Fearing God

When making plans for a new year, it is good to recall the many Bible verses that remind us to fear the Lord. Not because we want to avoid trouble but so we can walk in confidence.

The concept of fearing God is difficult. Some interpret fearing God as having great reverence for Him—a sense of awe and wonder when confronted by this God who is beyond comprehension. Certainly, that is truth, but not the whole truth.

There are keys that take the concept a bit further. When we look at Bible stories, we see that those who truly fear God are set free from normal fears. The fear of God thrusts them forward. David slew Goliath and Gideon routed the Midianites. (I Sam. 17 & Judges 7) And we read of Moses, By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the King’s anger. (Heb. 11:27a NIV)

In the book of Acts we read that the church was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord. (Acts 9:31)

We will not be flippant about our God if we fear Him. But we will be fearless in the face of oppositon. And we will be motivated.

Originally published December 30, 1982.

Give Me This Mountain

Caleb was fearless during the early days of Israel’s wandering through the Wilderness. As one of twelve spies sent into Canaan, he recommended taking immediate possession of the land.

Because that didn’t happen, Moses promised Caleb that he would receive land as an inheritance for him and his children when they eventually did enter—because he had, “wholly followed the Lord.” (Josh. 14:9b NKJV)

For forty years Caleb wandered through the wilderness with the rest of the Israelites, but his faith remained strong and he did not forget the promise. But when they finally entered Canaan, Moses was dead. And so Caleb approached his friend Joshua and said, As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me. Now therefore, give me this mountain. . . . (v. 11a,12a)

Caleb did not think the task would be small—he even reminded Joshua of the giant Anakim who lived in fortified cities. But he declared God would be with him and he would defeat them.

Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb. . . . (v. 13a) And Caleb, fearless for the glory of God, did what he said he would do. He conquered a mountain.

Originally published June 5, 1987.

Only Be Strong

It’s never easy to replace a strong leader. Joshua had served as Moses’ assistant during the Israelites 40 years in the wilderness. As the assistant, Joshua witnessed multiple miracles. He led the Israelites in battle. He even entered the cloud of God’s presence with Moses when they climbed up Mount Sinai. Joshua received the best training possible.

But Moses had carried all the authority and all the responsibility. After Moses died, when Joshua assumed the position of leadership, Joshua responded as a normal human responds. He was afraid and he felt weighed down by the burden and challenge.

God prepared Joshua by speaking a Word into his heart that specifically addressed his fear: Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land. . . . (Josh. 1:6a NKJV)

Remarkable things happen inside a person who hears and believes God’s Word. Joshua got the message, and the people were ready for his leadership. They said, All that you command us we will do . . . Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you.” (v. 16a,17a)

And so, when the time came to cross the Jordan and enter Canaan, Joshua was ready. He provided the leadership necessary for his army and for the people.

Originally published September 4, 1987.
Picture: Commercial display, Grand Forks, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

Little by Little

Human nature wants instant success.

Sometimes God works that way in our behalf. The Bible tells of many occasions when individuals or nations were instantly delivered—set free—from terrible affliction or oppression.

But the Bible also tells us that sometimes God worked slowly—over a period of time. When the Israelites were about to conquer Canaan, God spoke through their leader Moses that they would not experience quick, painless victory. Rather, they would gradually dominate the people they conquered. He said, And he Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once. . . . (Deut. 7:2 2 NKJV)

Moses also said, [N]o one shall be able to stand against you. . . . (v. 24b)

The words must have been a shock to the Israelites. During their march toward Canaan, they won swift victories. Hearing from Moses that the future would be different surely challenged their mindset and their resolve, but the promise of ultimate victory was their goal. When they had trouble they could remember the promise and trust the God who gave the promise.

Originally published July 31, 1987.

Distill as the Dew

After struggling forty years as leader of the Israelites, Moses shared final thoughts with them before his death. Then he prayed a poetic prayer that many identify as the Song of Moses. (Deuteronomy 32) He said, Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, and as showers on the grass. (v. 2a NKJV )

We might have expected something different from Moses at this point—something harsh or judgmental. After all, the Israelites were the source of many trials for their leader. But at the close of his long and fruitful ministry Moses had nothing but gentleness in his heart. He didn’t ask God for lightning and thunder—for a display of power to set the people straight. He asked only that his words be received—and that they give life-sustaining nourishment to the people.

Ascribe greatness to our God, Moses said. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice . . . Righteous and upright is He. (v. 3b,3c)

Originally published September 26, 1986.

A New Attitude

By the time the Israelites reached Canaan and prepared to enter the promised land, it was abundantly clear that God did not choose them because they were wonderful people. In fact, God told Moses to tell the Israelites, you are a stiff-necked people. (Ex. 33:5b NKJV)

Moses repeated the phrase again when he gave his farewell to the Israelites: understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. (Deut. 9:6)

Stiff-necked means obstinate—unwilling to receive correction. The Israelites qualified because there were many times when they resisted God—refused to receive His Word. Nevertheless, they were God’s people.

There is a remedy for us when we are stiff-necked. We can ask God to give us wisdom. Wisdom includes bowing our necks before God, it moves us away from being rigid to being pliable. Wisdom brings us into a new attitude.

We will never be happy if we are stiff-necked, but Proverbs tells us, Happy is the man who finds wisdom. (Prov. 3:13a)

Originally published April 11, 1986.
Picture: Viewed from the street, West Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig

Opportunity to Trust

Moses said to the Israelites, remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart. . . . (Deut 8:2a NKJV)

When reading that verse, it is important to remember that God doesn’t send tests to see how well His people will do. He sends them as opportunities. We can choose Him or not choose Him. And no one—not even God—predetermines responses during a time of testing. Every person—or every nation—is free.

Nor is God a passive spectator. Because He cares so much, He interacts with individuals and with nations, working to bring them to a place where they have greater opportunity to make the right choices.

When the Israelites came to the end of their long journey through the Wilderness and were about to enter the Promised Land, God reminded them of the blessings He had provided: Your garments did not wear out on you or did your foot swell these forty years. (v. 4) That was the case even though he often allowed hardship before He provided. He allowed them to experience hunger, thirst, failure, attack from hostile armies, etc. Each trial was an opportunity to trust Him—to walk in his ways and to fear Him. (v. 6b)

Originally published July 3, 1987.

Enter Into God's Rest

The Israelites who followed Moses into the Wilderness were actively engaged in doing God's work. They were His chosen vessels. Nevertheless, Scripture tells us, The messge they heard was of no value to them because those who heard it did not combine it with faith. (Heb. 4:2 NIV)

That is a sad statement. Hebrews 11:6 enlarges the concept. It reads, without faith it is impossibel to please God. God is looking for people who believe that He is real and who will come to Him in faith. The Israelites repeatedly failed to come to Him or to ask for help. They murmured against Moses instead.

The rewards of faith are not based on actitity or great works. Faith acknowledges and accepts our inability to earn any merit before a perfect God. He calls His people to seek Him and trust Him. Today, in our time frame, our hope is to look to Jesus, to His life, His death, and His resurrection.

There remains then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work. . . . (Heb. 4:9 LB)

Originally published September 23, 1983.

To Build the Tent/Tabernacle

The Tabernacle was an elaborate tent built by the Israelites as a worship center. It could be assembled and taken down again so they could move it when they traveled through the Wilderness. When assembled, it housed sacred articles—including the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat—and it became the symbol of God’s Presence among His people. It was also the place where people brought their sacrifices.

Many factors came into play when the Israelites built their Tabernacle. They needed silver, gold, fine linens, colorful threads, incense, oil, and other materials to follow God’s plan. (Ex. 35) God told Moses to collect an offering. When he did, everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord’s offering. . . . (Ex. 35:21a NKJV) They offered items given to them when they left Egypt.

Skilled craftsmen were necessary. Moses identified Bezaleel as the chief artisan. Aholiab was also identified by name. They joined together with every gifted artisan in whose heart the Lord had put wisdom. . . . (Ex. 36:2b)

The stiff-necked people of Israel were far from perfect—just like God’s people today. But they had God-given abilities, and God honored them by calling them into His service.

Originally published on October 16, 1981 and December 27, 1991.
Picture: Marigolds along I-90, Minnesota, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

Look and Be Radiant

One of the psalmists said, Look to Him and be radiant. . . . (Ps. 34:5a RSV)

That’s quite an order. Yet the Bible tells us Moses was literally radiant and did not realize it. After spending 40 days and nights with God on Mount Sinai without food or water, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. (Ex. 34:29b)

The radiance of Moses reflected God's glory and it came after deep fellowship with God. God trusted Moses, and He imparted much into His faithful servant. Moses received instructions concerning important laws. There were the Ten Commandments which is still the foundation for our law today—but there were other precepts as well. And Moses also received instructions for worship, sacrifices, and building the Tabernacle.

Moses brought God's instructions to the people and then the radiance served a useful purpose. He needed a divine infusion of God’s Presence to implement God’s plans.

Originally published October 30, 1981.

Direct Conversations

Before the Israelites built their Tabernacle, there was the tent of meeting. It wasn’t ornate, and it wasn’t a place for sacrifices or priestly service. This tent pitched outside the camp was the place where Moses met with God when he wasn’t on the mountain.

When he went into the tent of meeting, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the Lord spoke with Moses. . . . (Ex. 33:9b NIV) The people knew God was talking to him, and they gathered around the tent of meeting to hear what God had said.

Can your image what this was like? Although God performed many miracles through Moses, perhaps the most remarkable experiences of Moses’ life were his conversations with God—including those in the tent of meeting. We are awed by the direct communication. At one time Moses bluntly told God he would not lead the people anywhere unless God’s Presence went with them. God said, I will do the very thing you have asked. . . . (v. 17b)

When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God arranged a special display for this man who came to talk with Him.

Originally published September 24, 1982.
Picture: Viewed from the street, West Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

And Moses Listened

Moses communicated directly with God, and God told him to do amazing things. When he did, miracles happened. It would be enough to make a person proud. But the Bible tells us, Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men who were on the face of the earth. (Num. 12:3 NKJV)

Moses demonstrated this humble nature more than once. When his father-in-law Jethro came to hear everything that God had done for Moses and the Israelites, Jethro was more than a little impressed. He concluded the God of Israel was the God above all gods.

Nevertheless, the next day Jethro offered advice to Moses after seeing the long line of people waiting for Moses to settle their disputes. He said, you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself. (Ex. 18:18)

Moses listened. He didn't think God spoke only to him, and he willingly received from another person. Without a trace of pride he incorporated his father-in-law’s advice by choosing men to help him with the task.

Originally published September 4, 1992.

Spiritual Bread

God fed the Israelite when they were in the Wilderness by sending manna in the mornings. Because the manna was life-sustaining, and because it came at a crucial time, succeeding generations of Israelites always looked to it as a sign. People even asked Jesus what sign he would give so they could believe as the people believed Moses when God sent manna.

By that time Jesus had already performed many miracles—He had even multiplied five loaves of bread and two fishes to feed five thousand people just the day before! The crowds might not have realized they were participating in a miracle—they simply received food as the disciples handed it to them. Nevertheless, because they lacked spiritual insight, they didn’t recognize the supernatural ministry of Jesus.

Maybe that’s why Jesus didn’t talk about bodily food when he answered them. He focused on spiritual sustenance instead. He said, For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world . . . I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (Jn. 6:33,35 NIV)

Jesus focused spiritual sustenance, because it offers the key to both physical and spiritual life. When we receive Jesus, we receive the life of God. He is our our daily manna, our spiritual bread.

Originally published May 30, 1986
Picture: Viewed from the street, West Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

There Was the Glory

God revealed His mercy and provision in many ways during the Israelites’ extended journey from Egypt to Canaan. Even the cloud that remained with them was a visible sign of His glory. It not only led the people; it revealed something about God’s nature. During the dark desert nights, fire from the cloud provided light. During hot days, the cloud provided shade from the hot desert sun. Some say the cloud provided an image of the blessings we receive through Jesus.

At one time, when the people grumbled because they were hungry, Moses and Aaron brought the people into a position where they would listen. Then, While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. (Ex. 16:10 NIV)

The glory of God demonstrated God’s ability to be God. The people hadn’t remembered that He could take care of them. Instead of asking Him to provide food, they grumbled against Moses. But God surprised them by revealing His nature. He wowed them with a visual image of His glory. That night he sent meat in the form of birds, and in the morning the people discovered manna.

Originally published July 22, 1988.

God's Protection

As soon as he did it, Pharaoh regretted setting the Israelites free. They were slave labor and the economy depended on them. So he gave orders to his army to follow with chariots—and he led the troops.

Imagine the Israelites’ terror when they saw Pharaoh with Egypt’s army closing in on them. They cried out to Moses who had an amazing word: Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring today. (Ex. 14:13 NIV)

The order would be repeated again and again throughout Old Testament history, and when the order originated with God, He delivered His people—every time.

During the Exodus, the people obeyed the word from God through Moses, and the story that followed is one of the most familiar of our culture. Even Hollywood capitalized on the drama of a pillar of cloud . . . hiding people who walked through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. (vs. 19b,22b)

The real drama, however, is God’s plan. His plan was and is salvation. Although the people’s faith was imperfect, He delivered them. And throughout their journey through the wilderness to the promised land, He continued to protect and provide for His people.

Originally published March 30, 1985.
Picture: Commercial landscape, Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

The Lord Brought You Out

Before the Exodus, during preparations for the Passover meal, Moses told the Israelites, Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. (Ex. 13:2a NKJV)

By definition, bondage involves servitude or slavery—subjection to force. The Israelites wanted to escape—sort of. People do not walk away from slavery easily. God knew that once the Israelites passed through the sea—had actually left the land of Egypt—they would suffer withdrawal pangs when struggling alone in the desert without familiar surroundings and familiar foods.

If deliverance was to be complete, the people needed to cooperate. God’s words through Moses looked ahead to tough times. Because the Israelites could not get out alone—nor stay out alone—God wanted them to remember the great miracle of their escape—and then remember that He could also provide the strength and provision they would need to go further and further into His plan for them.

Originally published March 12, 1993.

Hard-hearted Pharaoh

Hard-hearted people are not impressed by others. Pharaoh remained untouched when God performed miracle after miracle through Moses. When plagues of blood, frogs, and gnats threatened to destroy the land, magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen. . . . (Ex. 8:19a NIV)

Plagues of flies, dead livestock, boils, hail, locusts, and darkness deepened the threat of destruction. Pain and hardship extended throughout Pharaoh’s kingdom, but Pharaoh remained unmoved. Not until the Lord struck down all the first born in Egypt, . . . (12:29a) did he finally respond. He hadn’t suddenly become tender or open to God—he was afraid. He called for Moses during the night, imploring Moses to take the Israelites and leave.

The Bible tells us God actually caused Pharaoh’s heart to harden. That’s a frightening thought. Hardness of heart can creep in with little warning.

The psalmist prayed, Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Ps. 51:10) May the psalmist’s prayer be our prayer.

Originally published July 15, 1988.
Picture: Commercial landscape, Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

Too Much to Grasp

Although the Hebrew slaves in Egypt knew something about God, they didn’t walk with Him or live in relationship with Him, and they had no understanding of His nature. God instructed Moses, say to the children of Israel: I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians . . . I will redeem you with an outstretched arm. . . . (Ex. 6:6 NKJV)

This was too much for the people of slavery to grasp, so they didn’t listen to Moses. Their pain was too deep to understand thoughts about a future and a hope.

It’s possible to live this way today. We might know something about God. But if we don’t have a vital connection with Him we cannot overcome our problems. When that happens, we are unable to hear God’s Word. We might even live in bondage.

While we struggle, God waits to reveal Himself. John the Baptist said to the people of Jesus’ time, There stands One among you whom you do not know. (Jn. 1:26b) The same is true today. The Spirit of Jesus is real. Ask Him to reveal Himself and move for you.

Originally published June 28, 1991.

A Strange Sight

God performed at least one miracle because He wanted someone’s attention. Moses noticed a bush when he tended his father-in-law’s flocks. The bush continued to burn and burn, and the sight made no sense. Because fire consumes or uses the energy or fuel, the fire should die when the energy stored in a piece of burning wood is gone. However, God’s energy infused the bush—provided supernatural energy. The bush kept burning.

Moses was 80 years old at the time—trained in Pharaoh’s court and in desert survival. He knew a great deal, but this was something different. He decided to get a closer look. Perhaps he tried to figure out if there was a hidden source of fuel. God saw him coming and called, “Moses! Moses!” (Ex. 3:4b NKJV)

And Moses said, “Here I am.” (3:4b)

Don’t you wonder how Moses felt when God spoke. God had his attention. The miracle initiated a new beginning for Moses and for the Hebrew people.

Originally published July 8, 1988.
Picture: Viewed from the street, West Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

God's Mountain

Moses, a Hebrew slave by birth, became an Egyptian prince through his adoptive mother. As a young man, he tried to help his fellow Hebrews, but he botched it by killing one of the Egyptian oppressors. Then he fled for his life to the Sinai peninsula.

While in the desert regions of the Sinai, Moses probably gave up all ideas of saving oppressed people. I doubt if he worried about whether or not people were of Hebrew descent. He built a new life for himself—married, fathered a son, and became a shepherd by working for his father-in-law.

But God still had his eye of Moses. Without sensing anything unusual, Moses led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. (Ex. 3:1b NKJV)

Think of it. God’s mountain. For Moses, this was a literal place. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush . . . God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (v. 2a,4b)

But God’s mountains was and is more than a literal place. It is where God's people encounter God’s presence. Throughout history God has continued to keep His eye on His people. As we wander around, living our lives, we might stumble into a time and place where God speaks to us and calls us by name. We've come to God's mountain.

Originally published January 30, 1987.