I wont to take a moment or two to look at what it means to rebel against GOD. Because this term like so many others has suffered violence under the watchful eye of a heavy handed task master of sin. Which causes mans perception of GOD and His Divine revelation to be skewed. If one is listening to my words of introduction in this blog they should have notices that man has from the beginning had a few witness to GOD's Grace working within and then through them. This is GOD's doing within the Bible, an account of mans failures and records of successes. Now for Pastor Hoekstra and his teaching on Grace and then with the Led of the LORD I will under take rebellion of man making use of the ESV translation. And as always when the LORD provides more light I will add it there and then.
"Living by God's Grace in the Old Testament"
"Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes . . . "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us . . . Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land . . . the LORD is with us." (Numbers 14:6, 8-9)
"Throughout the Old Testament record, we can find examples of people living by the grace of GOD. They may not have been able to describe their experience in terms of grace. Yet, their reliance upon GOD to work on their behalf was just as valid as ours. Living by grace involves GOD work in people's lives. Even though they may have been born under the law, or even apart from it's condemnation power, they could not live by means of the law. Because the law of the Hebrews supplied no resource for life. Without GOD at work, the only resource is from the flesh, from natural human sufficiency. This has always been inadequate for living as GOD intended. Joshua and Caleb were two men who realized that GOD's sufficiency (His grace) was the only reliable hope.
Twelve Israelites had just returned from spying out the Promised Land. Ten of them had a similar perspective. "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey . . . Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large . . . We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we" (Numbers 13:27-28, 31). Their bad report was based upon what they saw (having a skewed perception because it was), measured against their own resources. By this evaluation, they concluded: "We are not able to go up against the people." They were comparing two sets of human resources. "They are stronger than we."
Joshua and Caleb were deeply distressed by this inappropriate evaluation. "And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes." They knew that this outlook ignored what God had promised and what God could do. "If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us." They realized that this majority report, which was based on human sight and human capabilities, was actually a form of rebellion against the Lord. "Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land." Their rebellion was in fearing man and not trusting GOD. All the children of Israel needed to do was remember the LORD was committed to them. "The LORD is with us." The LORD is willing and able to give them the land."
Rebellion:
Deuteronomy 9:22-24 "At Taberah also, and at Massah and at Kibroth-hattaavah you provoked the LORD to wrath. When the LORD sent you from Kadesh-barnea, saying, 'Go up and take possession of the land that I have given you,' then you rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God and did not believe Him or obey His voice. You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you."
1Samuel 15:20-23 "Saul said to Samuel, "I have obeyed the voice of the LORD. I have gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." To this Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, HE has also rejected you from being king."
Nehemiah 9:16-25 "For they and our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey Your commandments. They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that You performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them. Even when they had made for themselves a golden calf and said, 'This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and had committed great blasphemies, You in Your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. You gave Your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. "And You gave them kingdoms and peoples and allotted to them every corner. So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. You multiplied their children as the stars of heaven, and You brought them into the land that You had told their fathers to enter and possess. So the descendants went in and possessed the land, and You subdued it before them, even the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. And they captured fortified cities and a rich land, and took possession of houses full of all good things, cisterns already hewn, vineyards, olive orchards and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in Your great goodness."
Psalm 68:5-6 "Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is GOD in His Holy habitation. GOD settles the solitary in a home; HE leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land."
Isaiah 30:1-5 "Ah, stubborn children," declares the LORD, "who carry out a plan, but not Mine, and who make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for My direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation. For though his officials are at Zoan and his envoys reach Hanes, everyone comes to shame through a people that cannot profit them, that brings neither help nor profit, but shame and disgrace."
Isaiah 65:1-7 "I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, "Here I am, here I am," to a nation that was not called by My name. I spread out My hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices; a people who provoke Me to My face continually, sacrificing in gardens and making offerings on bricks; who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat pig's flesh, and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels; who say, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am too holy for you." These are a smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. Behold, it is written before Me: "I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will indeed repay into their lap both your iniquities and your fathers' iniquities together, says the LORD; because they made offerings on the mountains and insulted Me on the hills, I will measure into their lap payment for their former deeds."
Jeremiah 5:4-6 "I said, "These are only the poor; they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their GOD. I will go to the great and will speak to them, for they know the way of the LORD, the justice of their GOD." For they all alike have broken the yoke; they had burst the bonds. Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down; a wolf from the desert shall devastate them. A leopard is watching their cities; everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are great."
Ezekiel 2:1-7 "HE said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you." As HE spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. And HE said to me, "Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against Me. They and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD GOD.' Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. As for you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. For you shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house."
Ezekiel 12:1-6 "The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house. As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile's baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house. You shall bring out your baggage by day in their sight, as baggage for exile, and you shall go out yourself at evening in their sight, as those do who must go into exile. In their sight dig through the wall, and bring your baggage out through it. In their sight you shall lift the baggage upon your shoulder and carry it out at dusk. You shall cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel."
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