NancyinBelize

Thanks Bean for the song! There is another song by Jesusculture based on Psalm 63: .Why is God's love the basis of faith and so important? hmmmm. The Ancients worshipped golden calves, objects that just "are". Our God is different. Our God, loves us. When you know this, the rest of faith and God and his Kingdom makes sense.

The Sons of Korah are disappointed that God has not saved them from their enemies and done virtually an Elijah kind of thing like setting a wet altar on fire to show their enemies that the LORD is God...and everything the sons of Korah have been testifying to. They have been waiting for God to save them and return them to Jerusalem. Have I ever experienced this kind of spiritual depression? I don't get depressed much. It's not so much that I feel God is abandoning me, rather, I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the task. A boy who is being stubborn and violent and getting several girls pregnant, Girls who choose to associate with the boy no matter what i say. Boys who 3 years ago were young and innocent and now at only 18 have experienced everything from various drugs to sex with whores to drunkeness. So my cry (lament) is "God how? What can I possibly do or say?" followed by a sense of futility. Can these wayward boys be open to your guiding? Maybe they are "lost boys". Come Lord Jesus come....set your spirit fire in the hearts of the boys I work with. How do I reach out to God at this time? Pray, self-talk, scream, momentarily "give up", call someone to help me, ask a spiritual elder what to do, pray, read God's word. Eventually I see the Grace that God has extended to me and try to reflect that lovingly to the difficult boys and girls in our group...through God's power and guidance.

"to dwell in the house of the LORD": means to abide, to be with God, to rest in his safety (vs 1 &2), to look at the beauty of the LORD and to worship him (vs 4). Long ago I spent occassional weekends at a Monastary in Ohio...they offerred "silent retreat weekends". One time I was wandering around and saw a "brother" on a step ladder washing windows. I asked him about prayer and he said his LIFE is prayer. His every waking moment is prayer. I think this is something like David was saying ...to dwell in the house of the LORD is to walk in the presence of God...every moment... "to seek his face": Dr Wilson didn't mention it but I think, in addition to seeking God's presence, to seek his face is to seek God's approval, his favor, his blessing. Like a child who wants to look into his Mommy's eyes and see Mommy smiles down on him. That's enough to make the child feel warm all over. the hope: "They who wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength, mount up with wings as eagles" (Psalm 40). Our trust in God gives us confidence in the LORD. This confidence renews our strength (Psalm 27:13-14). Bean: Loved your comment, "David reminds me that there is JOY and HOPE and STRENGTH in the waiting for the LORD, not so, as the world would deceive us, in the "getting" of something else."

Q3. (Psalm 139). In what way does the wonder of creation in the psalm seem to affect the psalmist? In his concluding prayer in verses 23-24, what does he ask God to do? David marvel's at God's omniscience.... this leads him to humility. God knows all of our thoughts, too. When you tell a child that God knows what you are doing, the child feels a bit afraid, a little worried that they are going to get in trouble. The child might even try to hide, then the mother says, God can see you even when you are hiding. When David marveled at how God knows even our thoughts, he doesn't try to hide form God. Instead he says, Lord, make my thoughts pure. If you find anything wrong, please let me know and help me to walk (and think) in your ways. Beautiful! What a humble response! Lord, you know my heart, you know my motivations and thoughts, please show me how to me more like you. Help me to see how I can even "think" like you...so there is nothing in my mind or body that your created that is offensive to you. Dear Sisters, I have a comment off the topic: Dawn Waltman is a friend and sign language interpreter and co-missionary with Virginia Missions. She wrote a beautiful book called, A Rose in Heaven. (it's available from christianbooks.com). I always think about her story when I read this psalm. After having a still born baby, she greived. It was hard. God guided her to write the book, based on psalm 139, as a way of healing. She offered it to other mothers who might be dealing with the same type of grief. If you know of someone who is experiencing this kind of loss, check out the link. The blurp from the book says: Each year thousands of women lose a child to miscarriage, stillbirth, or early infant death. How can family, friends, and church leaders help in the face of such tragedy? Written by a mother who's experienced the pain, this sympathetic guide provides support for grieving parents, reassurance of God's love, and the hope of heaven.

The analysis of this psalm was so helpful. It seems to me that David, when looking up at the skies and seeing the vastness and the orderliness of the Heavens...how the sun rises regularly, he is humbled. David was humbled by God's glory. Humbled, he turns to the Word of God...in it's perfection. One of the things the Word and particularly "the Law" does, is it shows us God's perfect way. Sometimes we are not aware of our errors, yet other times we stubbornly choose to follow our own desires. At this point, between verse 13 and 14, there seems to be abreak, a pause to reflect on the sins we want to confess. The psalm ends with a prayer..... that the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart.....which I think is the confession....the specific words that we could say between verse 13 and 14. The prayer asks God to hear the confession and redeem us from judgement. This psalm is lovely and makes perfect sense to me now. I want to use it in my prayer life as a confessional. Just a side note: verse 14 is one of the first Bible verses that I encouraged Sulmi to memorize because I saw it as asking God to help control our speech...but now I understand the context and see it having a much deeper meaning.

Angellover 89 Really enjoyed your psalm 8 in your own words.

Hi Sisters! I read Psalm 8 with new eyes today. Thank God for His Spirit that fills us with his wisdom. I couldn't help but sing in my head "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth" (the Keith Green version) as I was reading it. You too? I have sung this song so many times as just a praise song and today it took on meaning for me. The way it spoke to me was that this is a Psalm about God's majesty...his Kingship. Which is interesting coming from David who was also a king. God is King of the earth and King above all the heavens (v1.) As King, he cares about his children and protects them from their enemies (v.2). The remarkable (surprising) thing is that God isn't like the kings in David's time who hogged all the authority. God IS the sole authority but what this Psalm says is God wants us to rule with him (in submission to him, but with him). We rule the earth by our order in creation. Of course we don't really. We don't have "power" over the fish in the sea or the birds of the air or all the wild animals....but "power" is the wrong term for ruling. Look at verse 2. How does God rule as king? He protects. Hmmmm. That's an incredible responsibility. Who am I that God takes care of me? Maybe, at risk of stretching God's intention in this psalm, I am wondering: maybe some insignificant river....or bird, or seal, or snowy white owl or forest says the same thing. Who am I that your should care for me? But nothing in God's creation is insignificant...not a child, not a bird, or the flowers of the field and it is not just God's job to do the care giving, he has given us a job. Interesting. Living in a country where many people are trying to get by on a few dollars a day, feed their children at least twice a day, and avoid disease, the endangered animals of Argentina do not seem all that important. But God is saying, be good stewards, care takers. Peace, sisters, Nancy

Ooops! See the next post. I can't figure out how to delete this. Sorry!

Q2. (Exodus 16:7-8) Why can grumbling against a leader really be a symptom of grumbling against the Lord? The Lord God is in control. He appoints the leaders. No one is perfect, except for Jesus. The leaders will not be perfect and you and I are not perfect. In humility and respect for one another as servants on the journey...we submit to one another in love. People expect the pastor to be perfect. If the pastor thinks he/she needs to fall into that trap to maintain authority they are headed for trouble. Honest humility is the key. We are on the road...no one has arrived. I know of a pastor who has trouble with money. He tends to help himself to the church funds and to the church savings more often than he should. Yet, I am reminded that I have failings, too. Oh this is horrendous (not). This is just a blip on God's radar and it is up to God to deal with it. He is still appointed by God to pastor the church. I wish he would confess this sin, it would make it easier for me to deal with, yet...I should be more concerned about confessing my own sin, one is resistance to this authority. Are there any cases where this might not be true? If the pastor leads the people away from God's kingdom goals. Why do leaders tend to take complaints so personally? Complaints usually involve a "you" statement. " You should_______ "You need to _______" It's stated personally. What does it take to learn that "it's not about you." Prayerful confidence in God's call. Prayerful confidence in God's guidance. Listening and experiencing God's way of guiding me...so that when people question the direction and decision I am confident in the Lord and can say...."NO, we will go the way God ordains." and know "it is not about me" or an errant decision I made.

Praise God that we no longer need to offer live animal sacrifices. It is it is vulgar, crude, and cruel. I am sitting here thinking what I would have done. I don't think I could have done it. As one who is rarely given to disobeying God, I would have been stubborn on this aspect and not killed an animal for my own sins. I don't think I could have done it or would have been willing to. Yes culture was different at that time. Much too cruel, much too crude, much too vulgar. In spite of seeing the miracles, the plagues, the manna, the parting of the sea, I would have humbled myself, repented of my sins to God and said, "Punish me! I am the one who sinned." I praise God and thank him that this practice has been has been replaced with the once and forever sacrifice of Jesus.

Thank you pastor Ralph! Your progression of worship seems valid and supported by these Old Tabernacle elements. Thanks for pointing this out. It

Absolute holiness. The Holy of Holies was a symbol (a copy of God's Heavenly throne, see Heb ) where God, who is aboslute holiness sat on his throne. Absolute holiness cannot be marred by the touch or presence of anything or anyone who is less than purely holy. That's what an absolute is... 100% pure. So who could enter there? Only the priest on the day he confessed sins for all the people. (The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur) What does this mean for us? Through Jesus' death on the cross and ultimate sacrfice we have been made holy enough to experience the presence of The Most HOLY God. We, who sin daily and who have fallen fall short of the glory of God, have been purified to the extent that we can approach the Holy of Holies, God himself, and live. In terms of worship, this knowledge should shape our humilty and our awe.

Q1. (Numbers 2:1-3:39) Why was the camp of the Israelites laid out as it was? God was in the middle...their most valued article (the tabernacle) was in the middle, too. The wagon trains used to circle up for protection...there is also some sense here of protecting the tabernacle from possible enemy attack What did this layout teach the Israelites? The importance of God, his majesty, his reign Why were the Levites and priests camped closer than the other tribes?b'cuz they were the ones who maintained the tabernacle...but it has not been said and is probably also true that no one else wanted to get too close to God's presence because they feared God and knew his power. So in a sense no one else dared to be that close. Doesn't this make you ask: What happened? God's design was for God to be the center and to be the king and then Post-assension Sunday we put Jesus in the middle and Jesus as King. Even Jesus taught the disciples to pray: Thy Kingdom come (God's kingdom) OK.. so Jesus and God are one in the same but I wonder if we are amiss a bit...focusing on Jesus when Jesus came to lead us to God.

Q1. (Exodus 15:24) What are the reasons that people grumble and complain? We blame and complain because we can't tolerate suffering. A natural response to suffering is anger (blame and complain). How do fear and faith relate to grumbling? There are lots of good answers in this forum. A different angle: ALL of life is a lesson from God. If we trust God (faith) we should be able to handle whatever comes. This is not always true for me but it is the goal. A common cultural theme in present day America is a sense of entitlement: I am entitled to food, to pleasure, to recreation, to peace, to happiness, to make my own choices, to live free of suffering. I think that concept of entitlement as a philosophy of life, is NOT of GOD. Surely we want those things, comfort, happiness, food, shelter, new stuff...but if God is the "air we breathe" the things we think we need (the things we think we are entitled to) become less important. This is faith that casts out fear. With this living on the breath of God...we have less of a need to shout about our rights, grumble, and tell people what we are entitled to. Those things take a back seat to the focus of our lives: what God wants. What symptoms of grumbling do you see in your own life? I grumble when I think my rights and person have been threatened, when I think I have received an injustice. Jesus led with a different model. He didn't grumble or complain even when his rights, his dreams, his life were unjustly taken from him. How could he do this? He trusted God's ways were higher than his ways. That God's purpose could be worked out even in his suffering. This subjecting our needs to God's will is a mark of faith. As citizens of God's Kingdom, we need to internalize Jesus' model.

Yep, Ivory Eagle..I agree. Being holy connotes being free of sin, pure, like God. There are lots of wonderful verses where we are urged to be holy. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Romans 12:1 This verse links holiness with dedication to God's service...sacrificing our goals and dreams, subjecting them to God's will. "Be holy as I am holy" (Lev 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16) Why do you think that personal holiness is de-emphasized in our time? In American Sign language there is a sign that means "saint"..."super Christian"...won't do anything "fun". It is like the I LOVE YOU sign with an "h". This is always used in a derogatory way. When a group wants to go bar hopping or some form of rabble rousing and one person says, "no thanks", the rest of the party-ers will use the "holy saint" sign as a jab. WHY? The present, the here and now, what feels good at the moment, impulsive fun is part of culture here in Belize as well as in the US. Anyone who spoils the fun by reminding them of what they "should do" is a "downer". Holiness seems to get in the way of fun, socializing, being free and happy. Holiness seems all too saintly and maybe boring. Why is it de-emphasized? because it is difficult, not popular, the road less traveled, not "fun", separate. Most people would rather not rub against what the norm is doing.

What did the OT priests do? The Hebrew God, our God, is Holy, pure, Divine. To serve God, and experience the presence of God, or communicate with Him it was necessary to make oneself similarly pure. (which is impossible, of course...but the priests tried with specific clothes and ritual washing and offering sacrifices for sin.) The "Average Joe" was not expected to be pure so he had to go to the priest to mediate for him. The priest would offer sacrifices...so that God would bless Joe with forgiveness. Priests are chosen by God (or born into the family of priests). It is not a career or an elected office. The priests also prayed to God on behalf of the people, burned incense and kept a constant vigil (note Zehcariah). Another job was to read the law. Most people could not read and therefore the priests were the ones who held this written knowledge of God's law. Unfortunately they then became judges, as well. The priests were set apart to be an example for the people...not given to drink, desires of the flesh, etc. There's more jobs...what am I missing? In what sense are you a priest? How do you function as a priest? In what sense are you a “royal” priest? Hmmmm...prior to this study, "priest" had lots of negative connotations for me. Now I see the role differently. In some sense it is like a shepherd...one who goes before and lights the way (not with his own light but with the knowledge and word of God). This light that the Shepherd uses to show the way is received when he stands in the presence of God. God's holiness, this grace and wisdom are reflected in how the shepherd (priest) lives, talks, and choices he makes. The shepherd/priest offers prayers (not sacrifices) to God on behalf of the "regular Joe" who does not or cannot. The shepherd/priest conveys God's Word and knowledge that he receives. Pastor in Spanish is "shepherd" in English. I am a pastor of a deaf flock. I try to do all these roles...sometimes I spend more time in the "doing" and tasks that need to be done, focusing on the stress points that seem so urgent, than I do in the "mediation" and sitting in God's holiness...learning and listening. At all times I am aware that I am a model (not instead of Jesus but on this earth dealing with the common daily problems they all deal with). This is not a point of pride but a word of admonition...you are being watched... be the shepherd...make Godly choices.

Thanks Guitar Jim. This covers it. Can I copy your answers? (smile)

"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6) I have a friend who is a missionary in Honduras. He lives in the garbage dump where many families eek out a living by sorting recyclables. Daily he faces many injustices...such as the Mayor who wants the city to have their own recyling business which would put the people at the dump out of a way to earn a living. Confront? sometimes. Compromise? yeah occassionally. But the bottom line is being sensitive to the will of God and just trusting he is in control. It's not up to us. We are not the Messiahs. We are the hands and feet, but the battle is the Lord's. My friend put this verse on every thing he writes. Q4. Why do we tend to fight our battles “in the flesh” rather than using spiritual weapons? I sometimes errantly think it would be more effective and faster. When will God fight our battles – and when won’t he? We need to get with God's program... not try to get God on-board with our agenda... even if our agenda is "good". This was a concept that I learend from the Experiencing God study by Blackenby. He said essentially: (forgive me if I have this interpreted wrongly) "Discern where God is working and join His kingdom project." We often flip this and brainstorm ideas for good projects and then tell God to help us. When the agenda is God's, he will fight the battle.

From Ivory Eagle: Moses did not accept the compromise because he did NOT have the authority. Good point, thanks. As leaders how do we decide what we cannot compromise on? I think it's tough. I don't feel comfortable with hard and fast rules. I don't want to bend the rules but I also don't want the letter of the law to trump the meaning and purpose for the law. Jesus healed on the Sabbath. Jesus let his disciples pick up grain on the Sabbath. Jesus spoke with women and taught women about God (unheard of!) Was that a compromise? Our rules and standards are found in God's Word, from which there is generally no compromise. Yet we also need to prayerfully be open to God's immediate interpretation for the dilemma at hand.

Thank Ivory Eagle...that's something to chew on... Thanks Pastor Ralph for pointing out that the "people pleasing" personsality that may be a component of maintaining popular leadership...that this style of leadership can weaken our will to obey God's call. Thanks for the challenge to follow Jesus and Paul's model of gentle confrontation. Just for balance I want to present the flip side: there are others in the church who confront too often. It bothers them when things don't go the way they visualize, or people don't do what they think is "right". These folks are strong-willed and confident. They know the answers and think others should think exactly the same way they do because their conclusions are obviously right and Biblical (to them.) Sometimes I don't confront because I am wary of this ego-centric point of view and want to be open, less demanding, sensitive to various perspectives. I could confront more. I think leaders need to "choose the cross they will die on" and not be too confrontative. So I have to balance confronting a"wrong" with gentleness and speaking the truth in love. Some Biblical support for this is found in: 2 Tim. 2:23 (stay away from foolish arguments, leaders should not be quarrelsome) Hebrews 12:14 "strive for peace with everyone" Titus 2;1-2 (spirit of gentleness) Galatians 5:22 (The fruit of the spirit is : love, joy peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness...) Lastly regarding confrontation... there is a time for everything and every purpose under Heaven. Maintaining the balance and listening to when the season is right, is the key, I think.

Q1. (Exodus 7:6-7) Why did Moses blame God for his troubles? Why are Moses and Aaron so stubborn, do you think? Was it fear? Was it unbelief? Or both, perhaps? Moses and Aaaron were afraid for their lives. They faced a "Queen Esther Moment". Pharoah could whack them dead, instantly, anytime they appeared before him and said something he did not like. So it took courage to do God's will in the face of possible death. They weren't stubborn, they knew the danger of their obedience. Jim Elliot continued to fly into the area of Ecuador where the Waodani Indians lived...because he felt God had called him to bring the gospel to these people, even though they might kill him. That's courage. They did eventually kill him and his co-workers. Later his wife, Elizabeth, returned to Ecuador...to evangelize the people that had killed her husband, almost certainly risking her own life. That's couragageous faith. In China, I understand, that commitment to following Jesus even in the face of death is a pre-requisite for baptism. As Christians, and certainly as leaders, we need to be willing to "take up the cross", which means the call of God even if it is the road that leads to death. Just like Jesus did. I think Aaron and Moses had to swallow a few times before they could honestly make that commitment. That's the hiccup we see in their reluctance to appear again before Pharoah. Every one of Jesus' disciples had to make that same commitment. They had to commit to the road ahead even if it lead to some horrific death for the sake of spreading the gospel. That's commitment. That's courage. But how does faith fit into the equation? When faced with this dangerous situation... to appear before someone who could kill you, to take the Gospel to a place no one has gone before, to take the gospel to an Arab nation where sharing the gospel of Jesus is punishable by death or imprisonment, to go to a place where there is sickness and disease, the apostle of Jesus needs to say, a) "God, this is dangerous, but because you are God and in control I will not fear and know you will protect me" ....or... b ) "Should I die in the attempt to do your will it is your will that I die in this attempt and I accept that." That's faith! Praise God for the many who have this faith and are spreading the gospel in dangerous places. Praise God for Aaron and Moses who also had this faith to ultimately appear before Pharoah and obey God's will by aksing for the release of the Hebrew captives.