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Small Things

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2 Samuel 1:14-15 David said to him, Why were you not afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed? 15 David called one of the young men and said, Go near and fall upon him. And he smote him so that he died.

Throughout Scripture from the fall of Adam and Eve to the crucifixion of Christ, from the writings of Paul to the end of the Book of Revelation – one fact remains: the wages of sin is death! The Amalekites had proven themselves enemies of God since the Exodus as described by Moses in the Book of Exodus: And the Lord said to Moses, Write this for a memorial in the book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.…And he said, Because [theirs] is a hand against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation. (Exodus 17:14,16) On the surface David’s response against this messenger of doom seems to be a little extreme. But underneath this narrative lies a larger monster that hides beneath the shadows lurking along the edges like a ravenous wolf ready to pounce upon its prey. First of all, this Amalekite is lying. He did not slay King Saul. Saul had taken his own life. Secondly, the messenger had looted what belonged to King Saul and the people of Israel – Saul’s kingly crown, and the bracelet on his arm. Thirdly, this man exposed his greed and lust for more. It wasn’t enough that he had plundered the crown jewels. His plot was much more twisted and devious. He had reasoned that there must be an even greater reward for the one who would kill Saul. Rather than taking the crown and bracelet and cashing in on his prize. He chose to up the ante. Finally, this man failed to realize that David was God’s man – God’s anointed – and God’s enemies were his enemies. But there is an even greater story unfolding before our eyes and Exodus 17:14,16 gives us the clue: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.…And he said, Because [theirs] is a hand against the throne of the Lord…

Did you catch that last part? The Amalekites had not simply lifted their hand to destroy God’s people. They had actually lifted their hand against God Himself. Against His Throne, Kingdom, and Reign. Consciously or unconsciously, this Amalekite was participating in the sins of his fathers and mothers. Ultimately, he was reflecting the heart of his spiritual father – Satan himself. For you see, the Amalekites, and their descendants could be traced all the way to King Herod himself, an Idumean (a descendant of the Edomites from which Amalek had come). Amalek had come from Esau’s son who had married a descendant of the Horites – and they were descendants of the demonic hybrid of the Nephilim (half-demon, half human. Think Goliath)

King Herod sought to kill Jesus – God’s Anointed King of Israel. Why had God said that He would personally fight against Amalek? Because they represented an Anti-Christ spirit. An anti-Christ agenda.

But how does all of this apply? Romans 8:7 states the carnal mind is at enmity with God. The carnal mind being our soulish mind or our propensity to rely more on our thinking, will, emotions, and personality or temperament to have things our way. This way of doing things is an enemy to God and the things of God because it hearkens back to the Garden of Eden, and you shall be gods. In other words having it our way is not doing it God’s Way. God’s Way obviously being Jesus Himself – The Way. But rest easy: the Lord will have war with (it) from generation to generation.

In Mark 8 Jesus warns of the leaven or yeast of the Pharisees, Herod, and the Herodians. (Matthew 16 adds the Sadducees). Leaven is a small thing – but it’s the small things that lead either to the anti-Christ rising in our lives or Jesus, the Bread of Life. Question is, Are we utilizing the yeast of the Kingdom of God or the yeast of satan himself? Remember it’s the small things that make all the difference in the outcome of what’s reigning in your life. What we sow into will determine the “rain” that falls in our lives.

Where Am I?

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Deuteronomy 1:2 It is [only] eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea [on Canaan’s border; yet Israel took forty years to get beyond it]. AMPC

A helicopter was flying around above Seattle when an electrical malfunction disabled all of the aircraft’s electronic navigation and communications equipment. Due to the clouds and haze, the pilot could not determine the helicopter’s position and course to fly to the airport. The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritten sign, and held it in the helicopter’s window. The pilot’s sign said “WHERE AM I?” in large letters. People in the tall building quickly responded to the aircraft, drew a large sign and held it in a building window. Their sign read: “YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER.” The pilot smiled, waved, looked at the map, determined the course to steer to SEATAC airport, and landed safely. After they were on the ground, one of the passengers asked the pilot how the “YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER” sign helped determine their position. The pilot responded “I knew that had to be the Microsoft building because, the response they gave me was technically correct, but completely useless.”

Horeb is another name for Sinai. The etymology of the Hebrew word for Sinai means “thorn” and its root means “to pierce.” On the other hand Horeb means to “dry up, lay waste, or sword.” How did Mount Sinai, the “piercing” get to be Mount Horeb, to dry up, lay waste, and to be the place of the sword? Israel made some choices along the way that set them on this course of trajectory. What were the choices they made? When God gave them the invitation to have a relationship with Him, they rejected that and asked instead that Moses be their mediator. Through that choice they received the Law. Unfortunately the Law without the Pierced One is simply a sword that cuts and divides. But when you wed the Sword with the Pierced One you not only have direction for your life, you have the Life-Giver Himself. He brings the Sword of God’s Word to Life and as Psalm 2:12 exhorts: Kiss the Son [pay homage to Him in purity], lest He be angry and you perish in the way, for soon shall His wrath be kindled. O blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are all those who seek refuge and put their trust in Him! Why is that significant? Revelation 1:16 …and from His mouth there came forth a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full power at midday. Day or night, you don’t have to ask for directions – for He is the Light and He is the Way. How can you lose? You can lose by ignoring the Pierced One, the Way, and the Truth of His Sword. That choice turns an eleven day journey into a forty year death march. Over the years I have learned that if it feels I am going around in circles then its time to look up the Way admitting my lostness. Through that moment of clarity I have confessed, I know You are wanting me to learn through this. I know this is a test. So what do I need to do to pass this test and quit going around the mountain? Could that be the answer? We’ve been ignoring the Pierced One and the Sword of His Word and so we have lost our way. Could it be that this is the reason there are over 60 references in the Bible regarding seeking the Lord to find Him? Which is really odd when you think of it. God is everywhere. (Which is a pretty big target) Yet we keep losing sight of Him over and over. Why is that? Could it be that our impressions of ourselves (self-centeredness) is so immense; that the mountain of our ego is so large that it eclipses God in importance? Now that is something to think about. This is why you and I get lost, and lose our way.