Deuteronomy 2 verses 1 – 13
“Ye have compassed
this mountain long enough: turn you northward.”
God of heaven is evaluating the
travels of his own people, assessing the progress of his own people. If God was to lay the plumb line against this
life of mind would he be able to say “you are exactly where I want you to be
today.”
The course that God had set. As
God sees this people God knows where they were at. He knows where we are at this morning. Maybe others think we are in a different
state but God comes with great encouragement, not to beat us down, he has
looked at where you are living, what you are doing and says “I want to consider
that you have been at this mountain long enough, I want you to move northward.” God is opening up another avenue for us and all
he wants from us is obedience. He has so
much for us if only we would surrender to the course of God. These people were no longer striving, they
were settled in their ways, they are encircling this mountain, wandering. God sees a people no longer conquering but comfortable. We too can become like that – settled in what
we are doing instead of seeking out the plan of God. God has set a course for us. As we look into another year we need to find
out what that course is. It must have
been wonderful for the children of Israel to come out of Egypt, to see God
deliver them. God said he would raise up
a man – Genesis 15 who would be blameless and he would make this man like the
stars in the sky. Genesis 15 verses 13
and 14 “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a
stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall
afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve,
will I judge and afterward shall they come out with great substance.” This all came to pass exactly as God had told
Abraham. In Moses’ day the people had to
separate a lamb, take its blood and mix it with hyssop then apply it to the
doorposts. The firstborn of every family
would die that night in Egypt but if the angel of God saw the blood applied to
the doorposts then he would pass over that particular household. God delivered his own people out of the land
of Egypt, he set them on a course to a land of blessing. This was only the beginning. God had so much for his people to enjoy. God brings us out of the world through the
simplest method we could ever understand – his own Son. Why?
Because he loved us. Not because
we have earned it but rather he merited it to the Lord. He took his only Son and sent him into the
world. There on the cross of Calvary God’s
son, the perfect one, gave his life the he might reconcile us unto his Father
in heaven. Why? That I might simply call on him to be my
Saviour. I simply have to come as a child today, own up to the sin in my heart,
trust him to save me. That is all we
have to do today. From that moment God
puts a purpose in our hearts. Do we know
the plans of God for our lives today?
The moment God took the children of Israel out of Egypt he set them on a
course to enjoy his blessings in a new land.
God has set us free from the world but what is his plan for our
lives? The only way to know it is to get
before him and ask him to reveal it to us.
The concerns of God for his people.
God is looking here at this people who were looking up this mountain. This is where they are at after 38 years of
wandering. God comes with encouragement and direction. The people were so glad the day they left
Egypt but now God wanted them to move northward. Am I glad for the day God saved me? God didn’t just deliver them that day but
daily he went with them. Exodus 13
verses 21 and 22 “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud,
to lead them the way; and b night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to
go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the
pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” God is still with them, he hasn’t forsaken
them. God wasn’t prepared to lead them
through the land of the Philistines even though it was a shorter way. God knew the moment they saw conflict they would
long for Egypt. Day by day God assures
us of his presence. He will never leave
us nor forsake us. All we have to do is
learn to trust him. He has given us his
Holy Spirit that he might not leave us comfortless and to lead us into all
truth. Deuteronomy 2 verse 7 “for the
Lord thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand; he knoweth thy
walking through this great wilderness these forty years the Lord thy God hath
been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.”
God knew where they had been.
They had lost direction. Is it
possible that we have lost direction today?
Did God leave them? No he wanted
them to get back on course again. He
knew how long they had spent in that area.
For some of us in our daily lives we can lose that sense of
direction. It can be a moment of unbelief
- we have been told something by God and we have pondered on it but we are
still not obeying it. Maybe it is a
mountain of regret or fear. God tells
you to give up this mountain. Maybe it
is a case that you don’t want to go any further, want to live exactly the way
you are. On the Mount of Transfiguration
Peter didn’t want to leave that place.
As he looked at these 3 great men he said “it is good for us to be here,
let’s make 3 tabernacles and dwell here for a while.” The Lord said “no we have to go down into the
valley again.” There is a work which the
Lord wants you to do today.
There is a challenge God gives to his people - “turn northward.” It is God who gives the command. It would mean conflict, difficult days,
trials, hard work but it was God who commanded it. God knows where you and I are today. He knows we are long enough in one
place. Moses led the people out of Egypt
some 40 years earlier but it wasn’t the time to move into the Promised Land. God knows the timing for you today. Maybe this mountain gave them some sort of
security. Maybe depended on it, felt
safe with it. They had done all God had
asked them to do and now felt vulnerable.
Sometimes we go through with God and then we feel out on a limb. Peter sought to make 3 tabernacles – he wanted
to enjoy the presence of the 3 men there on the Mount of Transfiguration but he
had to leave that mountain. The first
thing Peter faced when he came down the mountain was the man with the demonic
son. We cannot live in the mountain of
blessing for ever. God wants us to move
on with him. Are you giving your all to
the Lord today? Will you let him lead
you every day until you have finished the course laid out for you?
30/12/2012 LIMC am
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