You stiffed necked people

How many times did the LORD admonish His chosen people using those words in the title? How many times do we read those stories and shake our heads as we cluck our tongues at the stupid Israelites for never learning their lesson? After all, did they not see the glory of the LORD hidden in flames and clouds leading the way when they were in the desert? And did they not see the great power of the LORD as he parted the Red Sea? And if that weren't enough, when they were hungry, did not the LORD give them manna from heaven to provide them sustenance and spring forth water from the rocks to quench their thirst when they were thirsty.

And yet they still complained.

*Tsk tsk*

And yet...

How many times does the LORD admonish us using those very same words as we read those very stame stories about the Israelites stubborn disobedience? After all, have we not seen the glory of the LORD as we see and hear about stories of lives transformed for Christ, as we see our friends that were formerly headed down the path of destruction now turning to the LORD. Has not the LORD provided us with strength at dire times of need, or comforted us with encouragements from His Word or through the providence of fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ?

And yet we still complain.

*Tsk tsk*

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I was just reading Deuteronomy 1 - 2, and the account in that story is very interesting... for when the spies returned with their negative report, the Israelites of that fighting generation were denied entrance into the promised land... all except Caleb son of Jephunnah, and Joshua son of Nun. And yet when the Israelites heard that, they were so sorry they gave in and agreed to obey God's original command.

But God said no. He had already commanded otherwise, that they march away from the banks of the Jordan. If they attacked, the LORD would not be with them and they would be defeated by the Amorites living in the land.

But the stiff necked people thought they could do it on their own. They didn't need God. Who needs him anyway?

According to the account in Deuteronomy, clearly the Israelites did. They were... to put it in gamers terms... pwned like nubsauce. Driven out of the country, back down to the camp with their tails between their legs. The biblical account does not account for the numbers of casualites, merely that the Amorites "chased [them] like a swarm of bees and beat [them] down from Seir all the way to Hormah." (Deut. 1:44b)

How many times do we think that we have the power to defeat the Amorites of our lives and enter the promised land on our own power? "We can do this. That's not that hard," we say. On our own power, we gear up and march up that mountain... only to be chased back down the mountain and beaten down by the Amorites in our lives.

Without the power of the LORD, we are nothing and can do nothing. For truly we are the branches that must remain connected to the vine... apart from which we can do nothing.

And truly... may we remember this... remember that our strength always comes from the LORD, that anything we do is only done because we were empowered by the LORD, and that any success we have, we might return the glory to the LORD. Do not allow our heads to swell up that we ever claim the credit for ourselves.

Praise be to the LORD, for He is great and mighty indeed. May His name be lifted up forever and ever. AMEN