It was a wild and rough west we had come into and it needed men with the bark on.”
–Louis L’Amour (Passin’ Through)
“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.”
“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal.”
–Numbers 25:11 (NKJV)
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“Generally speaking the soul and body fare inversely. When the body is pampered with every luxury, the soul starves.”
–F.B. Meyer
That pretty much sums up this next portion of Psalm 106. I have thought often of how Joshua and Caleb must have felt after all the spies reported to Moses. I can imagine their excitement upon returning to Moses with their report, then hearing the reports of the others…how disappointed they must have been. Joshua and Caleb knew what was before them, but they also knew that their God had led them to this place and that He was bigger than any in the land.
24 — Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word.
25 — But complained in their tents, and did not heed the voice of the LORD.
26 — Therefore He raised up His hand in an oath against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness.
27 — To overthrow their descendants among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.
28 — They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices made to the dead.
29 — Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them.
30 — Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped.
31 — And that was accounted to him for righteousness to all generations forevermore. (NKJV)
Imagine, God has led you to the place He has promised you, but you hesitate, then you do not take the next step. The opportunity was before you, the call is upon you, yet instead of marching forward you grumble and complain. What an indictment! Yet this is exactly what the people of Israel did. They did not trust the Lord their God. They would not heed His words. They would rather listen to unbelieving spies rather than the word of God.
Unbelief can bring the most horrendous consequences. Resisting the word of the Lord is dangerous, not only in this life, but more so upon entering eternity. Continual resistance and unbelief will eventually lead to seduction, flagrant immorality, and idolatry. They worshipped Baal, ate forbidden food, and indulged in sexual morality with the Moabite women (Numbers 25:1-3) How? Why?
Up steps a man–Phinehas. The grandson of Aaron and the son of Eleazar. He was displeased with the immorality of the Israelites (Num 25:1-9). He went into the tent of two of the most blatant offenders running a spear through the man and the belly of the woman. In this he stopped the plague that was among the people and the desecration of God’s sanctuary. Phinehas stood up in loyalty to the Lord. He proved his courage, and because of his deed, both in thought and action, the Lord stayed the plague and Phinehas received divine recognition.
Reading this portion, I wonder how often I have not heeded the voice of the Lord. When new experiences come, that God has led us to, are we daring enough to believe God, the good report, or do we cower and hide in our tents in fear? The men, the ten, felt like grasshoppers, but we need to realize that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, NKJV)
“To an inheritance divine
He taught our hearts to rise;
‘Tis uncorrupted, undefiled,
Unfading in the skies.”
–Isaac Watts
——————————-
“Generally speaking the soul and body fare inversely. When the body is pampered with every luxury, the soul starves.”
–F.B. Meyer
That pretty much sums up this next portion of Psalm 106. I have thought often of how Joshua and Caleb must have felt after all the spies reported to Moses. I can imagine their excitement upon returning to Moses with their report, then hearing the reports of the others…how disappointed they must have been. Joshua and Caleb knew what was before them, but they also knew that their God had led them to this place and that He was bigger than any in the land.
24 — Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word.
25 — But complained in their tents, and did not heed the voice of the LORD.
26 — Therefore He raised up His hand in an oath against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness.
27 — To overthrow their descendants among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands.
28 — They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices made to the dead.
29 — Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds, and the plague broke out among them.
30 — Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stopped.
31 — And that was accounted to him for righteousness to all generations forevermore. (NKJV)
Imagine, God has led you to the place He has promised you, but you hesitate, then you do not take the next step. The opportunity was before you, the call is upon you, yet instead of marching forward you grumble and complain. What an indictment! Yet this is exactly what the people of Israel did. They did not trust the Lord their God. They would not heed His words. They would rather listen to unbelieving spies rather than the word of God.
Unbelief can bring the most horrendous consequences. Resisting the word of the Lord is dangerous, not only in this life, but more so upon entering eternity. Continual resistance and unbelief will eventually lead to seduction, flagrant immorality, and idolatry. They worshipped Baal, ate forbidden food, and indulged in sexual morality with the Moabite women (Numbers 25:1-3) How? Why?
Up steps a man–Phinehas. The grandson of Aaron and the son of Eleazar. He was displeased with the immorality of the Israelites (Num 25:1-9). He went into the tent of two of the most blatant offenders running a spear through the man and the belly of the woman. In this he stopped the plague that was among the people and the desecration of God’s sanctuary. Phinehas stood up in loyalty to the Lord. He proved his courage, and because of his deed, both in thought and action, the Lord stayed the plague and Phinehas received divine recognition.
Reading this portion, I wonder how often I have not heeded the voice of the Lord. When new experiences come, that God has led us to, are we daring enough to believe God, the good report, or do we cower and hide in our tents in fear? The men, the ten, felt like grasshoppers, but we need to realize that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, NKJV)
“To an inheritance divine
He taught our hearts to rise;
‘Tis uncorrupted, undefiled,
Unfading in the skies.”
–Isaac Watts