POLES AND STONES

“You are not to plant any sort of tree as a sacred pole beside the altar of Adonai your God that you will make for yourselves. Likewise, do not set up a standing-stone; Adonai your God hates such things.”
Deuteronomy 16:21-22

In looking back at Exodus 20:3-4, we read that one of the commandments given to the people of Isra’el was that no other gods were to be before Adonai. Whether carved out or not, or even representing Adonai or not, the fact remained that nothing was to be worshipped except for Adonai Himself. Here in Deuteronomy 16, we see again Adonai commanding His people that no pole or stone was to be used in any form of worship.
Right away my mind travels to Judges 6 and the account of Gideon. It is here we read about his tearing down his father’s altar to Baal and cutting down his Asherah pole (Jud 6:25). In the morning when the town awakes to see what has happened, they question the people and find that it was Gideon who caused the chaos. Livid, the people demand the father, Joash, to release his son to their punishment. However, Gideon’s father leaves the argument stating that if Baal is god, then he can defend himself (Jud 6:31).
Another account I am reminded of is found in Numbers 21:4-9, where Moses builds a bronze snake to lift up for the people to look at when bit by a snake. While this was ordered by God not as a god they were to worship, it soon became this. As we see in II Kings 18:4, King Hezekiah removed the high places, smashed the scared stones and cut down the Asherah poles. “He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan).” For approximately 750 years after it was first raised as a way of bringing healing to the people, the people had been worshipping this bronze idol.
But what happened in both these cases? What was it that turned the people over time from agreeing to this command of no idols and gods, to what we read in Judges and II Kings? I come up with two suggestions, and in all honesty I pray they never become our reasons. First, the people were swayed. We see this in the account of Solomon also. Just as Solomon allowed the women in his life to sway him from Adonai, so also Adonai’s chosen people swayed from their first love. As such, they began to serve sticks, poles, and rocks. The second suggestion, they did not see Adonai as all He proclaimed to be. Because of the trial in the desert, because of the battles that had to be fought, because life was not served to them on a silver platter, and because they continued to live in the healing of the past, the people began to question who Adonai was. Instead of remembering Him as the one who had parted the Red Sea, or the one who provided manna and quail in the wilderness, or the one who delivered them from all their enemies, they began to see Him as the one who brought them there to die with a lack of water in a land of giants.
Here is the challenge, though. We must be careful that in the times when things do not come handed to us, we do not turn our backs on Adonai. We must be careful not to get stuck also serving the god of the past as opposed to the God of the now. We are to worship the Creator, not the creation. We are to be allegiant to the Healer, not the method of healing. Serving the rocks, the poles, and the sticks will only put us back in Egypt instead of the Promise Land that awaits us.

UNIQUE TREASURE

“In turn Adonai is agreeing today that you are his own unique treasure, as he promised you; that you are to observe all his mitzvoth; and that he will raise you high above all the nations he has made, in praise, reputation and glory; and that, as he said, you will be a holy people for Adonai your God.”
Deuteronomy 26:18-19

About twelve years ago I was out taking a walk and saw a coin on the ground. Now I am the kind of person that will stop and pick up money when found, even if it happens to be only a penny. So when I bent down to grab this coin, I found a coin I had not seen before. Using a little spit to wipe the dirt off, I found the top to look like a nickel. When I turned it over, though, I saw a buffalo. In my mind, I had just found a treasure. I hurried home to do a better cleaning job and found the date. Oh I was sure this was something now. Later that day, I made a call to a local coin collector and told him about my treasure, wondering exactly how much it may be worth beings so old. I was shocked to hear his quote. “Because I have so many and they are still common, it won’t be worth more than a dollar.” What? How could it be only worth that much? If it was so common why was this the first time I had seen one? I was perplexed that my treasure was not as unique as I had thought.
I was reading the Bible last night with my children and we read a section from Deuteronomy 26. Even though the passage doesn’t say the words “IF” and “THEN”, the latter part of the chapter really is an if/then statement. Let me show you. “You are agreeing today that Adonai is your God and that you will follow his ways; observe his laws, mitzvoth (commands), and rulings; and do what he says.” This is the “IF”. If we agree to do all that God has decreed, keeping His commands and walking in His ways, then we get to enjoy the benefit. And the benefit, the “THEN”, is so worth doing what He has commanded us.
Here is the “THEN”. “In turn Adonai is agreeing today that you are his own unique treasure, as he promised you; that you are to observe all his mitzvoth; and that he will raise you high above all the nations he has made, in praise, reputation and glory; and that, as he said, you will be a holy people for Adonai your God.” The “THEN” is that He raises us up above others in praise, reputation, and glory. But what is more, in doing the “IF” we become His unique treasure. Unlike my coin which did not turn out to be worth thousands, God places a great value on us.
But before I close, I want to take a minute to explain just how valuable we are to Him. The word for ‘unique’ in Hebrew is CAGULLAH. We translate it not only as unique, but also as valued property, peculiar treasure, a jewel, or possessed. Think about this. In God’s part of this joint relationship He is agreeing that we are His possession, His jewel of value, and His treasure. There are many days when I do not feel like a treasure. In fact, I probably have more days when I feel like a trash can in His presence as opposed to a treasure. Yet He thinks highly of me. Granted I need to do my part in keeping His commands and walking solely in His ways, but when I do as He has commanded I am looked at as His unique treasure.
I am so tired of looking in the mirror and feeling overtaken with disgust. I am so tired of stepping out of line with Him and being left to my own demise. I want to walk only in His ways, agreeing with Him today that I will follow Him, observe His laws and commands, and do what He says. I do not want to do it only for the “THEN” portion, but because in the “THEN” portion I begin to see myself as He sees me. I begin to see I truly am His unique treasure.

FORCEFUL MEN

"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."
Matthew 11:12

History recalls the events of June 6, 1944, more commonly known as D-Day. For many soldiers who made the attack on Omaha Beach, this was their last stance. Many in the unit were drowned during the approach from ships offshore as they sank in waters. Of the 29 DD tanks filled with men on route toward Omaha, only 2 made it to the beach. An onslaught of German firepower met the remaining allied forces as they made their way on land, seeking shelter behind Hedgehogs and other obstacles where they were protected from gunfire. Under the command of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, the Germans had found defense in their strong points and trenches. Omaha literally became a killing zone. Bodies lay dead floating in the water or scattered across the beach. Remains of Landing Craft littered the front.
By 7:30am a second wave of troops was released and hit the beach, joining the fight. At 8:30am the landings ceased and troops were left on their own to face danger without the possibility of retreat. In small groups the men made the deadly race across the beach to find little relief along the seawall. Navy Destroyers attacked with pounding arms against the German fortifications at close range. Within hours, German fire had decreased and defensive positions were taken from the rear. By nightfall, the remaining soldiers stood their ground around Vierville, Saint-Laurent, and Colleville. Four years of preparation for only hours of combat, and yet, the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, is said to be the beginning of the end of World War II.
As one who loves war history, I enjoy reading these stories of bravery and forceful advance. Recently, however, I read an article speaking on the forceful advance named in Matthew 11:12. The article was written to question our aggressiveness as believers. The author penned that if we are not aggressively righteous then we become passively wicked. He also stated that just because we are "Christian" does not guarantee our place in heaven. This is true as we read in Matthew 25:31-33 where Jesus writes of the separation of goats and sheep. So then the question begs first, are we sheep or goats? And then second, are we aggressive or passive?
In looking at Matthew 11:12, which I long ago coined as my main text for On The Vanguard Ministries, we see the passage can be broken into three sections. First we read a timeline, spanning from the days of John the Baptist until now. Second we read of what has been happening during that time frame, which so happens to be that the kingdom of heaven has been advancing with force. Lastly we are left with what I now see as a challenge more than a statement. "...and forceful men lay hold of it." Note that it is only the forceful who lay hold, not the casual, passive, or hardly trying.
The men who landed at Normandy and attacked on Omaha Beach were not casual. They were not passive or barely trying to make the plan work. They were forceful. Their mission was to forcefully take the Germans out, preventing them from attacking further. We as followers of Christ must also be forceful. The allowance of sin is the allowance of the enemy's attack. The forceful men lay hold of it, they cease the uprising and prevent the future attack. Let this be said of us, then. Let us become the forceful men.

DRIVING OUT THE NATIONS

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations – the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you – and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.”
Deuteronomy 7:1-2

After marching in the desert for forty years, the people of Israel were standing on the brink of entering into the Promise God had given them. In just a few short days Moses would stand on the mountain and watch as Joshua took the people into a land God called theirs. But there were a few final restrictions that God wanted to emphasize, or re-emphasize, before His people crossed the border. This second law that Moses repeated included a called to obedience, a challenge to teach the next generations of God’s ways, and here in Deuteronomy 7:1-2, a plan to prevent who God considered outcasts in His people’s land. Naming seven nations specifically, God through Moses made the point to call out nations which needed to be destroyed. But have you ever wondered why? True, they did not serve God but rather gods. But what was it about these nations that defined them?
The religious beliefs of the Hittites were based obviously on the worship of other gods, a “thousand gods” to be exact. This extreme polytheistic people were to be completely destroyed as their focus was not on the one true God. But let me also point out that these people were thick with terror, as the Hittites stemmed from Heth, whose name means terror. Let us not confuse fear with terror. Terror is the thing inside your mind you cannot see yet still paralyzes you. This same spirit of terror, however, is linked also to suicide, which can be linked to the massive number of suicide missions within terrorist groups. Furthermore, a deep depression and sadness followed these people based on the umbrella of terror they lived under. But God does not want us to live with terror.
The Girgashites were known as ‘clay dwellers’, referring to the fact that they focused on earthly, temporal things. Right away we see how this is contrary to God’s way as we are advised to focus on God and things eternal (II Cor 4:18). The Girgashites focused on things visible and as such were analytical people, basing their decisions on the pros and cons as opposed to the things ordained within God’s law. But we know that in some cases God’s ways are not seen visibly at first. Case in point, the book of Esther. Nowhere in this book is God even named, yet we see His hand in the very words penned. God may be working to warn you, preserve you, and keep you, but if our decision is based only on what we see as opposed to how God leads, then we will never fully know His still small voice. God wanted His people focused only on Him and His ways, therefore these people also had to be destroyed.
Nestled within the mountains were the people known as the Amorites. These ‘mountain people’ were bent on self-exaltation. The Hebrew word AMAR is defined as uttering or saying, and it was this people that wanted their five minutes of fame constantly. The spirit of these people can be seen in past leaders such as Saddam Hussein or Adolf Hitler, whose pictures of themselves plastered cities and subjects worshipped them. However, when the Word speaks of removing mountains, it may not only be referring to removing big problems. It very well may also be referring to the removal of the Amorites in our own life, those issues which strut their pride and prevent the humility that God calls strength.
The term Canaanite refers to the lowlands people, but also refers to low earthly passions. What is a low earthly passion? The answer to this is an addiction or sexual perversion. The best examples of a Canaanite cluster are the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 10:19). It is safe to say that the spirits of homosexuality and lesbianism, along with all forms of fornication, derive from the Canaanite spirits which operate the feel good emotions and close the mind to sound judgment. Why would God want these people destroyed? The answer to this can be found in Leviticus 20 where God lays down the law on sexual things not to do. These people were going against His law and to prevent Israel from following these un-Godly ways, they had to be taken out.
The term Perizzite means belonging to a village, giving the connotation of ‘smallness’. The Perizzites, though large enough to be named in this passage, were people who lived under the idea of limits. There was very little opportunity to get ahead. Their limited vision damned them as they were unable to dream big. Not only was their vision small, but the self-esteem was small. So as not to allow a spiritual stagnation, a low self-esteem, and the prevention to experience all God desired to pour out on His people, the Perizzites too had to be destroyed. God’s ways and thoughts are better, bigger, and higher than ours (Is 55:9), so let us not get stuck in the woe is me when bigger is He.
The only distinction between the Perizzites and Hivites, as both were of small villages, was the way in which they allowed themselves to be limited. The term Hivite is related to the idea of life in the Hebrew. These people enjoyed life. To really break it down, Hivite comes from the Hebrew word CHAVVAH, meaning life or living. CHAVVAH is where we get the name Eve. In Genesis 4:1 we read that Adam knew his wife, and the Hivites knew one another via the practice of hedonism. Again we can point to Leviticus 20 and see God’s list of don’ts concerning sexual matters and clearly see why these people were to be destroyed. God wanted, and still wants, His people pure. God not only did not want His people mixing sexually with other nations, but also did not want His people following the practice of this corrupt people.
Lastly, the Jebusites were to be expelled from the land. The Jebusites were known as threshers, people who beat the grain from the husk. This seems harmless – until we also realize that these people threshed and stomped others down as well. These people were constantly putting others down, constantly humiliating others, and constantly making themselves big at the cost of making others feel low. Sadly enough, we see this within our nation, our communities, our churches, and even our families still today. Add to this the fact that they worked to turn people against each other and we have a bigger problem. But God desires we be one body (Jn 17:21-22; I Cor 12:12-26). We are not to tear down, but rather we are to build up. We are not to divide for our benefit, but rather are to work in unity for the greater cause.
No treaty was to be made with these people, and perhaps we see a clearer picture of why. God does not want us to unify ourselves with terror when we are to walk in love. It is His perfect love and a trust in Him that drives out terror. God does not want us to base our decision only on the things we see, but calls us to faith and belief in things we cannot see but know as truth. God does not want us to exalt ourselves, but rather exalt Him and lift Him up. God does not desire for His people to be bombarded in addiction and sexual perversion, but wants us to walk in freedom, with an overcoming power that only He can deliver. God does not want us to see ourselves as the grasshopper when He has called us the victor. God does not want us to live in the freedom sin when He calls us to walk in the freedom of His ways. And God does not want us to live in the pattern of threshing others when He has called us to build up one another and work in unity. Making a treaty with these people, these sins, is wrong and must be stopped. Israel failed to do all that God commanded and as a result suffered the consequences. Let us not make the same mistake.