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Where He Leads, He Feeds and Where He Guides, He Provides

One of the biggest mathematical miracles in the world—Moses and the people of Israel were in the desert, but what was he going to do with them?!  They had to be fed and feeding 3 or 3 ½ million people would require a lot of food.

According to the Quartermaster General of the army, it is reported that Moses would have to have 1,500 tons of food each day.  Do you know that to bring that food each day, two freight trains each a mile long would be required!  Also, they were out in the desert and they would have to have firewood to use in cooking and that would take 4,000 tons and a few more freight trains each a mile long just for one day!  And reflect that they were in the desert for 40 years.

Regarding their water supply they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11 million gallons each day!  This would take a freight train with tank cars 1,800 miles long just to bring the water!!

And don’t forget—they had to get across the Red Sea in one night.  If they went on a narrow path, 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights to cross the Red Sea.  The space required to cross the Red Sea in one night was a width of 3 miles wide, which they would walk 5,000 abreast!

But then another problem—every time they camped at the end of day, they needed a campground the size of Rhode Island or a total of 750 miles long!

However, every problem was solved and every need was met.  Joshua would later remind Israel of God’s amazing faithfulness.

“And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof” (Joshua 23:14).

Yes, they learned back then what we must learn today, namely, where God leads, He feeds, and where He guides, He provides, and where He directs, He protects!

The Power of His Resurrection and the Fellowship of His Sufferings

“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Pet. 4:12, 13).

During my first semester at the Moody Bible Institute in 1952, I purchased a beautiful wall plaque which bore the imprint of Phil. 3:10:

 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection.”

I was so proud of and inspired by the words on this sign.  It became the first object I looked at upon rising, and the last sight before retiring.  In fact, I had decided to make this passage my life’s verse.  One day a friend came in my room, saw the plaque, admired it, but informed me that the entire verse was not printed upon it.  Somewhat shocked, I hurriedly turned to look it up.  Upon discovering the entire message, I suddenly became less sure I wanted this verse as my life’s verse.  What I read was:

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.”

You see, I had been tremendously inspired by the first part of the verse, but was definitely less excited about the second section.  I wanted the power of the resurrection without the fellowship of the sufferings, but this is impossible!  One simply cannot have the first apart from the second!

Hallowed Be Thy Name

A pastor friend of mine once had the joy of leading one of the most wicked men in his entire community to the Lord.  The former drunkard, thief and street fighter now glowed with the love of Christ.  Shortly following his amazing conversion he asked the pastor if he could give his testimony, which request was quickly granted.  Thus, this uneducated and crude convert stood before the congregation and, with many tears, related what Christ had done for him.  He ended his testimony by quoting what had become his life’s verse, Matt. 6:9, “Hallowed be thy name.”

“Folks,” he cried out, “this is what it’s all about!  The name of the Lord should be ‘hollered.’  We ought to ‘holler’ it from the housetops!”

After he was finished the pastor observed to his smiling congregation that, if the truth were known, this new convert had captured the true spirit of Matt. 6:9, if not the letter.

Does the Bible Have all the Answers?

Here’s what happened: I would hold up a copy of the Bible and proclaim—

“This book is the Word of God and within its pages you’ll find answers to all of life’s questions!”

Well, the first part of the statement is absolutely true, but not the second.  All of life’s questions are not answered in its pages. 

Question: Why does God permit faithful missionaries to be slaughtered?  Why does He allow innocent little children to suffer the agony of incurable diseases, or slowly starve to death by the untold thousands around the globe?

Which chapter among the 1189 provides answers to these questions? 

No, the Bible does not down here address them.  It does however give comfort to the one who asks them, along with the promise that some day, up there a full explanation will be forthcoming!

Satan & Sunday’s Sin

“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7).

Is this writer the only one to have observed that if a sudden disagreement develops between pastor and wife, or a church leader and his spouse (Sunday school teacher, choir member, etc.) it often occurs en route to the church building?  This surely is no accident.  If the enemy can cause even a very brief domestic problem, then the planned sermon, Sunday school lesson, or song will not accomplish that which God had intended.

A Diamond in a Clay Vessel

What really happened during that night of all nights in the Judean hills some 2000 years ago?

Two illustrations may prove helpful:

• The diamond/clay vessel illustration:
A perfect, priceless, and incredibly beautiful diamond is placed within a plain and lowly clay vessel.  One day, for a brief moment, a tiny hole appears in the container, resulting in the immediate outpouring of a dazzling beam of glory which temporarily blinds those who happen to see it.  This is, of course, exactly what happened in Luke 2 (Christ’s birth) and Matthew 17 (His transfiguration).

Note: 
1. The placing of the diamond:
“God was manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16)
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same (Heb. 2:14).

2. The appearing of the hole:
“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light” (Mt. 17:1, 2).

A case could be made here that, in all the universe, the strongest object ever created by God was the earthly body of Jesus!  Ponder this amazing thought: for 34 years this vessel of clay actually contained and confined the resplendent glory of Almighty God Himself, only allowing for one brief moment a tiny ray to escape, which temporarily blinded Peter, James, and John!

• The Rolls Royce/ox wagon illustration:
The owner of a $175,000 Rolls Royce ‘Gray Ghost’ automobile is suddenly and mysteriously transported in ‘twilight zone’ fashion to Earth’s most remote area where the residents are still in the stone age.  After recovering from the initial shock, the man notices their only means of transportation involves the hitching of oxen to crude wooden carts or wagons.  Sitting in his Rolls, surrounded by luxury, the owner soon realizes there are two courses of action open to him.

1. He can place the auto in gear and, using its awesome power, literally leave those simple natives in the dust.

2. He can keep the motor running, ease the auto in neutral, and allow his magnificent machine to be pulled by a lowly oxen.

After some thought, the second option is decided upon.  But why?  For some reason, he feels a strong desire to know these people.  He wants to travel at their pace, learn their language, experience their pain, and to befriend as many as possible!  This is exactly what Jesus did when He came to our God-rejecting planet, carrying with Him all the glorious attributes of His Divine nature.  He then clothed Himself in human flesh, agreeing to eat our food, drink our water, speak our language, and die for our sins!

For With God Nothing Shall be Impossible

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS … Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda”

(Luke 1:30, 31, 34-39).

Never in the history of childbirth did two expectant mothers have more to talk about than these two women.

A. Here was Elisabeth, well past the childbearing years, but anticipating a baby.

B. Here was Mary, a young virgin, but now with child. This was the case because “with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

It should be noted that Elisabeth’s unborn child is referred to twice as “the babe” (Luke 1:41, 44), indicating scripture’s position on abortion. From the beginning, John was not looked upon as a developing mass of human tissue or a fetus, but as “the babe.”

But what about a therapeutic abortion? Consider the following: A therapeutic abortion occurs when a pregnant woman is persuaded (often by her doctor) that her unborn child presents an emotional or mental threat to her general well-being. Therefore, the most practical and painless solution (for the mother at least) is simply to kill the offending baby. There are two well-known instances in history in which this attitude toward unborn human life could certainly have been applied.

The first case involved that of an older woman, the wife of a respected religious leader, living in a large southern city. Present-day advice to her would have been: “Do you really feel it wise to complete this birth?Consider your age. The psychological strain upon you will be much greater than it would be on a younger woman. Then too, as an older parent, don’t you think you’ll have real problems adjusting to this infant? I mean, it might even affect your relationship with your husband. No, all things considered, it would be far better to terminate the potential problem right now.”

The second case had to do with a teenage girl, engaged to a struggling young tradesman, living in a small northern town. Here there could be no doubt. A quick abortion would immediately solve the embarrassment and downright hostility, which would certainly develop if the unborn baby was not destroyed.

Two simple and clear-cut cases for therapeutic abortion. Not quite. Could even the most calloused present-day abortion mill operator stomach the thought of Elisabeth (the older woman) and Mary (the teenager) with trembling hands and hearts awaiting the sharp instrument of some ancient abortionist?

The Obedience of Christ

“And Jesus took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man.”  He thus agreed to join His heavenly, divine nature to that of an earthly, human nature, appearing at Bethlehem as a lowly servant!
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14).
“But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law (Gal. 4:4).

This simple but absolutely staggering fact cannot be even remotely grasped by human minds.  The infinite, holy Creator suddenly becomes in the likeness of his finite and sinful creatures (yet without sin).  Who can comprehend such un-believable condescension?  It is as if a mighty and magnificent earthly king would determine to lay aside for a while his fantastic storehouse of wealth and, leaving behind an adoring and amazed court, take upon himself the body of a lowly ant.  The ‘Son of Man’ was, by the way, our Lord’s favorite name for Himself while on earth.  He took upon himself the form of a servant.  He did not come as a mighty human Caesar or some world-renowned human philosopher.  Even this would have been a condescension of colossal pro-portions.  He came, rather, as a lowly servant.

A number of years ago, some evangelical Bible scholars were asked:  “From a theological perspective, what Christian song in your opinion is the greatest ever written?”  Heading up the poll was Isaac Watts’ glorious hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”  Dear reader, ponder now (as I am doing) just how my pride and self-seeking stacks up as compared with the first two stanzas:

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ, my God;
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood.

Is This a Dress Rehearsal for Armageddon?

We begin with a two-fold question:
(1) Can the current Middle East situation be viewed as a dress rehearsal for the final battle of Armageddon, and (2) how might the coming Antichrist exploit it for his own wicked agenda?

Many students of Bible prophecy see those Middle East events in the future transpiring as follows:

• Jesus Christ returns and removes all His followers from the earth (1 Thess. 4:13-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-53)

• The situation reaches a boiling point, resulting in Israel’s very existence to be in question.  Note the O.T. prophet Zechariah’s words along this line:

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about . . . in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people . . . the people of the earth (shall) be gathered together against it.  (Zech. 12:2, 3)

• Suddenly when all hope for the Jewish people seems to be gone, a powerful Western leader (the Antichrist) suddenly steps in and, to the astonishment of the world and to the relief of Israel, signs a seven-year peace treaty with that nation!

Some believe he will not only guarantee Israel’s security, but help finance their centuries’ old desire to rebuild their temple.  Sadly, Israel will swallow this poison bait hook, line, and sinker.  But after 3 ½ years he will break the treaty and attempt to destroy all Jews worldwide.

• Finally, Jesus returns—this time to planet Earth—defeats His foes at Armageddon and institutes a one-thousand year reign of peace called the Millennium!

• In light of all this, what should be the response of all followers of Christ? 

Simon Peter provides the answer:  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent  that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless (2 Peter 3:14).