About: what can we learn about God's Providence towards Israel?
The mindset
When studying about Israel, keep the following in mind:
1. the mystery of God's Sovereignty and human responsibility. I say that this is a mystery because we cannot fully understand the balance and interaction between the two elements.
2. God can use anyone and anything to achieve His will.
The providence
1. God promises Israel with the Promised Land (Gen 15:18-21)
The land stretches from the river of Egypt to the river of Euphrates. In Deut 8:7-10, God promises that the land will be a land of "wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, ... and honey"; and this is what Israel is today - a land of milk and honey.
Like the Israelites, we are also destined to reside in a Promised Land - Heaven.
2. God leads the Israelites out of Egypt (Exo 12:37-42)
When God led His people out of the land of bondage - about 600,000 men, excluding women and children - He led them through a longer route. Instead of passing through Philistine and arriving at the Promised Land right after that, God led His people southwards to the Red Sea, and then back up again North. Why did He do this? Exo 13:17-18 explains that this was done to avoid the Philistines, who were at war ("lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt").
In the same way, God may lead us down a long winding path; but we can be assured that He does this with our good in mind.
3. God provides direction for the Israelites
We all know the famous 'miracle-compass' that the Lord provided for the Israelites to follow - the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. In the same way, God and His Word should provide direction for us, even in difficult times (recall that the Israelites were passing through the wilderness and desert, with only the pillar of cloud and fire to guide them).
4. God parts the Red Sea (Exo 14:10-14)
When the Israelites saw the Pharoh and his army from afar (v.10), the first thing that struck them was an intense fear. Yet, what was Moses' remedy for such a fear? He said, "Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord" (v.13). And God parted the Red Sea.
Sometimes danger might be staring at us in the face. But as such things draw nigh to us, we have a three-step solution to defeat the fear we feel: Fear not; stand still; look up to God. As uncle Leo said, we don't have to see a psychologist to deal with fear; we already have the remedy in God's word. God provides for us emotionally.
5. God provides water, manna, and quail (Exo 15, 16)
When the Israelites arrived at Marrah, they could not drink the bitter water there and murmured against God. But God made the water sweet, and promised that if the Israelites kept all His commandments, "I will put none of these diseases upon thee...for I am the Lord that healeth thee." In the same manner, when the Israelites had a lack of food (and a lack of a variety of food), God provided manna, and even quail for them.
This reminds us of Jesus' words in Matt 6:30-31: "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?"
With all that said, I hope we can all say with absolute faith, even in the most dire circumstances, that God will provide for our physical needs.
6. God gives the Ten Commandments (Exo.20:1-17)
Even as God provides for our emotional and physical needs, He also looks after our spiritual needs by providing us with a moral code to follow. We need the Law to guide us to do good for Him, and to stay close to Him; because no man seeks after God on his own (Romans 3:11). Just as the Law acts like a "schoolmaster" to bring us into submission to God's will, and reveal to us what sin is, grace begets forgiveness of sin when we disobey. Hence, God also provides for our spiritual needs.
The entire testimony of Israel is very applicable to us today, because, like the children of Israel, we are also the children of God. Hence, it is comforting to know that just as God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness, He will provide for our whole person - physically, emotionally, spiritually and morally. He also takes care of our future by providing us with direction, and preparing a place for us in Heaven. Such is the wholesome nature of God's Providence.
How should we react then? We should, like Jethro in Exo. 18:9-10, give all praise to God for His absolute Providence toward us. Even when we complain, like the Israelites did, God still remains faithful. Hence, a lesson on the amazing history of Israel is, above all things, a lesson on God's miraculous Providence.
"Now I know that the Lords is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them." Exodus 18:11
Special thanks to Uncle Leo for this message.
The mindset
When studying about Israel, keep the following in mind:
1. the mystery of God's Sovereignty and human responsibility. I say that this is a mystery because we cannot fully understand the balance and interaction between the two elements.
2. God can use anyone and anything to achieve His will.
The providence
1. God promises Israel with the Promised Land (Gen 15:18-21)
The land stretches from the river of Egypt to the river of Euphrates. In Deut 8:7-10, God promises that the land will be a land of "wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, ... and honey"; and this is what Israel is today - a land of milk and honey.
Like the Israelites, we are also destined to reside in a Promised Land - Heaven.
2. God leads the Israelites out of Egypt (Exo 12:37-42)
When God led His people out of the land of bondage - about 600,000 men, excluding women and children - He led them through a longer route. Instead of passing through Philistine and arriving at the Promised Land right after that, God led His people southwards to the Red Sea, and then back up again North. Why did He do this? Exo 13:17-18 explains that this was done to avoid the Philistines, who were at war ("lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt").
In the same way, God may lead us down a long winding path; but we can be assured that He does this with our good in mind.
3. God provides direction for the Israelites
We all know the famous 'miracle-compass' that the Lord provided for the Israelites to follow - the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. In the same way, God and His Word should provide direction for us, even in difficult times (recall that the Israelites were passing through the wilderness and desert, with only the pillar of cloud and fire to guide them).
4. God parts the Red Sea (Exo 14:10-14)
When the Israelites saw the Pharoh and his army from afar (v.10), the first thing that struck them was an intense fear. Yet, what was Moses' remedy for such a fear? He said, "Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord" (v.13). And God parted the Red Sea.
Sometimes danger might be staring at us in the face. But as such things draw nigh to us, we have a three-step solution to defeat the fear we feel: Fear not; stand still; look up to God. As uncle Leo said, we don't have to see a psychologist to deal with fear; we already have the remedy in God's word. God provides for us emotionally.
5. God provides water, manna, and quail (Exo 15, 16)
When the Israelites arrived at Marrah, they could not drink the bitter water there and murmured against God. But God made the water sweet, and promised that if the Israelites kept all His commandments, "I will put none of these diseases upon thee...for I am the Lord that healeth thee." In the same manner, when the Israelites had a lack of food (and a lack of a variety of food), God provided manna, and even quail for them.
This reminds us of Jesus' words in Matt 6:30-31: "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?"
With all that said, I hope we can all say with absolute faith, even in the most dire circumstances, that God will provide for our physical needs.
6. God gives the Ten Commandments (Exo.20:1-17)
Even as God provides for our emotional and physical needs, He also looks after our spiritual needs by providing us with a moral code to follow. We need the Law to guide us to do good for Him, and to stay close to Him; because no man seeks after God on his own (Romans 3:11). Just as the Law acts like a "schoolmaster" to bring us into submission to God's will, and reveal to us what sin is, grace begets forgiveness of sin when we disobey. Hence, God also provides for our spiritual needs.
The entire testimony of Israel is very applicable to us today, because, like the children of Israel, we are also the children of God. Hence, it is comforting to know that just as God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness, He will provide for our whole person - physically, emotionally, spiritually and morally. He also takes care of our future by providing us with direction, and preparing a place for us in Heaven. Such is the wholesome nature of God's Providence.
How should we react then? We should, like Jethro in Exo. 18:9-10, give all praise to God for His absolute Providence toward us. Even when we complain, like the Israelites did, God still remains faithful. Hence, a lesson on the amazing history of Israel is, above all things, a lesson on God's miraculous Providence.
"Now I know that the Lords is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them." Exodus 18:11
Special thanks to Uncle Leo for this message.
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