Beware, danger!

 

1Cor 10:1-12, “For I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

This passage does challenge me in many ways. Indeed, as already mentioned in some previous postings, on more than a million people who left Egypt, crossed the Red Sea and to whom God had solemnly promised entry into Canaan, only Joshua and Caleb made it. Yet, God had made the promise to all of them, as He has also certainly promised specific things to each and everyone of us as we were exiting 2010.

The apostle Paul is talking here about people who were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, people who all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink but who did not make it through into the Promised Land. He can be talking today to people who all go to church, are all baptized in water and in the Holy Ghost, people who take the Holy Communion every Sunday or every month, but who will not enter the Land of their promises, despite everything that has been rightly prophesied about them. The problem is neither God’s promises (which are always true) nor the prophets (wrongly called false) but, the problem lies with them and it can be you or me. Scary hein?

At the beginning of the year, I said that we are going somewhere; and just as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote, it is my desire that we all show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that we may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:11-12) Since these things were written for our instruction, what then are the lessons that we can draw from this passage in order to guarantee that our eyes see and our hands actually touch what was promised to us?

 

Let’s flee from idolatry:

We tend to think that idols are only fetishes, totems and the likes. But an idol is everything that consciously or unconsciously, takes the first place in our hearts. Each time that, when confronted to God’s will, we make a deliberate choice of following a different will, – be it ours, our friends, colleagues, boss, pals, parents, children etc. then the thing that has finally imposed its voice to us constitute an idol.

On what criteria do you make your choices? What guides your decisions? What do you mostly think about during the day? What is your main topic of conversation? What are you most passionate about? How do you react in stressful situations or when you are afraid? If you were to become a millionaire or a multimillionaire today, what will you do with the money? What is (are) the area(s) of your life in which you struggle the most to do what the Bible says? Is it money? Sex? Leisure? Relationships? Lies (all forms of)? These are a few sample questions that can help us identify any idol in our lives; and God punishes idolatry up to the 3rd or 4th generation (Exodus 20:5): let’s flee from it.

 

Let’s abstain from sexual immorality:

Sexual immorality in all its forms is the second cause that may hinder the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives. The Bible reminds us that every other sin is committed outside of our body; but sexual sin directly affects the body which is the temple of the Holy Ghost. And whoever destroys the Lord’s temple will be destroyed (1Cor 6:18-19 & 3:16-17). That’s why 23 000 died in one day because of this sin. Consider God’s promises in your life; is it really worth risking and jeopardizing them all for such an ephemeral pleasure?

Sanctify your eyes: be careful what you look at, even if the television, the magazines and the Internet are full of all sorts of immoral temptations.

Sanctify your ears: do not listen to just any saucy conversation or licentious song. It is not because morals are increasingly depraved and the fact seems generally widely accepted, that you should do the same.

Sanctify your body: why do you wear what you wear ? To glorify your body and curves? To attract all the stares? To reassure and comfort yourself? To show how wealthy you are? Don’t just wear anything and don’t exhibit private parts of your anatomy. Our body belongs to the Lord: He is the owner of it; we must therefore use it as He wills. Let’s not use our members as instruments of debauchery and depravity; what we are waiting on the Lord for does not deserve such a folly: it is rather well worth this small sacrifice.

To be continued…

Enjoy your week!

Lonely in His Presence

 

Have you ever felt a profound feeling of loneliness? Have you ever felt that in the midst of abundance? I am sure many of you have. 

I have been through that twice. The 1^st time was shortly after my conversion; the feeling lasted for a while and left without me knowing what had happened. The 2^nd time was a few years ago. Humanly speaking, my communion with the Lord was almost perfect, I have no worry at all, –family, work or money - but I felt terribly lonely. 

I was deeply disturbed for I had been used to thinking – maybe like you – that it was impossible to feel lonely in God’s presence. I had learned that when everything goes wrong and the whole world abandons you, God would still be there and would never forsake you. I had learned that the presence of the One that the whole universe cannot contain was enough to fill any void. Everything was not going wrong, nobody had abandoned me, God was there; yet, I was feeling lonely and I was feeling guilty to feel that way. 

I once heard someone speak of the loneliness of heights. I can’t remember who it was nor what the context was, but who knows? Maybe that’s what was happening to me… In any case, as I was trying to understand what was going on, Genesis 2:18 came to my mind: “Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 

I had always read and understood this verse in the context of marriage but all of a sudden I could see something new. Indeed, it is God who said: ‘‘It is not good that the man should be alone…’’ acknowledging the fact that the man Adam, was alone. In other words, despite the fact that Adam had not yet known the pangs of the fall, even though he had not yet been cast away from the garden and although he was living in God’s presence day and night, Adam was alone! He was alone, he was lonely and from God’s own mouth, this was not good! 

Indeed, the Bible declares: “…woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”

Realizing this appeased me. Even if there are usually many explanations to loneliness, I could stop feeling guilty because it was possible without being abnormal, to be ‘surrounded by God’ and still feel lonely. 

Let us finally note that He who had said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” was not the One who could fill that void. He was not the One who could have been called, “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” A wonderful illustration of the fact that even though we are made in His image and likeness, we are also so different from Him that Adam was not mistaken. Thus, they are very wrong, those who say: ‘‘A dog makes dogs, a cat makes cats and God makes gods’’ or, “we are a photocopy of God” implying a perfect resemblance in aspect or in nature between God and Man. Adam never made that error. Had he made it, men would have been taking God as their legitimate wife since then…

 

Be richly blessed!

Surprise, surprise…

 

This was the title of a very popular French entertainment TV show a few years ago. People were ‘framed up’ with the complicity of someone close to them. Most of the time, until the end, people did not realize the trick and usually failed to recognize their friends and relatives under their disguises. But God is a pro in the subject of disguise. He is the specialist of the unexpected. He is unpredictable, so we better not try to predict how He is going to come, do or manifest.

« So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean." But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, "Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, "My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" 2Kings 5:9-14

Naaman had it all figured out, had he not ? He thought he knew exactly what God was going to ask him to do, something complicated and worthy of the mighty army General that he was. But God did not do what he expected and he became irritated. Just as Jesus asked the scribes and the Pharisees, we could even wonder who had he had gone to see? Had he gone to see the man of God, God’s store depository, The Word (rhema) of God for him in those days or had he gone to see a simple man, a poor guy who would not fail to jump on all the gifts and money that he had brought with him (vs 15-16)? Who had he gone to see? Had he gone to see someone who was going to do what he already knew or had he gone to meet with God Himself? If he had gone there to seek God, why then was he angry about Elisha’s suggestion?

If God should always act as we think or hope, He would cease to be God and we would no longer need Him. It is written: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." And also, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" " (Is 55:8-9, Rom 11:33-34, ESV)

It is therefore useless to try to predict what He will do and how He will do it. If Satan who knows Him well is so frequently outsmarted, then what about us? It is worthless to try to play smart (according to the world) with God because He has hidden these things to the wise and intelligent, and has revealed them to the children (Mat 11:25).

God came down through the prophets; He came down through Jesus; and every day, He rends the heavens down and come, but bundled up in our vain theories about theophany (God’s manifestation), we fail to see Him coming, moving and acting.

The Jews were indeed expecting the Messiah; yet, He arrived in a way so different to their expectations and thoughts that they missed the revelation of the Son. "The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." Jn 1:9-11

John was waiting to see a lion, as announced by the angel ; but the Lamb came forth:

"Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals." And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne." Rev 5:1-7

The Lamb was the Lion and the Lion was the Lamb. Alleluia!

Similarly, the Nazarenes were waiting for a prince who was not from their village; but there was the carpenter's son…

The Jews served a warrior God, the Lord of Hosts, always ready to exterminate the enemies of Israel. Therefore, the Messiah could have only been a great military leader; and there was only a "sissy" who could neither respond to insults nor call lightning on his persecutors …

Some thought they were refusing to visit an ordinary prisoner or they were refusing water or food to common beggars: they did not realize they were despising Jesus Himself (Mat 25:41-45).

It took time before the disciples on the road to Emmaus and Thomas recognize He who was walking and talking with them (Luke 24:13-32, John 20:24-28).

Let's not be surprised; even though God is the master of disguise, He also said that His sheep know Him, know His voice and follow Him (John 10:14,4). In other words, those who truly have the Lord for Shepherd and those who really wholeheartedly want to do God’s will, always end up discerning His voice and ways behind any costume. Let’s not be surprised…

May your heart be pure enough that you won’t fail to see and recognize Him.

God bless you!

To see His face and live? (Part 2)

 

We ended our last posting saying that there were men who had seen God and did not die. Men who had demonstrated that it was possible to see God and live. And we parted wondering whether God had lied to Moses or not?

The truth is, no one has ever seen the fullness of He that cannot be contained even by the entire universe. Those who saw Him, only caught a glimpse of Him: they saw Him partly, as furtively as we can see a Head of State sitting in his car as it passes in front of us. They glimpsed at something that had a profound impact on them, but they did not actually see the whole of Him.

Furthermore, the Bible says it plainly: God is not a man to lie. He told Adam and Eve that they would die the day they would eat of the forbidden fruit and yet, He was not alluding to their immediate physical death. Similarly, when He spoke to Moses, He was referring to something else; which doesn’t exclude the possibility that one can actually fall stiff dead for having seen Him…

“You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” If you have really seen God, you can only die: die to yourself, your projects, your plans, your conception of life etc. If you see God, you will receive all your imperfection and faults in the face, along with His glow and brightness. You will have to face your true moral and spiritual condition and, all you knew, thought and believed about yourself will instantly fade away: you will die. No one can see God and continue "to live" as before. No one can see His Face, His glory, and continue to live (of) his life. The Lord's desire is that Man should see Him, die…and Live! His desire is that Man should die to himself to be reborn in God. That one dies to his life to live from HIS LIFE.

And because every death is painful, He said to Moses: “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” (Exodus 33:19)

Truly, if God’s goodness and mercy do not pass before us along with the ugliness of our vanity, we will be lost. We will only wish one thing: to end there with life and commit suicide. It is the love of God that helps us to live again… And the most beautiful proof of that love is Jesus, the Christ. Paul understood it and said: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” and also, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Philippians 1:21, Galatians 2:20). Because, after seeing God, Saul of Tarsus died, crucified with Christ ; and Paul was born and lived by faith in the son of God who loved him and gave Himself for him.

Moses desired to see the God’s glory. What could have seemed pretentious in his days is freely granted to us in Christ. It is written indeed: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2Corinthians 3:18)

And those who are tempted to think God is not trustworthy, can be reassured. He told Moses that He would for him do what he wished for and He kept His promise: Moses did see Him on the Mount of Transfiguration! (Matthew 17) Alleluia! ;-)

The Israelites could not even look at Moses’ unveiled face; but it has been given to us to behold the Lord’s glory – in a mirror, still; but without a veil – and to be gradually transformed in the same image!!! In other words, each time we behold it, something of us dies and something of Him is birthed in us… by virtue of the Spirit, the Lord.

 

To see God and live? Impossible: He is so vast that He cannot be seen by the flesh.

To see God and live? Quite possible, provided one dies to oneself and is crucified with Christ.

No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. (John 1:18). What was inaccessible is now accessible in Christ, through a permanent, thirsty and hungry quest for Him. By seeing God, one finally has access to the Zōē, to Life, in all its fullness…

‘‘I came that they may have life and may have it abundantly.’’ (John 10:10, LITV)

 

May God richly bless you by granting you the priceless grace to see His Face so that you may die to all unworthliness and live of His fulness.

To see His face and live?

 

“Moses said, "Please show me your glory…" But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live."” (Exodus 33:18,20, ESV)

This dialogue took place between Moses and God. Moses wanted a glimpse of God’s glory; but the Lord said, nobody could see His face and live! Quite a strange answer since He was already talking to him face to face. Indeed, this is what preceeded their conversation:

“Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise up, and each would stand at his tent door, and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door. Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. Moses said to the LORD, "See, you say to me, 'Bring up this people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight…" 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people?..." 17 And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." 18 Moses said, "Please show me your glory."” (Exodus 33:7-11ff, ESV)

Is there any contradiction? Another passage will help us sort it out: “…If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD…” (Numbers 12:6-8)

In other words, the Lord was not speaking to Moses through dreams, visions, inner convictions or angelic visitations as He did with others: He was speaking to him face to face; i.e., mouth to mouth. Moses heard His voice audibly, a voice as affectionate as that of a friend. In addition, God made it clear for everyone to know He approved of His servant: a column of cloud would come down and stop at the entrance of the Tabernacle every time Moses would go in to meet with Him, as if to prevent anyone from entering and disturbing their intimacy. Then Moses would come out of these meetings, marked: his skin would beam so much that the people would not be able to look at him (Exodus 34:33-35).

However, despite all these manifestations (and this is without mentioning the plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the waters of Marah, the manna and the quails), Moses was still unsatisfied and kept on having doubts about himself (or maybe he was just doubting of God or the people): “how shall it be known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people? ”

The Lord finally granted him the permission to make a request and Moses dared: “Please show me your glory.” In other words, “It is true, I've known You like no other human being has ever had. It is also true You have used me powerfully on several occasions, speak to me face to face and treat me like a friend. But if it is true that You love me as much as You say You do, then, I only desire one thing: I want to know Your ways and I want to see Your glory.”

Isn’t it beautiful? To me, this query is the most sublime aspiration. And even though it is not today’s topic, it doesn’t prevent us from meditating on it...

So Moses made his request, and somehow, God found Himself a bit stuck and forced to negotiate. Note that He didn’t refuse to make His ways known to Moses; He just has a few problems with the second part of his demand. Moses had asked to see His glory and God had replied: “You cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” As if to say, ‘If I let you see all My glow, you will not survive it.’

The message had been so brilliantly passed on that, generations later, the only sight of the Angel of the Lord was enough to terrify the people. Gideon exclaimed himself: “Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face” and Manoah, Samson’s father said: "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." (Judges 6:22 & 13:22)

And yet… It seems it is nevertheless possible to see Him, to see His face and to live. If not, why would Jesus say on the beatitudes’ mount: ‘‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’’ (Mathew 5:8) And why would David say: “You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do I seek."… Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his face continually!” (Psalms 27:8 & 105:4). He must have indeed seen Him as suggested in Psalm 18: “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.” (vs 7-13)

Isaiah saw Him as well: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"” (Isaiah 6:1-5)

And so did John, as the book of Revelation shows it. These are men who saw God and did not die. Men who have proven that it was possible to see God and live. So, did God lie to Moses?

 

To be continued…