Rejecting the Land (Deu.1:26-40)

3/7/2009 2:06 PM

 

            SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Rejecting the land

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Deuteronomy 1:26-40

 

            Message of the verses:  “26  "Yet you were not willing to go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; 27  and you grumbled in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. 28  ‘Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there."’ 29  "Then I said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, nor fear them. 30  ‘The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31  and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.’ 32  "But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, 33  who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go. 34  "Then the LORD heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, 35  ‘Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, 36  except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the LORD fully.’ 37  "The LORD was angry with me also on your account, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there. 38  ‘Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage him, for he will cause Israel to inherit it. 39  ‘Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it. 40  ‘But as for you, turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’”

            This is one of the saddest stories in all of Scripture and it is rooted in unbelief.  The 11^th chapter of the book of Hebrews is called the faith chapter for in it the writer tells the story of different OT saints who demonstrated faith but believing the Lord and acting on that belief,  The writer then begins the 12^th chapter by talking about a sin that so easily besets us, and that sin, I believe is the sin of unbelief and that is the sin that caused the first generation of Israel who came out of Israel to wander around in the wilderness for 38 years.

            Dr. Wiersbe has some interesting things to say about this section which I will quote.  “If God’s blessings don humble our hearts and make us trust Him more, then they will harden our hearts and weaken our faith.  Unless we receive His Word in our hearts and give thanks to God for His blessings, we become proud and selfish and begin to take the Lord’s blessings for granted.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  To give thanks to the Lord for the wonderful blessing of being one of His blood bought children, knowing that some day He will complete my salvation and at that time be with my Lord. 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Learn contentment.
2. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
3. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

 

3/7/2009 2:27 PM