Current message ………..

You know it’s interesting, to ponder, that if mankind would just simply take heed to the things of God, the world would be a much nicer place to live. God gives us instruction on how to live and what and what not to do. He let’s us clearly know what he likes and dislikes, and the consequences for disobedience. These warnings from God are not only to avoid his wrath , but in many cases God is instructing us for our own good and well being. It’s not that every time we step out of line, that God pounces on us, but rather, he’s trying to make us aware that going in that direction, or participating in that activity will lead to trouble, and many times the trouble is not God’s wrath, but rather we find ourselves in a very uncomfortable situation, and all that is left to do is to call out to God and ask him to bail us out……………what’s really sad is that some people won’t even cry out to God for help!

Genesis chapter 2 and 3 -

In these two chapters we find the creation of man followed by his downfall. Prior to his fall, man had it, wonderfully well, in this earthly paradise. He was surrounded by fruit trees, the garden had it’s own water system (Gen 2:10-14), God let Adam name all the animals, and God also made Adam a woman and brought her to him………hey guys how’s that for a dating service? J . Oh and by the way, both of our Garden of Eden heroes were ……..butt naked! They were not worried about their nakedness, and neither was God.

However, the party came to an abrupt halt when they simply didn’t do what God told them to………..Don’t eat from nor touch that tree! (Gen. 2:16 -17)

After Adam and Eve’s disobedience they died spiritually. Not physically, and the text makes no mention of them dropping dead. However their behavior had changed. Suddenly their ‘birthday suits’ became a problem, and then they hid from God. (Gen. 3:1 - 8)

As you read the text you’ll note that God doesn’t pick up his ‘holy hammer’ and pounce on Adam and Eve. Nevertheless their actions were extremely costly. Now there became a vast gulf between divinity and humanity. Prior to the fall Adam could look right up into heaven and talk to God.

 In (Gen. 3:8-9) it says the voice of God was walking through the garden……calling out to Adam. These two newlyweds had close interactions with the creator of the universe………….and now it was gone, also the earth was cursed, and they were cast out of the garden. This doesn’t mean God cast them away forever, and 

(v.28) - And the Lord Said unto Moses how long refuse ye to obey my commandments? 

Leviticus chapter 10 - here we find a serious 

 Psalm 103: 8 says, the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.  However such was not the case for these two priests. (v. 2) And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Let’s look at what they did…………refs. Dakes bible page 208

* during the process of divine services, did what was not commanded

* offered strange fire of their own and not the fire of the altar.

* offered incense at the wrong time and place

* failed to sanctify themselves before Jehovah and the congregation

As you can see these gentlemen had to be whacked out of their minds! I say this because they were priests and knew better than to be fooling around and doing things wrong in such a holy place. God does not utterly consume us when we do wrong. As was mentioned earlier, God is slow to anger. Unlike us, God does not go bisserk every time we do something that’s not pleasing to him.  However if you have taken the oath of the priesthood you understood completely what your role was, how you were to dress, what steps and procedures you were to follow. And God gave specific instructions on what and how the priests were to perform their duties. And for these two guys to be pulling these kinds of stunts in the presence of the Almighty is nothing short of suicide……….I can’t imagine what was on their minds.

Numbers chapter 22 - Balaam and Balak. ‘Finis Jennings Dake’ states in his Dakes Bible……”the story of Balaam has to be one of the most interesting in scripture”.

And I agree. Here we have two individuals up to no good. Balak , king of the Moabites, is quite troubled by the Israelites. The number of them and what they had done to the Amorites was a heavy burden on King Balak. He contacts the man of God, Balaam, and asks if him if he would be so kind as to curse this great Israelite host. Brother Balaam responds that he needs to chat with God about this, and then get back to him with God’s opinion of the situation………

(v. 12 ) And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

Sounds pretty clear to me! However the saga continues……..

King Balak, not willing to take no for an answer, recruits another set of princes more honorable than the first set he sent. They also have thrown in a few extra bonuses just to sweeten the package a little bit. Now Balaam should have told these new messengers to ’get lost’! , but instead he puts on a show stating that even if they gave him a house full of silver and gold, he could not go against the word of the Lord. But he says let me just check in one more time with the Lord……..maybe he’ll change his mind…….yeah right!

Well my friends, guess what? God tells Balaam that he can go with the princes. However the good Lord has a little surprise for our reward seeking prophet. You see that was Balaam’s problem. He was seeking a reward, he’s disrespecting God’s command to not go, but nevertheless asked again for permission to go. His mind set was off, and he, like the priests I discussed earlier, knew better.

While on his journey to Moab, the Lord was waiting for Balaam……..to kill him. However Balaam’s talking ass saved his life on three occasions (vs. 32-33)

Joshua chapter 7 - poor Achan, for like his name, he was soon to be aching. Before the Israelites overthrew the city of Jericho, the Lord instructed Joshua and then Joshua instructed the people that they were not to take anything from the city because it was cursed. Only the silver and gold was to be taken and put into the treasury of the Lord. (Josh. 6: 17 - 19) Once again we have God giving very simple and specific instructions, don’t take anything and the gold and silver are mine. However a man named Achan along with his family found themselves involved in a covert operation that cost them their lives and the lives of thirty six men. (Josh. 7: 5) All because they took things that they were told not to, and they really crossed the line when they took the silver because it belonged to God.

After Achan confessed his folly, he, *his sons and daughters, his cattle and all that he had was stoned and then burned.

* The law forbade children being put to death because of the sin of the father, unless they were partakers in the crime (Dt. 24:16 )a very sad and unfortunate scenario involving a Levite named Uzza. Levites were forbidden to touch the ark of the covenant , under penalty of death (Num. 4:15-20).

Normally when the ark was transported it was done so by the Levites using staves that slid into the four rings (2 on each side) on the ark which then allowed the Levites to pick it up and carry it without touching it.

However during this incident the ark was being transported on a cart being pulled by oxen. When the oxen stumbled, this jolted the ark, and Uzza put forth his hand on the ark to steady it. Certainly he meant no harm, and was only worried about securing the ark so that it wouldn’t fall off the cart. Nevertheless, Uzza was a Levite and he was well aware that he was not to touch any holy thing, and when he did so, God’s anger was kindled, and the Lord killed him.

This action frightened King David so much that he left the ark at the home of Obededom for 3 months (1Chr. 13: 12 - 14)

Like David, many of us, may feel that God was too harsh on Uzzah. However we must all realize that some things pertaining to God are to be heeded with the utmost caution. As I spoke of Adam and Eve , earlier in this article, now because of their one single action, which to many may seem as harmless as Uzzah supporting the ark, an awesome supernatural being (Jesus Christ) had to leave his home in glory, step into a flesh suit, and bail mankind out of the mess he had gotten into. Sometimes things may not seem to have as much importance as they do, and we all must be cautious not to kindle God’s anger………. Whether it’s deliberate or accidental.

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Some other serious offenses………….

1 Samuel 2:12 - 17 -

* they chose to serve the devil (v 12)

* they refused to obey the Lord (v 12 )

* they caused men to detest the offering of the Lord, because they forcibly took sodden and raw flesh from the offerers contrary to the law.

* they committed adultery with women who gathered at the door of the tabernacle of worship.

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2 Samuel chapter 24 & 1 Chronicles 21 -

First of all in 2 Samuel 24 it seems the Lord moved David to number Israel. Then in 1 Chronicles. 21 it says Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel.

When it says the Lord moved David to number Israel it means he allowed it to happen.

There is a saying that a person is said to do that which he permits to be done. ref. Dakes Bible page 736

both Joab and the captains of the host tried to convince King David that this numbering of Israel is not a good thing. However he heeded not their warning and they did as the king commanded.

2 Sam 24:4 & 1 Chr. 21:3 -

Dakes Bible page 736 -

God being displeased with David , smote Israel. And David admitted to God he had done wrong and how foolish he had been. He took responsibility for his action and asked God to remove this wickedness from him (1 Chr. 21:7 - 8). As far as punishment, God gave David 3 options, of which David chose “3 days of the sword of the Lord”. God sent an angel that went through the land, from north to south, and killed * 70,000 people with pestilence. The angel then started in on Jerusalem (God‘s beloved city), but the Lord repented (changed his mind) and said unto the angel “ it is enough, stay now thine hand”.2 Chr. 32:21 ; Isa.37:36 one angel slew 185,000 men of war in one night!

Some of the above stories are quite chilling. A few may seem accidental or not such a very big deal, nevertheless the consequences were enormous. It leads me to think that we all should consider taking things a little bit more seriously. And I especially want to focus in on spiritual things and the things pertaining to God. In the words of David Reagan (Lamb & Lion Ministries) some people think God is a “big cosmic Teddy Bear”. However as we read through the scriptures we find that not only is God loving, kind and merciful. He is also a God of Judgment and Righteousness. And it’s up to us as individuals to make sure we have an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior. And remember to always…………………… “ just do what God tells you”

* Just a reminder of how powerful angels can be. In the above paragraph we see the demise of 70,000 people at the hands of one angel. In

* they refused to obey truth and quit sin even when found out ( v 25)David numbers Israel ………results in the death of 70,000 men. This is another unusual occurrence in what seems to be a simple act of taking count of the people of Israel. However as you read the story one comes to the bitter conclusion that this numbering of Israel was not a wise thing to do.

2 Samuel 6:6-7 & 1 Chronicles 13:9 - 10 -