Godly Intervention: Could We Be Tempting God?
Exo 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
Today, there are many Christians who live their lives with the “hope” and belief that God would physically intervene in their physical circumstances here upon the earth. And many would cite bible verses where the power of God was made manifest among the Nation of Israel in “times past.” But is this what God is doing today among the church? We must understand the will of God, and what He is actually doing today with the Church. In the verses below for instance, Exodus 34 shows the covenant God made with Israel alone, and that is, He will do “marvels,” among His Nation and not among any other Nations of this world. So, the question is, does the Church today receive these “marvels” From God? The answer is no; but there are many in Christianity that would say that God continually ‘works a good work’ among them today. But why is this the case? How is it that most Christians believe in some form of ‘signs and wonders,’ and “marvels” being done in their midst? The answer is; since the beginning, mankind desired from God their flesh to be satisfied as a gauge, and ‘proof’ of whether “the LORD is among us, or not.” And with Israel, they saw the marvels, and signs, and wonders, but they expected God to “serve” them! They assumed that the purpose of His power was to ‘place them on high,’ and serve them as a ‘royal people,’ they looked to the other Nations as an example of how they wanted to live in this world and be served by the LORD.
Exo.17:2] Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
[3] And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
[4] And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me.
Exo 34:10 And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
Moreover, Israel looked at the “work” of the LORD as many do today, they take to themselves an attitude of, ‘show me something, and then I will serve you.’ Today’s Preachers teach a prosperity doctrine of, ‘if you sow a seed (give money), you will reap a harvest (more money than you just gave).’ This type of teaching is not scriptural, but is after the lusts of men, man continues to view God’s Word through their ‘carnal lens’ of understanding. In the verses below, Israel tempted the LORD, but when we see ‘what’ they were actually doing, they were worshiping, and sacrificing, and even made a gold calf. In today’s understanding of ‘Church,’ many would look at the details of what Israel did in the wilderness, and wonder, ‘doesn’t God want them to bring forth a calf for a sacrifice?’ ‘They even gave up of their wive’s, and children’s golden jewelry!’ ‘That shows selfless sacrifice!’ This is what it means to worship God in the flesh, God did not tell them to worship Him that “way,” they chose “the way of Cain.”
1st Cor.11:9] Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
[10] Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
Furthermore, today’s Church teaches a ‘false hope’ doctrine of God providing health, wealth, relationship, and happiness, in a one-sided relationship with the assumption that God is providing these things for man at man’s own will and demand, and desire, and they expect God to ‘minister to the flesh of men continually,’ this is the “way” of many in today’s Church. And when today’s Church pray unto God for the physical things of this world, they are taught by today’s preacher to ‘wait on God,’ and that they do not know ‘His time,’ and they warn the Church not to ‘go ahead of God’ in their request unto God for these physical earthly things. But what the Preachers of today are doing in this ‘way’ of teaching unto the Church is that they are provoking the Church to wonder; “is the Lord among us, or not.” Notice what Jude speaks about in the last days about these who have gone after the “way of Cain,” and “after” those in the verses below. These all have one thing in common, religion. Notice they are ‘speaking,’ and ‘complaining,’ and “gainsaying,” and those who are mentioned in verse 11 are those who thought they were worshipping God, and serving God, but in fact, they chose their own “way” of worship, and praise, and service. And what Man has done through the ages is that he has viewed the Word of God, and the will of God through the heart and carnal mind of himself. He continues to “change the truth of God into a lie,” by translating God’s Word into his own understanding, and Man’s wisdom and knowledge is not actually after God’s wisdom and knowledge, but truly after Man.
Jud 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Jud 1:11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
Jud 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
Finally, Man hears, and sees what the will of God is, and what the Word of God says; but he translates that through the ‘windows of understanding’ of his own flesh. He now views God’s Word, and will after Man’s “imagination,” and after Man’s heart. Man has his own set of ‘likes and dislikes,’ Man desires to love, but these are the things that caters to his flesh and heart’ desires, and Man assumes that God too will love what Man loves, and dislike what Man dislikes. Today’s view of worship and service desires that Man be ‘worshipped’ in the form of placing the Preacher in a status over the Body of Christ. And believing that “gain is godliness,” this understanding would lead those to believe that if someone is without, then God is not “among them.” And today’s Church also desires ‘service,’ but that God would serve them, and this is based upon their faithfulness in their religion to ‘do’ what the Preacher says will bring their heart’s desires unto them by God. And today, Man by his own lusts unwillingly ‘tempts’ God by their ‘lusting’ for the things of the flesh that God never promised unto them. And temping God by attempting to serve God in ways in which He never taught them by His Word, these are the ways in which Man has “changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.”
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Rom 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Rom 1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Rod Jones