Monday, March 15, 2010

Steadfast Love

Don't forget the love God has made in your life. This is a lesson about being faithful to God.

I'd like to start with some excerpts from Psalm 78:

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

He has established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn,and rise up and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
...
They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them.
In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.
In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light.
He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

Yet they sinned still more against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
Even though he struck the rock so that water gushed out and torrents overflowed, can he also give bread, or provide meat for his people?"
Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of rage; a fire was kindled against Jacob, his anger mounted against Israel,
because they had no faith in God, and did not trust his saving power.
Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven;
he rained down on them mannna to eat, and gave them grain of heaven.
Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance.
...
In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not believe in his wonders.
...
...Then he led out his people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid... He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.they tested the Most High God,and rebelled against him. They did not observe his decrees,
but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors; they twisted like a treacherous bow.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel...
---------
To paraphrase... A long time ago God performed a lot of miracles to free the Israelites and led them to the promised land. While on the way the Israelites tested God many times. Once in the promised land the Israelites abandoned God and lots of bad things happened to them. Our children should know the stories of God's miracles so that they will be faithful to God, and not abandon him as our ancestors did. Hmmm... Let's examine this more closely and see what we can learn.

It is clear that the generations who were born in Israel post-exodus were not faithful to God. They were not witnesses of the old miracles; they had merely heard the stories. In that respect that generation is similar to the one the Psalmist speaks of when he writes, "We will not hide them (the stories) from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done." In the past it has already happened that those who heard the stories of God but were not there to witness them were not steadfast in their love toward God, so why does the Psalmist expect the coming generation to be faithful to God? A similar thing happens today as children are taught the Bible stories in hopes that they will be faithful to God. Though not impossible, it is difficult for many to stay faithful when their faith is based on stories of miracles they never have witnessed.

But let's look deeper into this story. How strong was the faith of those who witnessed the miracles? After witnessing the parting of the red sea, the cloud, and the water from the rock, those with Moses still doubted God. Hungry they doubted and mocked God saying, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?". There was also the incident of the Golden Calf. Even after witnessing the parting of the Red Sea, Manna from heaven, and other miracles, that ancient generation still doubted and rejected God. How difficult it must be to have faith when even those who witnessed the miracles doubted God!

How can this story help those living today to be steadfast in there love for God? We were not there to witness the parting of the Red Sea, Jesus's miracles, his resurrection, or any other miracle from the Bible. In this way we are like that Post-Exodus generation that rejected God. But! We are also like the ancient generation who were part of the Exodus and witnessed God's miracles. How so?

If you look back upon your life you will probably remember a time or many times when God worked miracles in your life. These are different for every person but at some point you probably looked at an event that happened in your life and thought "Wow, God is awesome", or something to that effect. You may have had very powerful experiences that you believed God was responsible for. At those points in your life your faith was probably very strong. We have witnessed miracles just as the ancient generation did. We should not forget the love God has made in our lives. We should not forget the things God has done in our lives. We should not forget the miracles of God we have witnessed in this life. One may be able to draw much strength and faith from the stories of the bible. But if you cannot then remember what God has done in your own life and let that be what drives you to be steadfast in your love for God.

It is hard to have faith in God no matter how many miracles one witnesses. Don't forget the love God has made in your life.

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Here is the complete Psalm 78:

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

He has established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children; that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn,and rise up and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
They did not keep God's covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them.
In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.
In the daytime he led them with a cloud, and all night long with a fiery light.
He split rocks open in the wilderness, and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
He made streams come out of the rock, and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

Yet they sinned still more against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
They tested God in their heart by demanding the food they craved.
They spoke against God, saying, "Can God spread a table in the wilderness?
Even though he struck the rock so that water gushed out and torrents overflowed, can he also give bread, or provide meat for his people?"
Therefore, when the Lord heart, he was full of rage; a fire was kindled against Jacob, his anger mounted against Israel,
because they had no faith in God, and did not trust his saving power.
Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven;
he rained down on them mannna to eat, and gave them grain of heaven.
Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance.
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;
he rained flesh upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
he let them fall within their camp, all around their dwellings.
And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.
But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,
the anger of God raised against them and he killed the strongest of them, and laid low the flower of Israel.

In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not believe in his wonders.
So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.
When he killed them, they sought for him; they repented and sought God earnestly.
They remebered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.
But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.
Their heart was not steafast toward him; they were not true to his covenant.
Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; often he restrained his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath.
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again.
How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!
They tested God again and again, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
They did not keep in mind his power, or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;
when he displayed his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the fields of Zoan.
He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
He gave their crops to the caterpillar, and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
He destroyed their vines with hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and sitress, a company of destroying angels.
He made a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.
He struck all the firstborn in Edypt, the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.
Then he led out his people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid;
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
And he brought them to his holy hill, to the mountain that his right hand had won.
He drove out nations before them;
he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

Yet they tested the Most High God,and rebelled against him. They did not observe his decrees,
but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors; they twisted like a treacherous bow.
For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.
When God heard, he was full of wrath, and he utterly rejected Israel.
He abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh, the tent where he dwelt among mortals,
and delivered his power to captivity, his glory to the hand of the foe.
He gave his people to the sword, and vented his wrath on his heritage.
Fire devoured their young men, and their girls had no marriage song.
Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep, like a warrior shouting because of wine.
He put his adversaries to rout; he put them to everlasting disgrace.

He rejected the tent of Joseph, he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loves.
He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.
He chose his servant David, and took him from the sheepfolds;
from tending the nursing ewes he brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel, his inheritance.
With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skillful hand.