The Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai on the third month after they had left Egypt. God came down to that mount to covenant with them at that time. That was a covenant that separated them for Himself as a nation of priests unto Him. A covenant that differentiated them from the other nations. But Israel did not get attune with God’s plan and continued aloof from it in spite of all the supernatural signs and wonders they witnessed. To start with, when they were between the Red Sea and the Egyptian’s army, who had come against them, He caused a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land; and the waters were divided. When the Egyptians recognized that the Lord God was fighting in favor of Israel, they tried to flee, when the waters closed on them (Exodus 14). Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land, while the Egyptians were taken in and drowned. The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. Arriving at Mount Sinai, Israel did not have a clue of what was going to happen. While they encamped before the mountain, Moses went up to God, and the Lord called him out of the mountain and spoke to him giving him a message to give to the people. It was a covenant He was establishing with them. He said, You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will obey My voice in truth and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own peculiar possession and treasure from among the above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. These are the words you shall speak to the Israelites (Exodus 19:1-6). The Lord told Moses to sanctify the people for two days and then wash their clothes and on the third day the nation was to meet Him.
Month: February 2023
The Sin of Unfaithfulness
(Ezekiel 14:13-20; Jeremiah 15:1)
The word Unfaifulness denotes a feeling of offense toward relationships of all kinds, including relationship with God; it also affects other aspects of life as in the work place. Unfaithfulness is like a sword piercing the soul; it is a betrayal of one’s confidence, in the case of relationships. The sin of Unfaifulness is the sin of transgression or trespass. The Webster dictionary defines transgression- trespasses as to go beyond the limits of what is considered right and moral. When God betrothed Israel in Mount Sinai, He betrothed her in faithfulness; that was a covenant of marriage between them. But right after the betroth, Israel committed the sin of unfaithfulness through idolatry. Israel, after four hundred years in Egypt, lost the sense of their true God, the God of their fathers and followed the Egyptian gods. The Mount Sinai experience, when God came to covenant with them, was of no importance to them, so it seems, in spite of thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled (Ex. 19:16) It started with Moses’ brother, Aaron, when God called Moses up to give him the tables of stone, with the law and the commandments which He had written for Moses to teach (Ex.24:12). That was the covenant in writing. But when the people saw that Moses had been gone a while, they decided to go the way of unfaithfulness and committed idolatry. They gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him. Aaron agreed to the idea saying, Take the gold rings from the ears of you wives, your sons, and daughters and bring them to me; so they did and Aaron fashioned the gold with a graving tool and made it a molten calf; and they said, These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw the molten calf, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord; and they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play (Ex.32:1-6).
Time to Keep Silent, For the Days Are Evil
(Micah 7; Amos 5:13)
What constitutes evil days, if they weren’t for mankind? When God created the world, He created a beautiful world for man to enjoy and take care of it. There was no presence of evil anywhere, all were in harmony with the Creator. The animals weren’t violent toward one another and they did not eat one another. Peace was the harmony that kept them together, heard in a bird song. Music filled the air of that garden- the garden of Eden with happiness and innocence. It was the world God created. I can’t tell how long did the world of yesterday enjoyed perfection in every side, neither can I tell you how long it was before our parents messed it up by doubting God’s word and falling into temptation. That must have been one dark day in the lives of Adam and Eve, which changed the destiny of the world and theirs too. The door was then opened for evil to permeate the garden and take control of the lives of men and animals. They no longer behaved peacefully toward one another. The sweet fragrance of love and peace vanished and the world started to experience evil, hate, jealousy instead. As a matter of fact, the first-born son of Eve, committed the first homicide. From there, it went from bad to worse, until God destroyed the yesterday’s world by means of water in the days of Noah. Those were truly evil days!
The psalmist cried to God, Help, Lord! For principled and godly people are here no more; faithfulness and the faithful vanish from among the sons of men. To his neighbor each one speaks words without use or worth of truth; with flattering lips and double heart they speak (Psa. 12:1-2); and Isaiah prophesized, The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; and merciful and devout men are taken away, with no one considering that the uncompromisingly upright and godly person is taken away from the calamity and evil to come (Isaiah 57:1); Micah echoes by saying, the godly man has perished from the earth, and there is none upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; each hunts his brother with a net; both their hands are put forth and are upon what is evil to do it diligently; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters his evil desire. Thus, they twist between them; the best of them is like a brier; the most upright or the straightest is like a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, even of [God’s] judgment and your punishment, has come; now shall be their perplexity and confusion. Trust not in a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Keep the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom…But as for me, I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch; I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me (Micah 7:2-5,7). Therefore, he who is prudent will keep silence in such a time, for it is an evil time (Amos 5:13).
Strongholds of the Mind
(II Cor. 10:3-6)
For though we walk in the flesh we are not serving as soldiers according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful in God for the tearing down of strongholds, tearing down reasonings, even every high thing being lifted up against the knowledge of God, and taking captive every though in obedience to Messiah, and being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience would be achieved (II Cor. 10:3-6).
A stronghold is defined as false statements Satan establishes in our mind. They control and direct our mind to believe his lies. After a while they become reality. The Word of God confirms this in Proverbs 23:7. It says, For as man thinks in his heart so is he (Prov. 23:7). As someone said, “To think on what we believe, in time we will become.”
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “The brain, the most important part of the body as the command center for the nervous system, receives input from the sensory organs and sends output to the muscles. It is the main organ of the human central nervous system. It is the most complex part of the human body. This three-pound organ is the seat of intelligence, interpreter of the senses, and initiator of body movement and controller of behavior.” It is no wonder Satan goes after this important part of the body. He knows that if he can control man’s mind, he has control of his body. Of course that started at the Garden of Eden. He planted doubt in the mind of Eve and she believed. From that time on, men became slaves to Satan’s lies and fear took control of his emotions, and our trend of thoughts became open to Satan. He has taken every opportunity to control and torment the mind of man. The evidence of Satan’s control of the mind is seen in the way we behave, in the decisions we make. Many times our decisions are based on fear. In no way those decisions are directed by God, for the Word says, For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but love and sound mind (I Tim 1:7) and in another passage it says There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love (I John 4:18).
The first step to free yourself from the control of Satan is to accept the sacrifice YAHSHUA made for you. His sacrifice was the purchase of your salvation and deliverance from the enemy I Peter 1:19, 23: But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Messiah, like that of a [sacrificial ] lamb without blemish or spot; you have been regenerated not from a mortal origin, but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God; ( 2) Acknowledge your sins, repent and renounce them I John 1:9: If we admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness; (3) study the Word of God II Tim. 2:15-16: Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing the Word of Truth; but avoid all empty talk, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness. (4) Accept God’s forgiveness Psalm 103:1,3-4: Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy, as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us; (5) give the Holy Spirit complete control of your mind Romans 12: 2: Stop being conformed to this age, but you must from the inside continually be changed into another form, by the renovation of your mind, to prove what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God for you (6) hold onto the truth of God’s Word; (John 8:32: and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free; (7) be ready to go to the battlefield dressed with the full armor of God Ephesians 6: 10: From now on, you must right away become strong in the Lord and in the power of His strength; you must continually be clothed with the full armor of God to enable you to stand against the strategies of the devil; (8) offer Him sacrifice of praises; worship Him in spirit and in truth John 4:23-24: In fact an appointed time is coming and is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such as these who worship Him; god is Spirit, and it is necessary for those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth; (9) walk in God’s love and forgiveness I John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and he who loves is begotten of God and is coming to know and understand God; Psalm 139: 23-24: Search me O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting; (10) submit to God, then resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).
Light from the Word 