Bjcorbin's Blog

1.    Seeing is not necessarily believing.  Though many of today’s Christians seem to feel as though the manifestation of miraculous “signs and wonders” would spark a mass revival throughout our land, the book of Exodus would seem to indicate otherwise.  As we read about the Jews leaving Egypt, we see that they were witnesses to many spectacular miracles, yet in spite of seeing the Nile river turn to blood; the angel of death passing over their households (while at the same time touching every Egyptian family); walking through the parted Red Sea; eating manna from heaven; drinking water from the rock and following a pillar of fire at night, they continuously complained to Moses and did not hesitate to form a golden idol when he did not immediately return from the mountain. 

2.    Men have an innate ability to rationalize their wrong behavior.  In one of the first instances the Bible records man speaking to God, we hear Adam rationalize his disobedience by saying, “it was that woman You sent”.  In essence he’s saying that it was not only Eve’s fault that he didn’t do what he was told, but ultimately that it was God’s fault for sending her in the first place.  Sadly, mankind has been rationalizing misguided behavior ever since.

3.    Being used of God isn’t necessarily a sign of your good standing with Him. Throughout the Old Testament we find examples of God using unlikely vehicles to convey His message.  In the book of Isaiah He refers to the brutal Assyrian regime as the rod of His anger, while in 2^nd Chronicles it speaks of Him “handing” the people of Israel over to the pagan king Nebuchadnezzar.  In perhaps the most dramatic instance, he uses a donkey to speak to the misguided prophet Balaam.  These things ought to give pause to all who have compromised God’s truth, yet take solace in the fact that He’s still using them to some extent.

4.    Having the gift of wisdom and living wisely are two different things.  The gift of wisdom that God bestowed upon King Solomon is unrivaled in the Old Testament and his resume of accomplishments is also without peer; and yet, it was ultimately his unwise choices (i.e. marrying foreign women & worshipping their gods) that caused him to lose God’s favor (1Kings 11).

5.    There is no formula to the way God works.  Throughout the Old Testament we see God orchestrate victory for His people through many different means.  We see Him bring Joshua victory through Moses upheld arms (Exodus 17); we see the walls of Jericho fall to the shouts of His wandering tribes (Joshua 6); we see Gideon gain victory with broken pots & trumpet blasts (Judges 8); we see the angel of death wipe out 185,000 enemy soldiers in their sleep because of Hezekiah’s prayer (2Kings 18 & 19) and we see the enemy turn on each other, as Jehoshaphat leads a group of unarmed worshippers onto the battlefield (2Chronicles 20).  The only common thread in these victories was that the people were willing to trust and obey the Lord in times of trouble; and that is as close to a formula as we can hope for.

6.    God does send His children to people that He knows will reject them.  I have often heard Christians despair when their outreach efforts are rejected.  Many of them seem to feel as though being “called by God” to a task, is in some measure an assurance of good results.  But one need only read of the Old Testament Prophets to see that God is not hesitant to send His messengers to a people He knows will reject their message.  Of course, the greatest example of this is documented in the New Testament and involves His very own Son.

7.    It is not the quantity or quality of our prayers that causes God to hear them.  The oft quoted 2Chronicles 7 passage (i.e. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray…) is generally applied as a call for “more” prayer; but a closer reading of that passage would seem to indicate otherwise.  This verse actually speaks to the posture of our hearts when we pray (i.e. humble, repentant of our wicked ways, seeking God’s face) and suggests that without that posture, our prayers may be in vain.

8.    Worldly prosperity rarely leads people to God.  Throughout the Old Testament we see the nation of Israel stray from God and His ways during the good times, only to run back to Him during times of oppression.  This speaks to the nature of man and ought to be a warning to us Western Christians, who seem so enamored with the trappings of worldly prosperity.

9.    Taking matters into our own hands will often take them out of God’s hands.  In 1^st Samuel (4) there is a story that tells of the nation of Israel’s frustration at losing a battle to their enemies the Philistines and of their decision to deploy the Ark of the Covenant in a subsequent battle.  In a pragmatic way, this decision seems pretty sound, after all they were the “Children of God” and the Ark was a representation of God’s faithfulness to them.  Unfortunately, this story doesn’t include anything that indicates that the Israelites sought God’s guidance in this matter; and that presumption proved costly, when during the ensuing battle, they not only lost 30,000 soldiers, but the Philistines also managed to take the Ark of the Covenant from them.

10.  There is just “one thing” that God is really after.  2Chronicles (16) tells us that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the earth, seeking to strengthen those whose hearts are fully His.  To me, this is the precursor to the great commandment, which also tells us that all God really wants is all of our being.