March 10
Num 14:1-15:16 | PS 53:1-6 | Prov 11:4 | Mark 14:53-72
When I reflect back on what transpired during the pandemic it is still so vivid and so sad. Fear ruled the day. Fear was pervasive even in areas where it should not have been, such as churches, among the clergy, etc. Everything shut down. People cloistered themselves from everyone and everyone. Even within homes many people were living separately. All for a disease with less than a 1% chance of killing anyone. Though there were surprise cases, most of those who died were similar to the ones who die every year from the flu: the elderly and those with many comorbidities. People were afraid, but many displaced this and would state they were taking the vaccine for others. They would state that they were protecting their newborn grandchildren (though the virus did little to the young), or to protect their elderly parents, etc. One of my patients who knew that I chose not to vaccinate on one of my appointments kept oddly stating, "You're welcome". When I asked why she kept stating that, she told me I should be thanking her for keeping me safe. This is just one glaring example, but that the overwhelming majority of people remained and still remain quiet in the face of a godless agenda which was pushed through our nation, the school system, the workplace: issues such as transgenderism, white privilege, cancel culture, etc. all for fear of standing out for perhaps speaking truth is astounding.
The Israelites still chose to fear rather than trust their God, this despite all the miracles they had witnessed firsthand. But like in our recent pandemic, they wanted to appear brave displacing their concerns onto their loved ones, as we read in Numbers 14:3, “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” As opposed to them we see fearlessness and faith in God from two of the spies, as we read in 11:6-9, "Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”" One group saw the obstacles, the other saw God. The people might have thought they were fooling others, perhaps they even fooled themselves, but God called them out on their lie, as we read in 11:31-33, “‘You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised. But as for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness. And your children will be like shepherds, wandering in the wilderness for forty years. In this way, they will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the wilderness."
When we read of Jesus in the mock trial we witness absolute fearlessness. He knew what was going to happen and we see the question and His response in Mark 14:61-62, "But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I AM. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Despite a strong walk, we see Peter fall victim to fear as he is in the courtyard outside the proceedings and denies even knowing His Lord and Savior. In Matthew 16:25, Jesus said, "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." In Romans 8:31, we read, "What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" Jesus emphasized just how much our lives are in the Master's hand when He said in Luke 21:18, "But not a hair of your head will perish!" We need to remember this daily. We need to remember this the next time we face a threat, either personally or nationally. We need to rest on the foundation of His Word and never depart from it. We need to keep our eyes on Him and away from every so-called expert individual or committee. Fearlessness can only be accomplished when we remain in God who literally holds the reins over our lives.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: