I don’t know about you, but if I’m a six-year-old lad and my dad is leading me through a forest in the dark of night and he tells me to stick close behind because there are lions, and tigers, and bears (O My) lurking in the shadows and they are hungry...I will not need to be told twice to follow closely in his steps.
(mic drop)
(The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Pr. 1:7)
Yesterday, I mentioned how the OT story of God delivering the Israelite out of Egypt and bringing them in to the Promised Land was a blueprint of sorts that foretold what God’s plan was for us...spiritually. There are so many remarkable truths woven through this story that very much have relevant application for us today...if you will allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate them to you.
God had quite the ‘test review’ for them in Deuteronomy preparing them for what lied ahead. There were many promises of all the good that awaited them if they would obey Him and His Laws...along with some pretty hard core and serious warnings as to what would befall them if they decided to go their own way and rebel against Him. (Deut 28:15-68).
Sidenote here- all His laws could be summed up in this: You are going to Love God with ALL your heart and soul and mind and strength and you will also love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus Himself affirmed this throughout his ministry. You want to experience real life? Keep His commandments. Do this...and you will live. (Luke 10:25-28)
This was the condition that God has always laid down for those who will accept His invitation to walk in covenant with Him...Just Love Him and others. Does that seem radical or unreasonable?
So after much repetition trying to drill these truths into the several million, next-generation, Israelites, the journey is about to begin. Moses goes on to his reward and now Joshua will lead the people across the Jordan river to go in and possess the land. If you need some context, read Joshua 3. There was one little ‘obstacle’ that needed to be dealt with before they crossed over. Because of the time of year, we read where the Jordan river was at ‘flood’ stage. This would need to be dealt with and God did not tell them to ‘build a bridge and get over it’ either. :- )
You can read in that chapter where God actually stopped the flood...dammed it up in a way where the waters upstream ‘stood still and rose in a heap very far away’. (16). Then the people crossed over on dry ground.
If you recall my post from the other day (Monday-3.14) we talked at length about a ‘flood’ and how God’s wrath is poured out...like a flood. I even shared just what this ‘spiritual flood’ is – the powers of darkness...the enemy...who comes in like...a flood’. (Isa 59:19). So stick with me here... because while I am aware that I cannot make anyone see a thing...God can and I’m trusting He wants to connect some dots here.
In order for the people to circumvent this ‘flood’, God in a sense...shut off the flood by setting a ‘hedge’ or barrier of protection for the people to get across the river on dry ground. We then read in Joshua 4:18 that after they were all across, ‘the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before’.
I want to move in to this next part slowly and carefully. If there is truth to be gleaned, it will have to come from the Holy Spirit who will bear witness. I want to give plenty of scripture for your consideration and if you are not sure that you are ‘seeing it’ or ‘getting it’, don’t reject the word...just set it on a shelf until God makes it clear to you, if indeed, there is truth to be discovered.
I think many are familiar with this phrase: “hedge of protection’. We have ‘prayed it’ over our loved ones before and it gets tossed around quite a bit but I’m not sure we totally have understood just how this ‘hedge’ works. And I know of no more explicit insight of this than what we read in the book of Job. Especially the first two chapters.
I know this book can lead to much discussion and debate and conflicting questions, but I believe that if for no other reason, this account of Job was shared with us to give us insight to some truth that would benefit all of us. We read in the opening chapter that Satan seems to go roaming about the earth ‘to and fro’. Peter alludes to this as well in 1 Pet. 5:8. God then seems to ‘offer up’ Job to Satan who immediately responds with ‘How can I touch him? You have a hedge around him, his household and all that he has...I can’t lay hands on him” (9-12)
Let us stop here for a moment. Whether you are talking about building a hedge for a vineyard (Matt 21:33) or a hedge for a sheepfold (John 10), we should understand that it is a ‘barrier’ of protection and primarily for the use of keeping predators out that would seek to come in and ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. (John 10:10)
Ps. 91 is a beautiful psalm that depicts the protective covering God provides to those who abide in/with Him. Ps. 34:7 describes the ‘angels of the Lord that encamp around those who fear God’. Surely you have seen this theme woven through scripture about God being a ‘shelter in the storm’ or a ‘refuge’ and ‘stronghold’. Here’s two bonus verses: Deut. 12:10 & Prov. 16:7.
And while we find comfort in reading those promises, I would be doing you an injustice to not point out other passages pertaining to this idea of a hedge of protection. You might visit Isaiah 5...just the first seven verses for now but be sure to circle vs. 5. God can also ‘lower’ the hedge and usually when He does that, bad things happen.
Now back to Job. We are told at the very start that Job was blameless, upright, feared God and shunned evil. It is said he was the ‘greatest of all the people of the East.’ Job was a righteous man without a doubt. Is it possible that Job was a ‘type’ of Christ who Himself, was blameless, upright, pure and righteous? Did God, in a sense, ‘offer up Jesus’ on behalf of all the world to suffer for our sakes?
In the second chapter of Job, we see Satan return for round 2 who now wants to attack Job’s body/health. And God freely admits that Job did NOTHING to deserve what Satan has unleashed previously; (3) and then gives permission and allows Satan to attack Job’s body with the restriction that he could not take his life.
...pause....
I realize that what I am laying out here will be a huge and potentially seismic shift in how we see God and how He operates in our lives and in this world. I’m reminded of what I’ve heard others say after visiting a chiropractor ...there body was a mess, and after a few twist on the neck...everything seems to be realigned, pain and discomfort leave and all is right in the world. I think God wants to reveal some truth from His word for our benefit that could be akin to the doc giving our head a good jerk so we can see things in a different light. Bear with me...and please...allow the Holy Spirit to lead and bear witness to this.
Satan (powers of darkness) can do NOTHING...without God’s permission.
We are told to ‘give NO PLACE’ to the devil. (Eph 4:27)
Jesus Himself told us that the enemy has ‘nothing in Me’ and the world knows I love the Father and do what He tells me to do. (John 14:31). (Prov 16:7- again)
Can we revisit that last one again? Jesus...our example...seems to be strongly suggesting that the devil can’t touch Him...because He loves the Father and does what the Father tells Him to do.
Jesus told us that IF...we love HIM...we’ll do what He ask of us. (John 14:15)
We are encouraged, instructed, ...invited...to ‘abide in Him’. (John 15:1-7)
John tells us that those who abide in Him do not sin. (1 John 3:6)
Sin, is breaking God’s Law.(1 John 3:4)
Jesus was the one who said: “Go, and sin no more or something worse may come upon you. (John 5:14)
Sin...gives place to the devil...because sin...can lower the hedge of protection. Yes…God lowered the hedge on Job...but NOT because Job sinned. I would submit to you that Job’s undeserved suffering was for OUR benefit similar to the suffering Jesus experienced for us.
I hate to stop here as I know this will be a challenge for many to digest and process...but take some time and study this out...I’ll be back tomorrow. I can promise you this: God has some very good news to share with us IF...you will remind yourself you need not fear His word. See you tomorrow.
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