Faith Or Presumption?
1. Asking The Question, Is It Faith Or Presumption?
At the end of 2018 I talked about several different types of journals. Beginning in January, I began in Genesis and started a Bible Study Journal. It has been a few years since I spent time writing down special thoughts and ideas I have about the verses I read. Sometimes I have questions about a scripture, and I write it down. Many times I find the answer as I keep reading, and I go back and write down the answer and the reference. On occasion a word stands out, just as if it was highlighted by a bright yellow pen. I jot those words down, too, because I feel like God is going to show me something more, if I keep it in the corner of my mind. Such was the case when I came to the word, "presumptuously" in Exodus 21:14. What a big word. One that I had never noticed in the scriptures. I came across it again in Numbers 15:30 and four times in Deuteronomy. I looked up the word in my concordance and found that these are the only times "presumptuously" is found in the Bible, (although there are other variations of the word) and I felt like it was the right word for our next devotionals. You are welcome to join us on this endeavor as we try to look at examples in the scriptures and ask the question, "Is it faith, or presumption?"
2. A Presumptuous Prophet
Our first example of presumption is found in Deuteronomy 18:21-22. "And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." God used the prophets in the Bible to reveal His Word to His people. But, were all the prophets of God? No. As we see in these verses some of the prophets spoke presumptuously, their own words, and not the Word of God. There is a very interesting story about false prophets when King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat were fighting a war with Syria. All the prophets agreed that the Lord would give Israel victory, except for Micaiah, and they warned him to agree with them. But Micaiah was the one true prophet. I give you part of the story, and you can find the rest of the story in I Kings 22.
"10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.
12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand.
13 And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.
14 And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak." (I Kings 22:10-14)
3. The Lying Prophet
Every time I read chapter 13 of I Kings I ask, "Why did the old prophet lie, which brought about the death of the man of God?" I don't have the answer to my question, but I believe that we can find some help from this story.
A man of God went and spoke a prophecy against the altar of Bethel. King Jeroboam was standing there and said, "Lay hold on him", and his hand dried up, and the altar broke in two and the ashes poured from it, as the man of God had prophesied. The king asked the man of God to pray for him, which he did, and his hand was restored. He told the man of God to go with him and he would give him a reward. "And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest." (I Kings 13:8-9) So he left another way. There was an old prophet in Bethel and his sons told him what had happened and the old prophet went to find the man of God. He told him to go with him and eat bread, and the man of God told him of the Word of the Lord. "He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water." (I Kings 13:18-19) As they were eating at the table the Lord told the old prophet that the man of God would die because he had disobeyed God's Word. He left again and a lion killed him on the way. People that went by saw the lion, the dead man, and the donkey standing there and the old prophet heard about it. He went and got the man and buried him in his own grave.
We don't know what caused the old prophet to lie to the man of God, but we do know that the man of God believed the lies of the prophet and it cost him his life. This story teaches us that if someone tells us something that goes against the Word of God, don't believe it. When you hear preaching that sounds different than what you thought you knew about the Bible, don't presume that the preacher is right. We have God's written Word that we can use to search the teaching and preaching we hear, and know the truth.
"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John 5:39)
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." (I John 4:1)
"10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few." (Acts 17:10-12)
4. Presumptuously Up The Hill
Now for the story that inspired my title, "Faith Or Presumption". Moses sent twelve spies into the land of Canaan and they searched the land for forty days. They returned with a cluster of grapes that was so large, two men had to carry it back on a pole. They reported that the land truly flowed with milk and honey, but there were giants in the land and they were grasshoppers in comparison. The people wept and talked of going back to the land of Egypt. Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies that had faith and tried to convince the people that it was a good land and God would give them the land as He had promised. The Israelites refused to trust the Lord, so He told them to turn towards the wilderness and they would wander for forty years, a year for each day the spies were in the Promised Land. All of the older generation would die in the wilderness and their children would inherit the good land. This punishment made the people change their minds and they said they would go in and fight against the giants of the land, but Moses told them not to go because the Lord was not with them. "But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah." (Numbers 14:44-45) After the forty years, before Moses died he spoke to the people and this was one of the first things he wanted them to remember. If the people had entered into the Promised Land in faith God would have gone with them and given them the victory. But, when they rebelled against the Lord and went "presumptuously up into the hill" they failed and were smitten.
"41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.
42 And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you." (Deuteronomy 1:41-45)
5. The Men Of Gibeon
When the Lord began giving Joshua and the Israelites victory in the Promised Land, the other kings gathered together to join forces and fight against them. But, the men of Gibeon had a different plan. They put on old shoes and clothes, and put old moldy bread in their old sacks and went to Joshua and told him that they were from a far country and had traveled a long way to form a league with them and be their servants. They told Joshua and the men of Israel that they had taken the bread hot from their ovens the day they left, and showed them that it was now old and moldy. "And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them. And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim." (Joshua 9:14-17) We can see two ways in which this mistake could have been avoided. Joshua could have asked the Lord for guidance instead of just presuming that the men were truthful. Or Israel could have waited three days, only three days, and they would have seen the true situation. How many times do we presume that things are like people say they are and we go forward without all the facts. To remedy these mistakes we can do as Joshua should have done. Don't jump in presumptuously, but pray about the situation. Also, don't make rash decisions. Wait it out, maybe three days, or maybe longer. Don't be fooled by people who lie, like the men of Gibeon.
6. Faith To Believe
As I waited in the checkout line yesterday I noticed that several people ahead of me were buying big heart-shaped balloons. Today many will go to great expense to show their love to the special ones in their lives. I could not pass up this opportunity to tell you about God's love. He went to great expense to show us His love. He gave the greatest gift of all, His precious Son, to die on a cruel cross to pay for our sin. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) We have been looking at "Faith Or Presumption". You don't have to presume, or assume, or suppose, or think that you are going to heaven. You can know, deep down in your heart, that God loves you and has a place in heaven for you. First, understand that all have sinned and we can't come into the presence of our Holy God in our sinful condition. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23) Sin has to be paid for, and God gave His Son Jesus to pay for our sin. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) There is nothing we can give to God to buy a home in heaven. There is nothing we can do to work our way to heaven. There is nothing we can do to cover our sin. So our next step is to believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. That is faith. Believing in Jesus and confessing our sin, asking Him to save us, is the only way to be saved.
"8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
"17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:8-10 & 17)
Let's look at that again. Admit that you are a sinner. Believe in your heart that Jesus is the only way to be saved from the punishment of your sin, because He already gave His life to pay for your sin. Confess with your mouth, praying and asking God to save you. Faith in Jesus will give you peace as He fills your heart with His great love. And you can know that you are saved when you have the love of Jesus in your heart!
7. Faith To Fight Your Battles
After talking about "Faith To Believe", I want to look at some Bible heroes and their stories of faith. There is no better place to start than in Hebrews, chapter 11. The first example I want to mention is about a man who is not mentioned by name in what some have called, "The Faith Hall Of Fame". But as we read the chapter we find him in verse 30. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days." Do you remember Joshua, who marched the army of Israel around Jericho for seven days, and on the seventh day the walls fell down? How did Joshua have faith for this amazing victory? We first meet Joshua in Exodus 17:9. "And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand." Joshua fought with Amalek and when Moses held his hand up, they would win the fight, but when he dropped his hands they began losing the battle. His hands got heavy, so Aaron and Hur got Moses a stone to sit on and they held up his hands, one on each side until the battle was won. The Lord wanted Joshua to remember that God had brought the victory. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua:..." (Exodus 17:14) Joshua went up on the mountain with Moses, he spent time in the Tabernacle, and he and Caleb were the only two spies who had faith to believe that God would lead them into the Promised Land. The Lord told Moses to encourage Joshua because he would be the one to lead the people after Moses died. The book of Joshua begins with the Lord speaking to Joshua.
"5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Joshua 1:5-8)
I believe that Joshua trusted in the Word of the Lord, and his faith grew with each victorous battle. There was a victory even more miraculous than the walls of Jericho falling down in Joshua 10:12-14, when Joshua asked the sun and moon to stand still in the sky. Trust in the Lord and have faith that He will give you strength and courage to fight your battles. Read His Word and let your faith grow with each victory.
"12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel."
8. Faith To Build
Thirty years ago there was a baseball movie where a man heard a voice in the cornfield saying, "If you build it, they will come." It was a fictional time-travel type movie and I only mention it because I wanted to contrast it with the reality of Noah. In the days of Noah, man had become so wicked that God was going to flood the earth. He told Noah to build an ark and carry the animals on two by two, and the clean animals by sevens, to keep them alive. Peter tells us that Noah was a preacher of righteousness, but only eight souls were saved. Noah had faith to build the ark just like God told him to do. And we find Noah in our "Hebrews Hall Of Faith". "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Hebrews 11:7) He built it, but they did not come. Noah and his wife, his three sons and their three wives were all that were saved from the destruction of the flood. We are prone to measure our success by numbers. How many do we have in Sunday school? How many come to our worship services? We must make sure the foundation of our life is Jesus Christ. And we need to build our lives by faith, focusing on the things of God. Paul reminds us of this in his letter to the church at Corinth.
"9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." (I Corinthians 3:9-15)
9. Faith To Bring Your Tithes And Offerings To The Lord
After we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior through faith, we can exercise our faith and become more faithful in our Christian walk with God. A great way to start is to bring our tithes and offerings to the Lord. For this example we are going back to the beginning of the chapter of faithful heroes. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh." (Hebrews 11:4) When the check we take home on pay day doesn't seem to be enough to cover the bills we have, it might be hard to see how we have any left over for the Lord. But, when we give our tithes and offerings to the Lord it will help our faith in the Lord to grow. I have come to depend on the Lord to provide for us through His promise in Malachi 3:10. "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." There have been many times that the Lord opened the windows of heaven and poured out a blessing on our family. Be a cheerful giver, and watch your faith grow. "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." (II Corinthians 9:6-7)
10. Faith For A New Beginning
I was reading the eleventh chapter of Hebrews to see if there were any more people that I wanted to talk about in our faith series. I noticed that many of the people only had one verse about them, but there are twelve verses about Abraham.
"8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:8-10)
Then, in my daily reading I read, "And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac." (Joshua 24:2-3) Abraham left his home and "went out, not knowing whither he went." God called him out, and he went. He not only left his home, but he also left his family and their gods. Upon being saved, God calls some to leave their home or family for a special work for Him. That takes great faith to follow God as Abraham did to a new place of service. But, even if we aren't called for that special work, we need faith for a new beginning. We leave our old gods behind and serve the one true and living God. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Corinthians 5:17) I don't know how many friends and family Abraham left behind, but it was all worth it as he became the friend of God. "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." (James 2:23) If God calls you to leave anything behind in your new beginning, you can be sure that He has something even greater planned for you.
11. Samson Presumed The Spirit Was Still With Him
I enjoyed our little detour to focus on "faith", and now we are going to look at some who put "presumption" over their faith. I just read the story of Samson in the book of Judges, and it is really a sad story. The angel told his mother and father that he would be a Nazarite, set apart for the Lord. "And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol." (Judges 13:24-25) We see the Spirit of the Lord again in his life when a young lion roared against him. "And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done." (Judges 14:6) We read again in Judges 14:19 and 15:14 that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he was victorious in his battles against the enemies of Israel. But he broke his Nazarite vows when he went to the vineyards of Timnath, and when he ate of the honey that the bees had made in the lion's carcass, and when Delilah "pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death;" he finally told her that he was a Nazarite and could not let his hair be cut with a razor. She called for the Philistines to come and they cut his hair while he was sleeping. "And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house." (Judges 16:20-21) Oh, what a sad ending to this story. Samson is mentioned in the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11:32, but he disobeyed the Lord and did not even realize that God was no longer with him. The Lord has promised never to leave us nor forsake us, but we can't be used by the Lord if we are disobedient to His Word.
12. Mary And Joseph Presumed That Jesus Was With Them
Some of the worst nightmares I ever had were about losing one of my children. I can't imagine what Mary and Joseph thought when they searched for three days to find Jesus. They had gone to Jerusalem for the feast, and as they returned to go back home, they assumed, or presumed that Jesus (who was twelve years old) was among their family. They had traveled a day's journey before they realized that He was not with them. So they turned around and went back to Jerusalem.
"46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers.
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?
50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.
51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart." (Luke 2:43-51)
They found Him in the temple. Have you ever felt like you couldn't find the Lord? Sometimes I have prayed and it seemed like my prayers just hit the ceiling. Maybe it was a lack of faith on my part... I don't know. There are many times when I feel weary, but if I start my Bible reading, or go to our church worship service, my burdens are lifted and my heart feels light again. I am surprised that Mary and Joseph went a day's journey before they realized that Jesus was not with them. But, how many times have we spent days, before we realized that we have not prayed, or read our Bible like we should. If you seem to be missing Jesus in your life, try spending time in prayer and Bible meditation. Then, go back to church and you may find that He is still right where you left Him. When you leave church on Sunday, don't leave the Lord there, but carry Him with you through the week, and He will always be there to carry you when you need Him.
13. The Presence Of The Absence Of God
We saw that Samson did not know that the power of God had left him. Then we read that Mary and Joseph did not know the presence of Jesus had left them. Those were both examples of the absence of the presence of God. Michael heard the great preacher from Scotland, James Stewart, back in his youthful days and he told me that he spoke of "The Absence Of The Presence Of God" and said it was bad, but "The Presence Of The Absence Of God" was much worse. In both our examples, the people had an absence, in the sense that they did not realize, that the presence of God was missing from their lives. Today we will see that there was a presence, meaning that they definitely knew, that there was an absence of the presence of God. The army of Israel carried the ark of the covenant into battle, thinking that it would give them victory, but the Philistine army took the ark and killed 30,000 men of Israel.
"14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?
17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken." (I Samuel 4:14-22)
Ichabod. "The glory is departed from Israel..." I pray continually for our country, that God will let the righteous prevail over the wickedness that is rising up across our land and even in our government. I think of how God said he would spare Sodom and Gomorrah if He found 10 righteous there, and I believe that the only reason God has spared America is because of the devout Christians who are still trusting in Him and clinging to His Word. I look forward to the day when the Lord Jesus returns and calls His children home. It will be a wonderful day for us, but it will be the beginning of sorrows for those left behind. There will truly be an absence of the presence of God. As bad as people can be now, just think how terrible it will be when God takes His people and His presence from the land. I believe that He will write "Ichabod" across the earth as His glory departs from the wickedness of mankind. Are you ready for that day? If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, and if you have never asked Him to forgive you of your sin and save you, please do so today. We don't know when Jesus will return as King of all the earth with judgment against the sin of this world. Please don't wait until it is too late.
14. Jonah Presumed That He Could Run And Hide From God
When our children were small we would read, or tell them Bible stories before bedtime. I remember when Michael started telling the story of Jonah, our little David said, "You can't hide from God!" Even as a small child, he knew that you could not hide from God. God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach to that wicked city. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel's enemies, so Jonah went in the opposite direction to Joppa, where he started on his spiral journey downward. Notice how many times Jonah went "down" in these verses.
"3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
4 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.
5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep." (Jonah 1:3-4)
The storm got so bad the mariners threw Jonah overboard and he went down into the sea. When he had gone down as far as he could go, he cried out in prayer to God.
"5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.
6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple." (Jonah 2:5-7)
When we try to run, or hide, from God, it will only lead us down, down, down, until we reach the bottom. Jonah got another chance to obey the Word of the Lord and go to Nineveh. He preached to them, and the people of Nineveh believed God, "from the greatest of them even to the least of them." (Jonah 3:6) And God spared the people. God sees all and knows all. Don't ever presume that you can hide from God.
15. Don't Presume That Gain Is Godliness
There may have been some who were teaching or preaching in the New Testament church that those who had riches and wealth were godly and blessed by the Lord. We see Paul's warning about this in his letter to young Timothy. We need to beware of this type of preaching today. Just because a preacher has a large congregation, and a huge church, doesn't necessarily mean that he is a godly man, preaching the gospel.
"3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain." (I Timothy 6:3-6)
We have an example of the rich young ruler, who followed the commandments, but he lacked salvation.
"17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:17-23)
16. The Church That Presumed It Was Rich And Had Need Of Nothing
Today we have another presumption about being rich, but this time it is about the church. Many believe that the letter to the church of Laodicea applies to the church in the last days. This comparison may truly apply to many of our churches today. If you are familiar with the Bible verses you may usually skim quickly through them, but it would do all of us good to read this letter from God, word by word, and hear what the Spirit has to say to us.
"14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." (Revelation 3:14-22)
17. Gideon Was Not Presumptuous
We looked at the story of Gideon six weeks ago, but I want to talk about it again because it shows that he followed the Lord in faith, and did not step out presumptuously on his own. During the dark times of the book of Judges, there was a vicious cycle among the Israelites. After the death of Joshua the people fell into idol worship and God let them fall into the hands of their enemies. They would cry out to God to save them and He would raise up a judge to deliver them. They would usually follow Him during the lifetime of that judge. After his death, they would go back to idol worship and the cycle would continue... for many years. One of the judges was Gideon. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him while he was threshing wheat down in a wine press to hide it from the Midianites, and said, "The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." (Judges 612-13) Gideon had been told of the miracles God had done for His people, and now he was about to see some miracles with his own eyes. God told him to throw down the altar of Baal, and he did. Then, Gideon asked God to give him a sign.
"36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground."
God told Gideon that there were too many in his army and that he should tell everyone that was afraid to go back home. So 22,000 men returned to their homes and there were only 10,000 left. God told him that there were still too many because He wanted them to know that He would give the victory. Gideon was left with only 300 men. "And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude." (Judges 7:12) Gideon divided the 300 into three companies and gave each man a trumpet, and an empty pitcher, with a lamp inside the pitcher. Imagine the chaos as the Midianites woke up to the sound of the trumpets blaring out the battle cry, the breaking pitchers, the sudden glow of three hundred torches, and the sound of the people shouting "The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon." This was a very unusual way to win the battle, but God delivered His people when they followed Him in faith.
18. Don't Presume You Can Do A Spiritual Thing In A Worldly Manner
Earlier we saw how the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines in battle. They put it in the house of their false god, Dagon, and the next morning Dagon had fallen on its face. They stood it back up and the next day Dagon was fallen again, and the head and both hands were broken off, so they carried the ark to Gath. They saw that the hand of God was against them so they wanted to get rid of the Ark. They put it on a new wood cart, pulled by two milk kine, and the kine went straight towards Bethshemesh, leaving their calves behind. The men of Bethshemesh looked into the Ark and God killed 50,070 men of the city. They told the people of Kirjathjearim to come get the Ark and it was there for 20 years. After David became the king he wanted to bring the ark back home. He had it put on a new cart and all the house of Israel played music to the Lord as it was carried on the cart. When the oxen shook the cart, Uzzah put his hand on it to keep it from falling, and the Lord struck him and he died. When the Ark was made, God had instructed the Levites to carry the Ark with staves through the gold covered rings. So King David tried again.
"17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
18 And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.
19 And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house." (II Samuel 6:17-19)
King David had good intentions, but he tried to do a Spiritual thing in a worldly manner, and it did not work. It is good to keep this in mind. Our intentions may be great and our plan may have a Spiritual aspect, but we need to follow the Lord and do His work in a Spiritual manner. It is never good to try to do the right thing in the wrong way.
19. Are We Presumed Innocent Until Proven Guilty?
In the laws of the United States, people are "Presumed innocent until proven guilty". When we look into God's law we see that it is quite the opposite. We read in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" God gave the law back during the days of Moses, and mankind could not keep every part of that law. James 2:10 tells us, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." What can we do? God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sin on the cruel cross. And we can find forgiveness, no matter how sinful we may be, by asking Jesus to forgive our sin and trusting in Him to save us. You may have heard John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Let's continue with the next two verses. "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." This tells us that we are not sitting around waiting to be found guilty of God's law, but that until we ask Jesus to be our Savior, we are guilty. There is no middle road to heaven. Those who have received salvation through Jesus are on the way to heaven, and those who are still waiting, are on a different road, going in the opposite direction. If you have never asked Jesus to save you, please ask Him today. He can take away all your guilt and give you a new start in life.
20. Sin Through Ignorance Or Presumptuously
Early in this devotional series, we saw how Joshua and the leaders presumed that the men of Gibeon were being truthful. In this case presumed is very similar to assumed. When we look at the word, "presumptuously" it has a much stronger meaning, like doing something boldly without permission. I was recently reading in the book of Numbers about the sacrifices that Israel had to offer for their sins. Chapter 15 explained that even when people sinned through ignorance, they still had to offer sacrifices for their sins to be forgiven. The next verses explained that the person who sinned presumptuously would be cut off from his people. I guess this would be like walking straight forward into sin with your eyes wide open. I don't know if there were sacrifices for these bold actions against God's law.
"27 And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering.
28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.
29 Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
31 Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him." (Numbers 15:27-31)
Moses reminded the people of this in Deuteronomy. Yesterday we saw that we all have sinned, and I am so glad that my sins have been forgiven by Jesus Christ my Lord. He paid the ultimate sacrifice with His life on the cross.
"11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
12 And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
13 And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously." (Deuteronomy 17:11-13)
21. "Children In Whom Is No Faith"
I looked to find the first mention in the Bible of "faith" to use with these devotionals and I found it in the song Moses taught the Israelites just before he died. God told Moses that the people would follow after other false gods and He gave Moses a song to teach them as a witness and reminder.
"15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
16 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger...
18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.
19 And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters.
20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith." (Deuteronomy 32:15-20)
When I read these words I wanted to put "America" in the place of "Jeshurun" in verse 15. The forefathers of this country had faith in God. God blessed America and made our country prosperous and people today are kicking against God. They are forsaking their Creator and "provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger." As more and more Christians leave this world for their heavenly home, more and more children grow up "in whom is no faith." I regret that my children and grandchildren will be living in such ungodly times. I pray that God will help the righteous prevail over the evil in this world. I pray that God will strengthen our faith and courage, and help us to stand up for good in these bad days.
22. My Faith Is Not Presumed
This is our last devotional on "Faith Or Presumption" and I want to give a personal testimony today. I was blind to the things of God. I didn't think about life and death, or eternity, until the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart, and in tears I asked the Lord to save me. I was young, and I am thankful to my parents for faithfully taking me to church. I am so glad that my Grandfather Beasley answered God's call and became a preacher, and he was faithfully preaching from Luke 16 about Lazarus and the rich man who lifted up his eyes in hell. I am ever grateful to my Lord and Savior who died for me and opened my eyes so that I could see His great love. People who don't know Jesus in a personal way can't understand our faith and dependence on Him. They don't know how Jesus changed my life. I don't have a religion that is just a crutch that I lean on. I don't walk through life with just the presumption that the sun will shine and everything will turn out okay. My God is the Creator of the universe, and I don't just have religion, I have a real relationship with the one and only living God who hears and answers my prayers. "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:" (Isaiah 59:1) And for those who say that if God is real why doesn't He do something about the bad things that happen in our lives and in the world, I want to tell you that He is going to judge the sin of this world.
"8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (II Peter 3:8-10)
It is the longsuffering mercy of God that gives us another day. But, all the signs of the times are here and I believe that one day very soon Jesus will call His children home, and the earth and all those that remain will be destroyed by fire. A thousand years with the Lord is as one day, and man has been on this earth 6,000 years. This reminds me of the six days of creation and then the Lord rested on the seventh day. I think we are nearing our seventh day and God will begin His thousand year reign. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6) These devotionals that I write each day are not based on presumption. They are backed by the Word of God and my God is faithful to keep His Word. "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;" (Deuteronomy 7:9) "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." (I Corinthians 1:9) Please ask yourself today if you are living by faith, or presumption.
