January 15, 2010 Preparing to Encounter God 1: Believe Kathleen Maples

I want to talk to you about three things. I'll probably have to break this down in
three parts, because it's going to get a little lengthy if I don't. When I started
reading these very familiar Scriptures I had no idea where they would lead me,
but the Lord has stirred and increased a holy fear in my heart as I have gone
through these. It's not something that can be studied just in an hour or two. He's
been dealing with me about these things, drawing me into His Word in these
places for weeks now. We'll start our study in Exodus, and look back at what
happened after their magnificent deliverance from Egypt.

The Lord destroyed Egypt to loose His people from this place. Many of the
Egyptians died in the judgments of the Lord on this nation. Israel was led out free,
with everything they needed to survive where they were going and the Lord
leading the way-who was their Provision. None were sick, none were weak, none
were feeble. (Psa_105:37) They came out victorious, led by Moses who was led by
the Holy Spirit, in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Exo 19:2 For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and
had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.

I want to focus for just a minute on this word "Desert". It means 'an uninhabited
pasture in the wilderness, away from the cities'. It's only a desert in comparison
with the richness of the land and agriculture of Egypt and Palestine. That is a very
important thing to remember. This word literally means a pasture, an open field
where cattle are driven. It doesn't mean a barren, burning, sandy place. There is
some sand on the Sinai peninsula, but there are oases and lush valleys with wells.
It's not a place you will find conveniences for yourself. Spiritually speaking, now,
only that which is necessary is found in this place. There is no provision for flesh
here. And it doesn't take long before flesh begins to complain, as proved by Israel's
journey.

We have to remember what Paul said that which was written was written for our
learning, so we could have hope through the Scriptures. (Rom_15:4) These things
were also written for our examples so we would see what happened and how they
went wrong and not repeat their mistakes. (1Co_10:6)1Co_10:11) He knew we would
need to understand these truths, more now than ever because we are the
generation who is living in the last of the last days.

They were camped around this mountain, which is called both Horeb and Sinai.
Sinai means 'bush of the Lord that shines'. These people were on a journey with the
Lord, who led the way. They came through the Red Sea, which the Lord parted.
He'd delivered them from bondage, destroyed the system that held them captive.
He brought them out openly, with a strong hand. They saw Him destroy the
armies of Egypt which pursued them, to take them back. They left the scene of the
Egyptians' deaths at the Red Sea, and headed into the wilderness of Shur. They
traveled 33 miles and found no water. The supply they had brought out of Egypt
with them was exhausted after 3 days (33 miles, according the Amplified BBL).
(Exo 15:22) As they traveled, they used up the resources they brought of Egypt
with them. They used up the water and bread they had brought out. This was
deliberate on God's part. He would not provide supernaturally until that which
was natural was exhausted.

Shur means 'wall' and Israel was surely up against a wall here. This was a nation
of people that had been abused, that still had a slave mentality, that had suffered
much as a result of the sin and bondage of Egypt. Egypt is a type or an illustration
of what sin will do in our lives. It brings us into captivity to addictions, to mental,
emotional or even physical torment. It is merciless and demanding. They came to
Marah. There was water here, but it was bitter. God had brought them out of
slavery, was leading them through this wilderness, knowing they were running
out of water, and He leads them right to this place Marah, where the water was
bitter, undrinkable. Oh, God give us a heart that will look to You first, and ask You
what are You trying to teach us? What does this mean? He's already proved He is
powerful, able to deliver, is He not able to also keep and provide for what He went
through so much trouble to deliver?

Remember, they had seen God destroy Egypt for their sakes, to deliver them. He
destroyed and made an open show of how phony and helpless the gods of Egypt
were, yet they still left Egypt carrying their little idols like some kind of back up
insurance policy. (Act_7:43 Amo_5:25-27) God knew. He saw. Still, He led them to the
Red Sea, where they were backed up against a wall, so to speak, with no where to
run, and Pharaoh's vengeful army, insane with grief over the destruction and
death in the nation of Egypt, bearing down on them. What does God do? That fiery
pillar, that precious type of the Holy Spirit, quickly moves from the front of the
procession to guard their rear. Oh, no, devil, you will not destroy My people. He
separates them. All night long, these two armies are separated. The people feared,
they cried. They accused. They fretted, wished they had stayed in Egypt. After
seeing how God by His mighty hand delivered them, and led them out free, they
still were full of fear, and dread of this Egyptian army. They still did not confident
and look to God.

How merciful God was to them, as He is to us. Oh, are you seeing yourself in these
Scriptures? I am, and it shames my heart. I've behaved much the same way at
times, even though God delivered me, time and time again. Yet in difficulty, our
flesh fears, our mind races, and our mouth causes us to sin. But Moses says don't
be afraid, stand still, see the salvation of the Lord. He was going to deliver them
once and for all from Egypt. He was going to show them, there is no going back. I
destroyed the nation of Egypt that gripped you. Now I draw its armies out into the
open so I can destroy them, they will not be chasing you. You need never fear them
again. God was leading them, but He was also guarding them. Everything He did
was to teach them more about Him, and His love for them. His plan for their lives.
The Lord shall fight for you, and you will be quiet. Stand still, and watch. One 80
year old man with nothing but a shepherds' staff raised it up over this body of
water that blocked their progress forward, and God parted this Red Sea. He even
told Moses I'm going to harden Pharaoh's heart, they will follow you in, but I will
come down heavy on them. They will be no more. They will know I am God.
The Bible says it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of God. They did.

Exo 14:24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of
the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the
Egyptians,
Exo 14:25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the
Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the
Egyptians.

But it was too late.

Exo 15:9 The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall
be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

They are praising the Lord, worshiping, glorying in His deliverance. The enemy
meant to overtake them, and destroy them. He thought them trapped in the
wilderness. Helpless. How foolish. Nobody gave God credit. This same God that
destroyed Egypt, could He not also take them through the wilderness and lead
them victoriously to the promised land, providing for their needs all the way?
They were afraid on the other side, and didn't trust God. I heard David Wilkerson
preach a wonderful message on this, "Right Song, Wrong Side".

http://www.tscpulpitseries.org/english/1990s/ts900511.html

Now here these people stand, having been through all this, and they stand facing a
trial. They are tired, thirsty, they have walked 33 miles in 3 days. They have used
up all the water they had with them. This land was a place there were no creature
comforts. There was no provision for the flesh here. The people begin to complain
against Moses. Moses has led them, went through these things with them, yet here,
because they are thirsty, they being to complain to him. They begin to question
whether he really knows what he's doing. Are you sure you didn't miss God on this
one? Why did they do this? They were expecting God to lead them to natural
provision. But He isn't a natural God, He's a supernatural God. His ways are not
our ways, His thoughts are not like ours. Too often, our thoughts are carnal
because we judge, move and are motivated by what we see and feel in our flesh.

Moses cried unto the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. I don't know what kind
of tree it was, the Bible doesn't say. He threw the tree the Lord showed him into the
waters and it made them sweet-so the people could drink and be sustained. He
proved and tested them there, and they failed to trust Him. People, being natural
and driven by what they see and feel, for the most part, even when they are in the
church, tend to think in the natural, and expect God to move in ways they would
think He should. God does not work as man does, nor does He think as we do. His
ways, praise God, are not like ours, but much better.

Why would He lead them to water that was bitter, and undrinkable? He wanted
them to know He could heal the bitterness in their own hearts, I think. They had
been under oppression for a long time, lost much, suffered much. Now, to their
carnal minds, they went from suffering, to uncertainty. They were moving
through a foreign land, following a man who had run from Egypt in disgrace 40
years earlier. He had murdered an Egyptian. He'd never been a slave as they had.
He'd never suffered as they had. Yet, this was the man God had chosen to use, to
place over them as their leader. One who was so weak in self confidence, His
confidence was in God alone. Whenever trouble arose, He didn't turn to Aaron or
Miriam, or the elders, he went straight to God.

Exo 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and
wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all
his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the
Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

How many times we do what is right in our own sight. We listen to what self says,
not what God's Word says, or we listen to other people. Even at times, listen to the
devil more than God. He'd shown them He could heal bitter waters, He could heal
whatever ailed them. He led them to Elim, a place where there were twelve wells of
water, and 70 palm trees. It must have seemed like a wonderfully refreshing place.
A place they'd like to stay a while. But they didn't stay here long. God couldn't let
them get comfortable, this wasn't their destination. He had better. Had they not
followed the cloud, they would have been hopelessly lost, and they'd have perished
without provision. We must move on with God. To refuse to go on with God is to
perish. Darkness will overtake those who refuse to walk in the light. (Joh_12:35)

When their storage of food ran out, six weeks into this journey, they again began
to murmur. Didn't look to God, who had provided water when they thirsted. They
complained to man. What does this reveal about the human heart? An
unwillingness to surrender to God's plan, a resistance to fully trusting their fate
into His hands. Self never likes to give up control, to be vulnerable to others, to
have no voice in anything. Their minds immediately went back to Egypt where
bread was provided for them, though I don't think it was provided "to the full, and
the pots where they cooked their meat" in Exo_16:3. When this journey gets hard,
when that flesh is suffering denial, and God is trying to teach us to trust Him, to
follow Him, oh, how we can be tempted to look back, to try to comfort ourselves
with the flimsy things of the world, rather than trust what is unseen.

God told Moses He would rain bread down from heaven. We know Jesus said He
was that bread God sent down from heaven and the words He spoke, He said, was
spirit and life to the believer. (Joh_6:63) I love how the Old Testament points to the
New. Truly they are inseparable. They make mistakes along the way, murmuring
in the face of difficulty, instead of trusting. They had a hard time trusting God, and
they had a hard time trusting Moses. God chose a weak man who behaved
foolishly to lead them. But Moses had learned dependence on God, not self. And
this never struck home with the people. In Exo 19, they are camped in the
wilderness near Mount Sinai. They had come about 200 miles from Egypt. In verse
3 Scripture says Moses "went up" unto God, and the Lord called unto Him out of
the mountain. He had a Word He wanted Moses to give the people. There isn't
much description about this meeting. The phrase "went up" means to meet, to
follow, to ascend. He met with God and God talked to him.

"You saw what I did to the Egyptians. You have seen how I carried you, moving
you here, where I am. If you will obey My voice, hear My Word, understand it is
My Word, not man's Word, though My servant will be the one to speak to you. If
you will keep My covenant, then you will be a special jewel to Me above all people
in the earth. You will be unto Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. This is what
God told Moses to tell these people. God wanted a people in the earth to represent
Him accurately to the world. God knew people needed Him, even though they
didn't.

Moses left off his meeting with the Lord and went to speak to the elders the Words
of the Lord. The people agreed. He went back to again meet with God, and the Lord
says something that truly arouses my interest, my curiosity.

Exo 19:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the
people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the
words of the people unto the LORD.
Exo 19:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and
to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
Exo 19:11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in
the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.
Exo 19:12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to
yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth
the mount shall be surely put to death:
Exo 19:13 There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through;
whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall
come up to the mount.

I come, I approach you in a thick, dark cloud. This cloud covers, or hides the face of
God from man. But His presence is very real. He wanted the people to hear when
God talked to Moses. One thing I want to point out, in Exo 19:9, God says 'that they
may believe thee for ever'. The word for believe here according the Hebrew means
to build up or support. God wanted the people to trust and believe and support His
choice for their leader. This tells me there was mistrust. The people had already
grumbled against Moses, and I can imagine some of their complaints. "Where
were you all those years we suffered in bondage in Egypt? You killed one Egyptian
and ran like a coward. Now we are supposed to trust you? You never suffered like
we did. Your children weren't slaughtered like ours were. You weren't beaten and
enslaved as we, no you were raised in the palace. You had the good life. What can
you understand of our suffering? How can you relate to what we are going
through or how we feel?"

Exo_14:31 says Israel saw the dead Egyptians, what God had done, and feared the
Lord and believed the Lord and Moses. But this faith in Moses and God was soon
challenged in their minds by the hardships they faced. This land, remember was
only a wilderness in comparison to a city with creature comforts. It wasn't harsh,
barren, sandy and dry. And when people are more carnal than spiritual, they are
very apt to complain and murmur rather than endure with patience and trust.
God was well aware of the doubts and questions in the heart of the people, and He
was moving in such a way to address that by publicly meeting with and talking
with Moses so they would have no doubt this was the man God had chosen to lead
them. In Jerusalem, over five hundred years later, under king Jehoshaphat, when
Israel was being attacked by Moab, Ammon and the children of Mt. Seir. But there
was a Levite, someone consecrated to God in their midst. The people were afraid.

The king had been in prayer, beseeching the Lord for deliverance. How did He
choose to answer these, His people, who were in such desperate need? He saw the
need before they knew it was coming. His Spirit came down on a Levite in the
midst. There must be someone consecrated to the Lord, someone who ministers
first to the Lord, so the Lord can use that person to minister His Word to the
people. Why didn't He use Jehoshaphat to speak to the people? God chose a Levite
instead to speak the answer to the prayer of His people. The Levite was named
Jahaziel. His name means "one who sees God." To see something or someone in the
Bible means to know, to understand.

This is a revelation you cannot have if you do not seek after God. You have to
spend time with Him, in His Presence, to learn to know Him. God sends
deliverance to these people in their trouble. But He also gives them a warning in
verse 20: Believe in the Lord your God so you shall be established. Believe His
prophets and you will prosper." Again, this word "believe" means to build up, to
support, trust him because God chose him, and listen to what he says. It's God
speaking through him. Be faithful in your support and build him up with your
prayers and your help. You do this and you yourself will be built up and
supported in turn. The word 'believe' and 'established' in this verse is the same
Hebrew word, 'aman' H539. Everyone is sustained when the body supports and is
faithful to the head. It's a picture of how the Body operates. The Body will support
the head, and the head will direct the body right. Christ is the Head of the church,
and He sets the messengers, the pastors, the leadership as it pleases Him for He
alone knows the heart. He sees what is hidden. We must trust the choice of the
Lord.

The enemy will come to our mind and pick at this person, and find fault with this
person. He will point out their weaknesses to you, and try to make you fret and
talk about it with others, instead of pray about it and build that person up in
prayer before the Lord. No, he wants you to run to your brothers and sisters with
your complaints, so discontent and mistrust will spread like cancer in the body
and God's Holy Spirit can't move over that mess. His effort is to create doubt and
unbelief, discontent, and mistrust among the people so they won't listen to the
shepherd. This will result in attacks on the shepherd, and the enemy knows if he
can destroy the shepherd, he can scatter the sheep and pick them off one by one. If
the church falls for this trap of the enemy and begins to turn in mistrust against
the leadership that God has set over them, failing to build up and support the
leadership with their prayers and love, and help, then neither will they themselves
receive the same. Isa_7:9 lays out a similar pattern.

Ahaz, Uzziah's son, is king of Judah. During this time, the king of Israel joins with
the king of Syria and they go up against Jerusalem. God sends Isaiah with a word
to Ahaz. Listen, and be quiet. Don't be afraid. Neither be faint in your heart. These
two have gotten together and planned to war against you, but it will not stand. It's
not happening. He explains if you will not believe you will not be established.
Again, the same Hebrew word. The king, and people of Judah were being fought by
the Syrians, and by their Israelite brothers. But God sent a word to comfort
Judah's heart-it will not work. Fear not. Don't quit. Don't give up. Stay together. If
you believe not you will not be established. In other words, if you don't confident
and support the one I choose to speak through, if you don't build them up and
support them, with your faithfulness and your prayers, in the position I have
established them in, neither will you be. Oh, how careful we must be, church, to be
on guard against this snare of the devil. So let's bring this into the New Testament.
Jesus had something very crucial to say about this.

Luk 10:16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he
that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

Jesus has been commissioning the disciples. He instructs them, I'm sending you
with a message. The harvest is so great but there are so few laborers. Pray that the
Lord of the harvest would send out laborers into the fields to gather the harvest.
I'm sending you as lambs among wolves. Don't take provision for yourself. Where
you go, provision will be. When you are received, eat what is set before you. Heal
the sick there, and preach the kingdom of God. But for those who will not receive
you, they don't confident your Word, the reject you, shake the dust off your feet. If
they hear you, then they hear Me, for I have sent you with the Word you speak. It's
My Word, not your own. If they despise-that word in the Greek is G114 atheteo and
it means to disregard, set at nought, not esteem as valuable, to reject. Those who
reject His messengers reject His message. They lay up judgment not treasure for
themselves.

We were speaking of Moses here, and the children of Israel. How many of them
murmured time and time against Moses. God demonstrated time and time again
He had chosen Moses to lead these people. Ultimately they were left to wander in
the desert until they all died, all of that generation under judgment except Moses,
Joshua and Caleb. Their children inherited what they refused to believe God for.
Time and time again when God was trying to lead them, they yielded to their fears
and their flesh instead of God, and His Holy Spirit which led them in that desert in
the form of a fiery cloud.

Jesus said those who would disregard the message, and the messenger, despised
Him and God. Those who refused the message store up wrath for themselves.

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Rom 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and
immortality, eternal life:
Rom 2:8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
That word 'despise' in Rom 2:4 is different. It means to think against or have
lightly esteem. The riches of God's goodness, His gentleness, kindness to mankind.
What grace He offers to such an arrogant and deceived people. Speaking of
humanity in general here. He has such patience, bears so long with us. So many
don't understand, or ignore the fact that it's all His grace and goodness and mercy
offered to us, to show us what an awful contrast there is between God and man,
and how man needs to repent? Man is not so good, so kind, so patient in the face of
such treatment as we dish out to God. If someone treated us like we have treated
God, we'd be ready to fight. We'd want to hurt them. So many have hearts that are
opposed to God, stubborn and unrepentant, and because of this, they are reserving
or laying up for themselves, not treasure in heaven, but punishment. They will
have a fixed position on judgment day, of punishment. They will see and
understand the righteous judgment of God on that day, as a result they will see
how terribly wrong they were but it will be too late. He will render to every one the
just rewards according to the choices they made and the way they lived their lives.

As I was thinking on these things, studying these things, my own dismay grew to
overwhelming proportions. I have been guilty of these things. As God opened my
eyes to these Scriptures, I was horrified as He exposed the working of the enemy,
and how I had been just like Israel, complaining against what I didn't understand,
murmuring, not content, and I was devastated.

But He is so merciful, folks. So merciful. He quickly reminded of some things. He

said, "I knew before I told Abraham of his descendants they would be slaves in
Egypt. I knew before I had Moses warn Israel before he died that they would rebel
against me and I would have to judge them because they would not listen and
repent. I knew Moses would fail before I chose him. This did not change My
goodness that I gave the people." He knew I would fail and make mistakes before
He saved me. Even as He's revealed Himself to me slowly, day by day, as He's
drawn me into His Word, He knew I'd fail. He knew you would, too. Yet He still
loves us. He just wants us to repent. He wants us to understand what we've done
wrong, and repent. Make it right.

God had three things here He wanted to address. He wanted the people to believe
and support Moses. (Exo_19:9) He wanted the people to be sanctified (Exo_19:10)
and He wanted them clean (Exo_19:11). There was some preparation that had to be
made before God came down to meet with them. God wants unity among His
people. He wants consecration, separation from the world, from anything vile,
and unclean. He wants us to not make provision for self. He wants us clean. Let us
confess our sins, so He can be faithful and just once again to wash us clean in the
blood of the Lamb...

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.

Remember, verse 10 says if we say we haven't sinned, we are liars.