Do Not profane the Holy
- Michael Smith
- Jul 7, 2008
- Series: Do not Profane the Holy
Do not Profane the Holy
michael smith 6.20.2008
Deut. 8:3 "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.
Deut. 8:16 "In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end.
Num. 11:1 ¶ Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.
Num. 11:2 The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD and the fire died out.
Num. 11:3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them. ( the Lord was going to toast their butts )
Num. 11:4 ¶ The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, "Who will give us meat to eat?
Num. 11:5 "We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic,
Now where is their memory, saying, "we used to used to eat free"?
Hello, they were slaves!!
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Do we not sometimes complain how things were better back when? And miss the manna in front of us?
Num. 11:6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna."
This stupid ucky manna, we will never see good food again, whoa is us for our appetite is gone.
We also complain about our circumstances, why is this happening, when will this end, where is God? "who will give us meat"? blah blah whah whah
Ex. 17:1 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by "stages" from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the LORD, and camped at "Rephidim", and there was no water for the people to drink.
And they were led by God to "Rephidim" which was a midway point between the wilderness of Sin and the wilderness of Sinai and at this place water is not expected to found.
Could God be doing a similar work in us by "stages"?
Ex. 17:2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water that we may drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?"
Ex. 17:3 But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, "Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"
Oh God why have you done this to us? To shame us, or let us fail in our marriages, businesses, life?
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Ex. 17:4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, "What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me."
Ex. 17:5 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
Ex. 17:6 "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Ex. 17:7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us, or not?"
Do we not asked that same question as well?
Its interesting that God led them to this "Rephidim" where He tested them and allowed Amalek to war against them.
If we will open our eyes to see, we would see God testing and training us, rather then seeing an attack of the enemy.
Ex. 17:8 ¶ Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.
Ex. 17:9 So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of "God" in my hand."
Should we not "station" ourselves in a quiet place with the word of God and lift of Gods word before him in praise?
Ex. 17:10 Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
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Ex. 17:11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up,
( or lifted up the Name of God in praise in the midst of the circumstances, warfare or battle) that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek ( the enemy) prevailed.
Ex. 17:12 But Moses' hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.
Ex. 17:13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Ex. 17:14 ¶ Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."
Ex. 17:15 Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner;
Recite it to Joshua? Could it be the Lord wanted to encourage Joshua by letting him know that as long as Moses was lifting up the staff or praises of God they prevailed? That Joshua in later years would need to know that truth when Joshua would enter the promised land without Moses to take on the enemy in the enemy's own land?
Are we being asked to lift up the name of the Lord in praise in our circumstances? That the Lord is our banner, rather then murmur about the manna we are being fed at this time?
Can the continuation of "manna" in our lives be testing for us?
The same thing over and over, Lord when will things change? How long Oh Lord?
Could it be the Lord desires to do us good in the end as we read in Duet. 8:16?
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Will we fail the test? Or will we learn to trust His reasons without an explanation?
His "ways are higher then our ways" right?
Psa. 78:18 And in their heart they put God to the test, By asking food according to their desire.
Psa. 78:19 Then they spoke against God;
They said, "Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
Psa. 78:20 "Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, and streams were overflowing;
Can He give bread also?
Will He provide meat for His people?"
Psa. 78:21 Therefore the LORD heard and was full of wrath;
And a fire was kindled against Jacob
And anger also mounted against Israel,
Psa. 78:22 Because they did not believe in God and did not trust in His salvation. ( or His ways )
Psa. 78:23 Yet He commanded the clouds above.
And opened the doors of heaven;
Psa. 78:24 He rained down manna upon them to eat. And gave them food from heaven.
Psa. 78:25 Man did eat the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.
Wow, this is so much like us. Because sometimes we think the manna in our midst is not what we want or should have, so we begin to test God also. By asking questions like, how can God help me in this? Where is God's love for me? When will my prayer's be answered?
Yet He is feeding us, food from heaven, the bread of angels.
Amazing!!
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Because manna food was the not answer they wanted.
Look at what God does because of their lack of appreciation for the manna in their midst.
Psa. 78:26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens. And by His power He directed the south wind.
Psa. 78:27 When He rained meat upon them like the dust, Even winged fowl like the sand of the seas,
Can you see God just making them duck and run from the meat fallen on their heads?
You want your desires, you want your way, well here it is.
Psa. 78:28 Then He let them fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their dwellings.
Psa. 78:29 So they ate and were well filled, and "their" desire He gave to them.
Psa. 78:30 Before they had satisfied their desire, While "their" food was in their mouths,
Psa. 78:31 The anger of God rose against them, and killed some of their stoutest ones, and subdued the choice men of Israel.
People let us not insist on our own desires, that His anger does not rise up against us.
Psa. 78:32 In spite of all this they still sinned. And did not believe in His wonderful works.
Psa. 78:33 So He brought their days to an end in futility. And their years in sudden terror.
Psa. 78:34 When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God;
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Psa. 78:35 And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.
Death can have a way of getting our attention.
At least for awhile, because the next verse says...
Psa. 78:36 But they deceived Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue.
Psa. 78:37 For their heart was not steadfast toward Him,
Nor were they faithful in His covenant.
But Oh the great love of God!!!
Psa. 78:38 But He, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them; and often He restrained His anger and did not arouse all His wrath.
How many times has God forgiven us, and how often has He restrained Himself and did not arouse "all" His wrath?
And how many times because we do not see His wrath do we interpret that to mean we need not change our hearts and obey?
Psa. 78:39 Thus He remembered that they were but flesh,
A wind that passes and does not return.
Psa. 78:40 How often they rebelled against Him in the "wilderness" and grieved Him in the "desert"!
Could some of us be in a desert or wilderness experience and unhappy with the manna in our midst?
Will we keep our heart steadfast towards Him?
Will we remain faithful in His covenant?
Has He spoken a word to us, and yet because of our own unanswered or unmet desires we rebel and grieve Him?
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Psa. 78:41 Again and again they "tempted" God, and "pained" the Holy One of Israel.
Are we in our efforts of the flesh "tempting" or "paining" God who will then act against us?
Psa. 78:42 They did not remember His power,
The day when He redeemed them from the adversary,
Will we remember His faithfulness and how He redeemed us from the adversary?
Will we profane the Holy and treat His ways in our midst with irreverence?
The definition of Profane is,,,,
is to treat (something sacred) with irreverence or disrespect
God's ways are Holy, how will we treat His work in our midst?
These are 4 steps we can apply while being fed manna.
1. We need to see His ways in our midst as Holy manna for us and treat it with reverence and not profane it by murmuring.
2. We need to choose to believe God is working in our midst for our good, though we do not see how, when or where.
3. Whenever we complain God's manna, we are to repent of profaning the Holy in our midst. To ask forgiveness for our doubt and unbelief.
4. We need to praise Him for His manna. To declare His faithfulness to us. To commit to Him by believing His word to us.
