Isaiah Roman

The Lord Spoke Suddenly

“The soul that sins shall die” is a sobering proclamation. Dealing with God is not a trivial thing. While God is love, love requires justice. His mandate of justice is not like mankind’s “just kind of.” God is a God of grace however. Each person will die for their own sins, except and unless they repent and confesses the righteousness of God.

“The soul that sins, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:20).

There are Christians who will readily tell you his mother, wife or child is a Christian but he, himself is not. God has always established relationships with individuals. To put this in perspective; a customer may get a warranty with the purchase of a product. This warranty may be passed on to someone else if he sells it. With God, that will not work! Christians are not produced by osmosis, progeny, or inheritance.
Why then did God sanctify the children of Israel as a collective body? It is not difficult to answer this question. It is not difficult to understand it at all.

There is an empty place in the soul of man that craves filling. St Augustine wrote, “We are restless Lord until we find rest in thee.” Mankind is born with an insatiable desire to learn, to study and search for a reason for existence. Some try to ignore it, some try to deny it, others search for it in all the wrong places; but, it is innate in mankind to be curious about the phenomena he encounters as he pursues his quest in life for reason.

If you doubt this conclusion perform a “google search” on “evidence of God.” Although opinions on the subject are numerous and varied, the plethora of commentary an is evidence of it’s own. This search for God and proofs of His existence is deeply imbedded within our souls. God set aside the children of Israel as a means of fulfilling this desire. They were intended to be God’s people, God’s witness of His glory here on earth. God willingly chose to fulfill his will and purpose through men so that men would receive blessings by fulfilling God’s purpose. This is why we were created. This is why we exist. But the Israelites failed in this purpose, because they fell prey to one of the greatest dangers of being chosen; pride in one’s choosing.

Religion is not something that needs to be studied very closely; mankind was created hopelessly religious. Mankind searches for something in which to put faith. If nothing else he will put faith in the braking system of his automobile.

A man is prone to believe that he is able “to lift himself up by his own bootstraps” and overcome the spiritual laws. Even worse, some simply choose to ignore them. Mankind will either seek and find God or he will create for himself a god to fill the void that exists in all humankind. For many, creating their own god is preferable because it allows for that god to be fashioned in the way they want. When you find God you realize that He demands you to be fashioned in the way He wants.

When Moses asked God to show himself God agreed, “The LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34: 6-7).

God also showed Moses “that which was to come,” “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 you are shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with you. Observe that which I command you this day: behold, I drive out before you the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither you go, lest it be for a snare in your midst: But you shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For you shall worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call you, and you eat of his sacrifice; And you take of their daughters unto your sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make your sons go a whoring after their gods” (Exodus 34: 10-16).

Modern religion has a way of adjusting, then taking liberties with the exactness of God’s warnings. Messages one may hear from the pulpit or a pastor leave people hoping that nearness of one’s kin to the Lord may give them “praying privileges” for that person’s warranty. Do not be so foolish as to take that too seriously.

“The LORD spoke suddenly [He did not mince words] unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out you three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed” (Numbers 12: 4-9).

“The LORD is long suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation” (Numbers 14: 18).

“The LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word: But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I swore unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea” (Numbers 14: 20-25).

“The LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I swore to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die” (Numbers 14: 26- 35).

Religion should never be exchanged for it’s origin. When the Israelites exchanged other gods for the God of their fathers they were condemned. When they had failed to show Him to the world, He cut them off and brought about a new covenant. Under the Messianic covenant God deals with a great abundance of grace; but, He is not to be taken for granted. The conditional “IF” should be observed.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10).

In the sense that God has taken the initiative in the first place and salvation is by grace alone through faith alone it is required that “in faith” the Christian must persevere to preserve the Father/son relation that exists between the Christian and God through Jesus Christ. That may not be taken for granted. Any benefit of the doubt should be given to God not one’s self. “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).