Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
The Israelites in the wilderness en route to the Promised Land murmured against the LORD kindling His anger. This is the sobering account of how God’s people did not realise how God is their sufficiency. Would God do them harm? Certainly not!
Hymns: RHC 353 God Will Take Care of You; How Can I Fear (See below) 334 Sweet Peace, the Gift of God’s Love
Psalm 13
From Privation to Peace
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, 4 lest I sleep the sleep of death; Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved. 5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. 6 I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
Balaam could not curse Israel. How to defeat the Israelites? The evil scheme to sent in Moabite women to entice the Israelite men to commit whoredom and worship the Baal-peor, god of the Moabites. The women had to be removed from the Israelite camp and the men who were involved in the worship of Baal-peor were severely dealt with by the sword.
Moses was in the Mount communing with God when the Israelites made a golden calf for worship. It was an abomination to God. This scene described by the Apostle Paul is recorded in Exodus 32:1-6 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Barnes observed well what it means to lust after evil things, “Desire those things which are forbidden, and which would be injurious. They lusted after flesh, and God granted them their desires; and the consequence was a plague, and the destruction of multitudes. So Paul infers that the Corinthian Christians should not lust after, or desire the meat offered in sacrifice to idols, lest it should lead them also to sin and ruin. “
Acts 15:33-41 And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles. Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still. Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus; And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.
Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians Knowing Your Privilege in Christ “The Fullness of the Church” (Ephesians 3:14-21) 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven …
God was not pleased with the Israelites who murmured against Him despite the good care that they received from Him. There is that tendency to take granted the goodness of God in our lives. Why did God allow Israel to go through the wilderness experience? What was the lesson?
(1) The Old Rugged Cross
“The Old Rugged Cross” is the most frequently requested hymn. Songbook editors have designated it as the most popular of all hymns. Within thirty years of its publication in 1913, more than twenty million copies had been sold.
“The Old Rugged Cross” declares in simple and yet sublime words the central truth of the gospel, and it speaks to the need of every believer.
The children of Israel experienced the sufficiency of God in their wilderness experience. God supernaturally protected them from their Egyptian oppressors. The sustenance the children of Israel experienced was traced to Jesus Christ.