter complaining. It was after a three-day thirst (just about the limit). When God showed him the tree, it healed the waters.
This was a picture of Jesus, the Tree of Life, who heals our disappointment.

TWO TREES
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire comes, it is 'a tree of life’.
We become conditioned to living out of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That ‘wrong tree’ leads to ‘wrong expectations’ of life and of God, and this leads to disappointment. Jesus shows us how to live out of the Tree of Life.

THE DEVIL’S OFFER OF THE WRONG TREE TO ADAM AND EVE - AND THE REST OF US
A. THE LIE
Genesis 3:1 The serpent was the most cunning of all the other creatures God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die. “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

B – (If the devil were telling the truth)
‘Go on, you know that the moment God said you were not to eat the fruit from that tree, you knew you wanted to try it, so just eat it, have your own way. But you will find you’ll never be sure that God really wants the best for you. Go on, find out for yourself. This tree will drive you crazy. You will think you are wise and that you know everything but you will get anxious and reactive and disappointed with life rather than peaceful and proactive and satisfied. And you will become suspicious of what God is going to do next to make you pay for being so foolish and irrational. This tree will cause you all your problems yet you will think it gives you all your answers. You will become like me (haha). It’s scary, so learn to live with it because it’s all this world has to offer.’

Signed ‘Diabolos – (To throw something without knowing where it will land - missing the mark)’

P.S. Best of luck – you’ll need it!

So selling humanity the choice of the tree of knowledge was the first experience of our being robbed of hope because it caused us to move away from trusting God to trusting in self. This misplacing of trust and hope is the cause of all our misplaced expectations, and the cause of all our disappointment.

AVOIDING DISAPPOINTMENT
The Holy Spirit will activate the true behaviour of the ‘right tree’ self in us, as we spend more and more time with Jesus. That is why Jesus tells us to abide in the vine, so that we can bear his fruit.
Matthew 7:16 Can you pick grapes from a thorn bush, or figs from thistle tree? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.
Some natural trees are better trees to pick from than others. What we will have expectations of depends upon who and what we trust. There are some things that prove to be relatively better trees than others, but ultimately only the Tree of life can be fully trusted.

We can put our trust in a) self b) other people (from friends to someone you don’t know, on the internet maybe c) the odds of differing circumstances (from preferred choices to gambling)
d) God.

To put our trust in God we are also putting our trust in His right and good principles and we usually have to do something proactive in making a choice or a decision.

Exodus14:13 Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation (Jesua) of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today...The Lord will fight for you, and you shall have peace. And the Lord said to Moses Tell the children of Israel to go forward

REVERSING DISAPPOINTMENT - The remedy for a sick heart of disappointment
1. Proverbs 11:24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
Give what we’ve lost to God and hold on to our faith/hope in him.
2. Proverbs 17:22 A glad heart is its own remedy but a broken spirit depresses the soul