April 4
Deut 26:1-27:26 | PS 76:1-12| Prov 12:15-17 | Luke 10:38-11:13
If you read too quickly you might miss the phrase which is repeated over and over again in Deuteronomy 26:3, 26:9, 26:15, and 27:1. The people were reminded that the land that they were about to enter was given to them by the Lord. They would have to battle those in the land, they would have to work the land, but God had already given them the land, the victory over their enemies, vineyards, trees, wells, etc. It's not that God is an egomaniac, but He knows that if this is forgotten, then everything else will go awry. They will be filled with pride as they take credit for that which God did for them. Once pride sets in and God is forgotten, they will find other gods to lift up and worship. God knows that once this obvious truth is forgotten, His children will embark on a very wrong path. We need to realize that every earthly relationship is but a microcosm of the much more significant relationship we have with the Lord. Many of us are parents. We raised our children, provided them with everything they could ever need: love, clothing, food, protection, etc. It was theirs, not because of anything they did, but because of who we were, and they were. Just as God set up rules, not for His own good, but for the good of the people, we parents, also set up rules not for our own good, but because out of love we know what was necessary to instill in our children for their own good. Many parents have failed in this model. Many parents, especially in the teen years, chose to become "cool" and change those God ordained rules for different man-made rules to be seen as more relevant. God never did that. We know how much it hurts when our children choose to rebel, not just because it hurts to be disrespected and underappreciated, but more so, because we know that our children are embarking on a path that will hurt them. The same holds true for us parents as we age and mistakenly take our eyes off the Lord and mistakenly believe that we are charting our own course, stepping forward in a self-made mentality. It must break the Father's heart as He knows the convoluted and wayward path which will evolve.
The Lord was showing the people that worship of Him was a necessary part of this relationship. Worship is when we see the weight and the worth of what God has provided for us. He doesn't ask much but for us to sit at His feet and listen and follow. He doesn't require us to do this and that. We need to understand this as we move to the familiar passage of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42, "As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” It's not that Martha did something bad, but Mary did what was better. While Martha was doing, Mary was worshipping.
We read in Proverbs 12:15, "Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others." If I may expand this, the wise listen to and acknowledge the Lord. Many make the mistake of thinking we move from being dependent on our parents to independence, somehow breaking off the shackles of dependency. If this is what one thinks, if this is what one has been taught through education, through university, through the media, understand this is wrong. The proper move is to move from dependence upon one's parents to dependence upon the Lord. These are not shackles. He knows us, loves us, has lavished us with things we have not earned. We need to acknowledge this for our own good. God does not need us for our worship, we need it for a proper perspective and a proper relationship in our most significant relationship of all, the one we have with our Maker. When things go awry, and they often do, unless one is dependent upon the Lord, they will choose one wrong path after another. Sadly, missing the point that we have never gone too far, for His eyes and ears have never left us and He will gladly place us again on that right path if we will simply listen and follow Him.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: