A Frustrating Journey
“17 When Pharaoh released the people, God did not lead them by the way to the land of the Philistines, although that was nearby, for God said, “Lest the people change their minds and return to Egypt when they experience war.” 18 So God brought the people around by the way of the desert to the Red Sea, and the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.” Exodus 13:17-18
Often in this life, and maybe often isn’t the reality but always, we get frustrated by the way…by the journey we are on in this life. God has called us to something great and we know that it is true, but the realization of the promise of God may take a lifetime. Like Simeon and Anna the day Jesus was presented in the Temple as a babe they had waited a lifetime to see the promised Messiah, and so we too must be reminded that God’s ways and God’s days are not like ours.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So, while it may have been more efficient to go to the Promised Land by heading due East it was not the best route to take. God knew that this fledgling nation needed to gain some confidence in God and their leadership before going into battle, and so they took a longer and more physically and emotionally demanding route. In the end we get the story of the parting of the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh once and for all because of this detour. With this in perspective you can imagine why the Israelites were frustrated with the fact that God was leading them to certain death. Here they were pinned against the Red Sea by the Egyptian army when they could have taken the shorter route through the land of the Philistines and been almost home by now. But God’s ways and God’s days are not like ours and in the end from our perspective we see what God saw.
Now if we can just take time to remind ourselves of this truth when we are in the midst of our frustrating journey to our Promised Lands. God fulfills His promises at the right time and in the right way. So, our prayers might need to be more “God prepare me for the journey, ” instead of “God, can you hurry this up?”
The Power of Impending Invasion
Hezekiah was a king of Judah, the southern half of the nation of Israel after the post-Solomon civil war split the kingdom. Both 2 Kings 18 and 2 Chronicles 29 indicate that Hezekiah was a pretty good king.
The Assyrian army was in the midst of ransacking the northern Kingdom, Israel, and began invading Judah. So, Hezekiah began to prepare for a war against the Assyrian army. 2 Chronicles 32 indicates that significant improvements were made to Jerusalem’s defenses, many weapons and shields were made, and the army was reorganized.
But the battle never happened. Hezekiah, distraught by the threats made by the Assyrian king, plead with God for His help and God replied, “So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria:
“He will not enter this city,
nor will he shoot an arrow here.t
He will not attack it with his shield-carrying warriors,t
nor will he build siege works against it.
33 He will go back the way he came.
He will not enter this city,” says the Lord.”
2 Kings 19 goes on to say that the angel of the Lord destroyed 185,000 Assyrians that very night.
The slouch in me wonders, “Was all of that time wasted repairing city walls, and doubling the protection around Jerusalem? Was it really necessary to reorganize the army and make weapons and shields?”
The reality is that sometimes in order to make necessary changes all we need is the threat of an impending invasion on our way of life. Our health fails, we get a bad review at work, we get a speeding ticket, a freedom is threatened, or our spouse threatens to leave and all of the sudden we are motivated to get the work done.
The reality is, as a Christian, I am always under the threat of invasion. I just choose to live my life most of the time as if I’m not. I would get a lot more work done in reference to working out my salvation if I’d be continually aware of the threat.
Sin and Repentance
People outside of the Church are supposed to sin. Their apathy toward sin and their failure to connect sin with the health of their soul are expected.
People inside the Church are supposed to sin too. However, their apathy toward sin and their failure to connect sin with the health of their soul as well as the health of the Church and the veracity of the Church’s testimony about a crucified and resurrected Christ whose Spirit resides inside of each of us is worthy of expulsion.
To flippantly proclaim that you know you are sinning and will continue to sin and that it is ok because Jesus will forgive you is an impotent proclamation because repentance is a necessary element. Repentance is not necessary in order to earn forgiveness, but is necessary in order to show that one appreciates the gravity of sin and that a change is desired. Forgiveness is in essence a change. If someone sins but does not desire to change, then forgiveness was never really desired. In reality, the person just wants God to overlook the rebellious act as a cashier might overlook the fact that you put a pack of gum in your pocket.
There is a big difference between a person who goes to God and says, “I need to change and want to change and agree with you that what I have done is wrong,” and a person who goes to God and says, “I know I messed up.” When a lender overlooks a debt it remains on the books. When a lender forgives a debt the books are changed to reflect a new debt. In the age of Christian Entitlement many in our churches are speaking with their mouths, “forgive me,” but are really saying, “overlook me.”
The book of Romans is mostly a theological treatise on sin. I would encourage everyone to read the book all the way through in one setting at least once in your life. It might be good to do before you minimize your next rebellious act.