Psalm 140
6 I say to the Lord, You are my God;
give ear to the voice of my pleas for mercy, O Lord!
7 O Lord, my Lord, the strength of my salvation,
you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
do not further their evil plot, or they will be exalted! Selah
12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and will execute justice for the needy.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall dwell in your presence.
You have to love the ones who want to whine about the Old Testament...
- It's all rules!!!
- God doesn't provide for the truly needy.
- They are just slaves - How Can HE Expect Them not to Be Afraid.
- Don't Complain - HE won't provide for you.
- Slaves - can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.
Slaves. Slaves in the desert. As many camels as you can steal. If you take a camel - leave a clue. If you see two chickens, take one - leave an egg. That Egyptian gold - IS Gonna Run Out..
Instead of coping - The LORD gives Expectations.
God did not just lift them on gentle clouds from over the Red Sea and say let's meet the neighbors with Meet and Greet.
And HE did not say - they are slaves - they cannot be expected to adapt. He did not hand them land and say go farm - HE said learn the way and go forward.
THIS IS A VERY TODAY MESSAGE.
Oh - Rodney Dangerfield - Respect. Elbows out.
Joshua began to take over the Exodus, because it fell over.
God said wanted balance and said - not to the right, not to the left.
Christians love to say "I'm Third." That has been a mantra for some people. If you truly look at the Word of GOD, He says love others as yourself. That is a balanced second place.
Now we could whine about GOD not providing the man with anything but a coat -
27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Even in the desert, push to shove, He expects His People to be Just, regardless of the circumstance.
I talk to all manner of people. People who run Exxon. The elderly. The poor. HE expects all of them to live by His Plan. We all have a choice in Life - work with HIM - work for HIM by avoiding His path. We all expect a different level of "life provides". Focus on Him first and see what He will bring.
When we expect GOD to show up in our lives - lives change. Paul wrote of "seeing how it will go with me." The adventure of opening our hands in the morning and saying - Lord, what would you have me do today?
Father God, help us expect the best of ourselves. You expected mere nomadic slaves, freed in miraculous circumstances, to pick up their pallet and walk. Help us to avoid the comfy chair of complaining. Help us to give our best, encourage each other in Truth, and allow room for You.
Father GOD, we welcome You again. Dwell in our families, our children, our homes, ours places of work.
In the name of Jesus we pray.
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