words for the humbling of God's people

"Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest?" Ezekiel 15:2

These words are for the humbling of God's people; they are called God's vine, but what are they by nature more than others? They, by God's goodness, have become fruitful, having been planted in a good soil; the Lord hath trained them upon the walls of the sanctuary, and they bring forth fruit to His glory; but what are they without their God? What are they without the continual influence of the Spirit, begetting fruitfulness in them? O believer, learn to reject pride, seeing that thou hast no ground for it. Whatever thou art, thou hast nothing to make thee proud. The more thou hast, the more thou art in debt to God; and thou shouldst not be proud of that which renders thee a debtor. Consider thine origin; look back to what thou wast. Consider what thou wouldst have been but for divine grace. Look upon thyself as thou art now. Doth not thy conscience reproach thee? Do not thy thousand wanderings stand before thee, and tell thee that thou art unworthy to be called His son? And if He hath made thee anything, art thou not taught thereby that it is grace which hath made thee to differ? Great believer, thou wouldst have been a great sinner if God had not made thee to differ. O thou who art valiant for truth, thou wouldst have been as valiant for error if grace had not laid hold upon thee. Therefore, be not proud, though thou hast a large estate—a wide domain of grace, thou hadst not once a single thing to call thine own except thy sin and misery. Oh! strange infatuation, that thou, who hast borrowed everything, shouldst think of exalting thyself; a poor dependent pensioner upon the bounty of thy Saviour, one who hath a life which dies without fresh streams of life from Jesus, and yet proud! Fie on thee, O silly heart!

Commit thy works unto the Lord

Then said I, Lo, I come.to do Thy will, O God.—Hebrews 10:7.

Commit thy works unto the Lord.—Proverbs 16:3.

Oh, let Thy wisdom be my guide,

Nor take Thy light from me away;

Thy grace be ever at my side,

That from Thy path I may not stray;

But, feeling that Thy hand is o'er me,

In steadfast faith my course fulfill,

And keep Thy word, and do Thy will,

Thy love within, Thy heaven before me!

Wolfgang C. Dessler.

I come to do Thy will, O God." That is what we are here for,—to do God's will. That is the object of your life and mine,—to do God's will. Any of us can tell in a moment whether our lives are right or not. Are we doing God's will? We do not mean, are we doing God's work?—preaching, or teaching, or collecting money,—but God's will. A man may think he is doing God's work when he is not even doing God's will. And a man may be doing God's work and God's will quite as much by hewing stones, or sweeping streets, as by preaching or praying. So the question means just this, are we working out our common every-day life on the great lines of God's will?

Henry Drummond.

A Reason Ignored

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of invalid folk, of blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, who had an infirmity thirty and eight years.

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had been now a long time in that condition, he said unto him, Will you be made whole? The invalid man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down before me. Jesus said unto him, Rise, take up your bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and that same day was the sabbath.
(John 5:1-9. KJ2000)


Some background is necessary to understand the story.  The more modern translations leave out the explanations which do not occur in the oldest manuscripts.  While this is proper handling of the Scriptures, it does leave out something which helps us understand.  The man was waiting for the "stirring of the water."  It was believed, evidently with good cause, that an angel stirred the water.  When this happened, the first person in the pool was healed of whatever diseases he had.

The man is a sweet commentary on the subject of faith.  First, consider how long he has been coming to the pool—thirty eight years.  That is persistence!  It is also evidence of faith in God, and faith in as much action as he can manage.  So we see the value of keeping the faith.


Evidently the man who is healed has no real idea just who Jesus might be.  It is clear that he does not completely understand the one to whom he is speaking.  It is also clear that he doesn't need to, for the power is in Jesus, not in man.  This is a comfort to those who struggle with issues of doctrine.  We should make our doctrine as sound as we can—but the ultimate authority is not our understanding but his holy power.

The man also shows a common characteristic of Christians at prayer today:  he tells God how to solve the problem.  The Great Healer asks him a question—and he doesn't answer it.  He explains instead that the problem is a lack of a porter, or at least a swift one.  How often we tell God just how to solve our problems, instead of  leaving the solution to the one who knows best!

God's response to such is often like this instance.  He does not explain anything;  he commands.  Explanation may come after obedience, but not before.  God is not accountable to us.  He need not negotiate.  But when he commands, the issue becomes entirely clear.  We can obey, or we can refuse.  If we obey, we acknowledge God as the one who knows best and has all power to accomplish his plan.  If we refuse, we tell him that we have a better idea.

This man hears the voice of command.  Note that our Lord gives him a positive action to perform—so that he will know for certain that the matter is settled.  The lame man's response is a model for us.  With no further discussion he picked up his mat and walked.  Perhaps the reason our prayers seem to be unanswered is that we are not willing to pick up the mat—trusting our Lord to deliver what he promises as we do.

Fishers of Men

Mat 4:18-22



And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they immediately left their nets, and followed him. And going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.




What is the purpose of your life? 

Do you go to work each day, longing for the weekend, and spend the weekend being bored until Monday brings meaning again?  There is no profit in this.  Yet it is the way of life, and eventually death, for most of us.

In that boredom we admire those who have a real purpose in their lives.  We think highly of Mother Theresa—with no wish to follow in her steps.  We want the call to high and holy things, but not the work that attends it.

Christ makes the opposite call to his innermost disciples here.  It is significant here what Christ does not offer:

He shows them no miracles—nothing to dazzle their minds with the promise of magic.

He offers them no promise of reward—nothing to tempt their wallets or their pride.

He offers them only the work—the high, holy calling of hard work, being the fishers of men.

Nothing high, nothing holy, nothing adventurous or glamorous—just the hard work of the kingdom.  He knew his workmen, did Jesus.  Look at their reaction:

They left everything—nets (the tools of the trade), boats (the repository of their wealth) and even their families.

The left all this—at once.  Immediately.  There was no debate, no looking back. 

There is the measure of the men whom Christ called.  Were they really capable of bearing the load?  Not without the Holy Spirit—but they were capable of trying.  The dangers ahead might have chilled their enthusiasm, but their response is one that says that danger does not matter.  All that matters is the call, and their response to it.

There it is.  There are no half measures in the kingdom of God.  You are in, or you are not.  If you are, there is no debate with your Lord and Master over the terms of service.  The terms of service are simple, expressed in two words:  "Follow Me."  Brains, wealth, education, talent, ability—these mean nothing to the Creator of all things.  All that matters is your response to two simple words:  "Follow Me."

God Revealed To Moses

Exodus 1-4

"This is My name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation" (Ex. 3:15).

In these chapters we meet Moses. But most important, in these chapters we meet God, and learn His most personal name, I AM.

Overview

The Israelites multiplied in Egypt, but were enslaved (1:1-22). Moses was found and adopted by a princess (2:1-10), but as an adult he identified with his people and was forced to flee (vv. 11-25). When Moses was 80 years old, God revealed Himself to Moses as I AM. Bearing the divine name, Moses was sent to Pharaoh to win Israel's freedom (3:1-22). Equipped with miraculous signs, a reluctant Moses returned to his people (4:1-31).

Understanding the Text

"The Israelites... multiplied greatly" Ex. 1:1-7. A family of 70 persons entered Egypt. Based on the number of men of military age reported in Numbers 1:46, there must have been between 2 and 3 million Israelites at the time of the Exodus! "Multiplied greatly" suggests God's reason for Israel's sojourn in Egypt. Canaan served as a land bridge between Egypt and great northern empires. Armies marched across it and fought in its hills and valleys. If the Israelites had remained in Canaan, they could never have grown the population base needed to establish a nation.

"They put slave masters over them" Ex. 1:8-22. Initially the Israelites enjoyed a favored position in Egypt. They were settled in "the best part of the land" and many were employed by Pharaoh himself (cf. Gen. 47:5-6). Some time after Joseph's death, however, the Israelites were enslaved. This passage emphasizes the terrible conditions under which God's people were forced to live. Words and phrases like "oppress," "forced labor," "worked ruthlessly," and "lives bitter with hard labor" are used. The ultimate oppression is seen in Pharaoh's command that Hebrew boy babies be thrown into the Nile to drown!

The Israelites' situation in Egypt is intended to mirror the spiritual condition of the human race. As Israel was in bondage to Egypt, so all humanity is in bondage to sin. Only the miracle-working power of God, which forced Israel's release, can break the bonds forged by sin and make us truly free.
Moses Ex. 2:10. Moses is the dominant figure in Exodus and the next three Old Testament books. He was 80 years old when God commissioned him to deliver the Israelites, and he led God's people for 40 years. We can learn much from Moses' life, and will do so as we read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The New Testament says Moses was "faithful as a servant in all God's house" (Heb. 3:5). We can discover much about faithfulness in such revealing stories about Moses as are told in Exodus 32-33, Numbers 12, 16, and 21.

"He became her son" Ex. 2:1-10. This simple phrase reminds us that Moses, found by a princess, was adopted into Egypt's royal family. As the princess' son, Moses may even have had a claim to Egypt's throne! Stephen repeated an accurate oral tradition when he said that "Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action" (Acts 7:22).

Despite his advantages, Moses identified with his oppressed people and their God. Hebrews 11:24-25 says that "by faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time."

This surely is one source of Moses' greatness. His priorities were not shaped by wealth or privilege. He truly cared about God and about God's people.

"He killed the Egyptian" Ex. 2:11-24. Despite Moses' concern for his people, he apparently wavered until he was 40 years old. Then when Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew he first glanced "this way and that and seeing no one" he then killed the Egyptian (v. 12). Moses was unready to take a public stand with the Hebrews, or to lead a slave uprising.

We can sympathize with Moses. How can anyone represent an oppressed people to their oppressors? Still, when even righteous anger is expressed in hostile acts, little is accomplished.

"Who am I?" Ex. 3:1-22 When God spoke to Moses from a bush that burned without being consumed, the 80-year-old seemed a very different person from the angry firebrand of age 40. Four decades of life in the desert had humbled Moses. The onetime prince of Egypt who dreamed great dreams had learned his limitations. When God said, "I am sending you to Pharaoh," Moses replied, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

The rest of the passage, which reports Moses' dialogue with the Lord, shows how hesitant Moses was. Moses brought up difficulty after difficulty—a pattern that continues into Exodus 4 despite God's repeated promises to be with Moses and bring him success.

Again we can identify with Moses. As we grow older, and discover our limitations, the dreams of youth fade away. We won't be famous. Or rich. Or find the cure for cancer. Or become a well-known evangelist. As our early self-image shrinks, we find ourselves less willing to risk. Instead of opportunities we see problems. Instead of trying, we think of all the reasons why we are sure to fail.
This is what happened to Moses. Even promises from God weren't quite enough to change a view that had developed over 40 years of failure. Yet in a sense it was Moses' awareness of his weaknesses that made him suitable for God's purpose! Moses had finally realized that there was nothing he could do. Now all Moses needed to learn was that God can do anything!

It's the same with you and me. It's healthy to acknowledge our weaknesses. But we need not dwell on them. What we really need to do is to fix our eyes on the Lord, and remember that there is nothing too hard for Him. Any task God may call you or me to do is a task that He can accomplish through us.
"What is that in your hand?" Ex. 4:1-9 Moses continued to object, focusing on his weaknesses rather than on God's strength. Finally the Lord gave him three miraculous signs to serve as evidence to the Israelites that God truly had sent Moses.

The signs weren't spectacular. And God chose simple things—the shepherd's staff Moses carried. His own hand. Water from the river.

But what strikes me as special is the phrase "in your hand." God took what Moses already had and transformed it.

We may not perform miracles. But God still takes what we have at hand and uses it to convince others that He is real.

"I will harden his heart" Ex. 4:18-23. Earlier God had given Moses repeated promises. Now He gives Moses a warning. Why? Sometimes human beings misunderstand the promises of God. We assume that God will make our lives easy and remove all the obstacles in our path. But God's promises never imply that! Instead the promises of God express His commitment to be with us and help us when the obstacles are greatest! It is only in facing, and living through, pain and tragedy that we experience God's faithfulness.

"The Lord... was about to kill him" Ex. 4:24-26. This puzzling event teaches an important lesson. Centuries before, God had commanded that male descendants of Abraham should be circumcised as a sign of their membership in the covenant community (Gen. 17:9-14). Moses had not yet circumcised his own sons. It seems likely Zipporah, his wife, had objected, for when Moses was taken deathly ill she apparently knew the reason, and acted immediately to circumcise her two boys. Her subsequent anger (Ex. 4:25) suggests she had been against the rite.

But why was it so important that Moses' sons be circumcised? Because Moses was to be a leader. A spiritual leader in any era must himself be obedient to God.

If we are to be used by God, we must first be responsive to Him.

"And they believed" Ex. 4:27-31. The Israelites welcomed Moses and believed his promise of deliverance. It must have been encouraging to Moses. But this early response, as is often the case, would soon turn into angry accusations as things didn't work out as the people of God expected.
Faith that counts is faith that persists, even when things seem to go wrong.

Devotional:
God Reveals Himself

(Ex. 3)

When Moses held back, fearful, on the doorstep of commitment, God told Moses His name.
In biblical times names had meaning. They were intended to convey something of the identity, the essence, of the thing or person named. So when God told Moses the name by which He was to be known "forever"—the name "by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation" (v. 15)—that revelation was significant.

The name the Lord revealed was "I AM." We know it as Jehovah or Yahweh. Wherever most English versions have Lord, the Hebrew reads "I AM."

That name is constructed on the Hebrew verb "to be," and is best taken to mean "The God Who Is Always Present." God, who was with Abraham centuries before, was present with Moses and the Exodus generation. God, who delivered them then, would be present with every coming generation as well! In the past, in the present, and in the future, GOD IS! He who was with Moses is with you and me even today.

These Exodus chapters help us see why this name of God is so important. When Moses hesitated to respond to the Lord, God gave him a series of promises. Note each of these in the text.
"I will be with you" (v. 12).

"The elders of Israel will listen to you" (v. 18).

"I will stretch out My hand... and [perform] wonders" (v. 20).

"I will help you speak and teach you what to say" (4:12).

How could Moses know that God would keep His promises? The name told him. God is the great I AM. Because He is always present with His people, God is able to fulfill in our present every promise He made in our past.

When God told Moses "this is My name forever," God was speaking to you and me as well as to His prophet. God truly is The One Who Is Always Present. He is with you today. He will be with you tomorrow. And because God IS, every promise He has made us in Christ will surely be fulfilled.

Personal Application

Is there a time or situation in which you need to hold on to the fact that God IS, and that He is present with you?

Quotable

"If I could give you information on my life it would be to show how a woman of very ordinary ability has been led by God in strange and unaccustomed paths to do in His service what He has done in her. And if I could tell you all, you would see how God has done all, and I nothing. I have worked hard, very hard, that is all; and I have never refused God anything."—Florence Nightingale

But I give myself unto prayer."

"But I give myself unto prayer." 

Psalm 109:4

Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher court, and pleaded before the great King Himself. Prayer is the safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to the exercise—threw his whole soul and heart into it—straining every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the angel. Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance in it, even so that supplication, in which a man's proper self is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would give it force. "Fervent prayer," says an old divine, "like a cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." The common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing with a feather or catching a fly?

Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into silence; his holy clamour was continued till it brought down the blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us so to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication.
—Morning and Evening

"Do as thou hast said."

  "Do as thou hast said."

2 Samuel 7:25

God's promises were never meant to be thrown aside as waste paper; He intended that they should be used. God's gold is not miser's money, but is minted to be traded with. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see His promises put in circulation; He loves to see His children bring them up to Him, and say, "Lord, do as Thou hast said." We glorify God when we plead His promises. Do you think that God will be any the poorer for giving you the riches He has promised? Do you dream that He will be any the less holy for giving holiness to you? Do you imagine He will be any the less pure for washing you from your sins? He has said "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Faith lays hold upon the promise of pardon, and it does not delay, saying, "This is a precious promise, I wonder if it be true?" but it goes straight to the throne with it, and pleads, "Lord, here is the promise, 'Do as Thou hast said.'" Our Lord replies, "Be it unto thee even as thou wilt." When a Christian grasps a promise, if he do not take it to God, he dishonours Him; but when he hastens to the throne of grace, and cries, "Lord, I have nothing to recommend me but this, 'Thou hast said it;'" then his desire shall be granted. Our heavenly Banker delights to cash His own notes. Never let the promise rust. Draw the word of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your importunately reminding Him of His promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is His delight to bestow favours. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God's nature to keep His promises; therefore go at once to the throne with "Do as Thou hast said."

With smile of trust and folded hands

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.—Psalm 27:14.

With smile of trust and folded hands,

The passive soul in waiting stands

To feel, as flowers the sun and dew,

The One true Life its own renew.

John G. Whittier.

The whole duty and blessedness of waiting on God has its root in this, that He is such a blessed Being, full, to overflowing, of goodness and power and life and joy, that we, however wretched, cannot for any time come into contact with Him, without that life and power secretly, silently, beginning to enter into us and blessing us. God is Love! God's love is just His delight to impart Himself and His blessedness to His children. Come, and however feeble you feel, just wait in His presence. As a feeble invalid is brought out into the sunshine to let its warmth go through him, come with all that is dark and cold in you into the sunshine of God's holy, omnipotent love, and sit and wait there, with the one thought: Here I am, in the sunshine of His love. As the sun does its work in the weak one who seeks its rays, God will do His work in you.

Andrew Murray.

"I will be their God."

Jeremiah 31:33

Christian! here is all thou canst require. To make thee happy thou wantest something that shall satisfy thee; and is not this enough? If thou canst pour this promise into thy cup, wilt thou not say, with David, "My cup runneth over; I have more than heart can wish"? When this is fulfilled, "I am thy God," art thou not possessor of all things? Desire is insatiable as death, but He who filleth all in all can fill it. The capacity of our wishes who can measure? but the immeasurable wealth of God can more than overflow it. I ask thee if thou art not complete when God is thine? Dost thou want anything but God? Is not His all-sufficiency enough to satisfy thee if all else should fail? But thou wantest more than quiet satisfaction; thou desirest rapturous delight. Come, soul, here is music fit for heaven in this thy portion, for God is the Maker of Heaven. Not all the music blown from sweet instruments, or drawn from living strings, can yield such melody as this sweet promise, "I will be their God." Here is a deep sea of bliss, a shoreless ocean of delight; come, bathe thy spirit in it; swim an age, and thou shalt find no shore; dive throughout eternity, and thou shalt find no bottom. "I will be their God." If this do not make thine eyes sparkle, and thy heart beat high with bliss, then assuredly thy soul is not in a healthy state. But thou wantest more than present delights—thou cravest something concerning which thou mayest exercise hope; and what more canst thou hope for than the fulfillment of this great promise, "I will be their God"? This is the masterpiece of all the promises; its enjoyment makes a heaven below, and will make a heaven above. Dwell in the light of thy Lord, and let thy soul be always ravished with His love. Get out the marrow and fatness which this portion yields thee. Live up to thy privileges, and rejoice with unspeakable joy.