Abundance

Sometimes, we read the Word of God, even experience His great miracles and deliverance, but we can still lack understanding. The Word and Person of God are not understood by the flesh, but by the Spirit. Scripture says that the things of the spirit can only be understood by the help of Holy Spirit: "But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God...no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now, we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God...But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things...we have the mind of Christ." (1 Cor. 2:9-16). We cannot even know all of the things that God has freely given to us, according to the above verses, unless the Holy Spirit reveals them to us. About this, Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (Jn. 3:5). We can't find the kingdom of God with the best GPS in the world, unless it is revealed to us by His Spirit. Jesus again said, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (Jn. 4:24). We cannot even truly worship God except by spirit, because He is Spirit. The Sabbath readings for this week have more clearly illustrated to me the lack we suffer as the people of God when we try to comprehend Him without the help of the Spirit of God. This week's reading begins in Ex. 18. Moses received a visit from his father-in law, Jethro. Based upon outward appearances, we might not see the significance of Jethro, but the Sabbath readings are named for him: Yitro, meaning "his abundance, tent cord, that which exceeds measure or limit, eminence, remainder, to save over, to preserve alive". Jethro was a Midianite (meaning brawling, strife, discord). The Midianites were often connected to the tribes of Ishmael. Moses met Jethro when he was running away from Egypt as a young man. He married Jethro's daughter, and had two sons with her. When Jethro came to Moses, the people of Israel were encamped at the mountain of God. Jethro had brought Moses' wife and sons with him. Moses' greeting of Jethro is described: "So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him..." (Ex. 18:7). This man meant a great deal to Moses. Moses told his father-in-law all that God had done to bring them out of Egypt. "Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the LORD had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, "Blessed be the LORD...Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they (Egypt/the gods) behaved proudly, He was above them." (v. 9-11). From Jethro's statements we can see that he rejoiced at the greatness of God that delivered Moses and Israel from the Egyptians. He may not have been a worshipper of the God of the Hebrews before that moment, but now he knew and understood: "Now I know...". In this same moment, what did the children of Israel "know" about Him? Even though they knew that God's miracles had brought them out "on the wings of eagles" to bring them to Himself (Ex. 19:4), and knew that He miraculously fed them, and gave them water, they spent every waking hour, from morning until evening, bringing their problems, disagreements and contentions to Moses to decide them. Jethro discovered God by the Spirit, but the people were still hopelessly mired in their own understanding. Jethro, whose natural cultural background meant brawling, strife and discord, only had to hear Moses' account to understand by the Spirit what God had done. The people of God, on the other hand, who had actually experienced Him, had failed to discern Him by the Spirit, and had descended into unending disagreements with each other. Jethro then gave his son-in-law wise advice on how to handle the many disagreements. Instead of standing before the people to settle their disagreements, Moses should delegate that to other "men of truth". Moses was to stand before God instead on behalf of the people, teach the people the statutes of God and show them the way to walk, and the work they must do, so they could learn for themselves. In another place in scripture, Num. 10:29, Jethro is referred to by the name Raguel, which means "friend of God". By the Spirit, Jethro had entered into the "abundance" and understanding of the free things of God given to us. In the haftarah reading for this Sabbath, which is from Isaiah 6, we see a tragic fate for a people of God who do not know Him by the Spirit, and therefore, do not know Him at all. Isaiah received a vision in the year King Uzziah of Judah died. The death of this king, I think, played a major role as an example before God's people. King Uzziah had started out being a good and godly king, but he became ruled by pride, and tried to burn incense at the altar of incense in the temple. This he was not allowed to do. Only consecrated (sanctified, set apart) priests were to burn the incense that represented the prayers of the people before God, which were considered holy by Him. The altar of incense also represents His Son, Jesus, who lives to make prayers of intercession for us before His Father. Immediately, Uzziah was struck with leprosy, and had to live the rest of his life separately. We can say that Uzziah knew of God, but didn't know Him by the Spirit. In any case, Isaiah in this vision saw the Lord in His heavenly temple. As the seraphim (fiery, burning) angels glorified Him, the pillars of the door shook, and smoke filled the heavenly temple. Isaiah immediately became aware of his own sin, and the sin of the people, and thought he was about to die being in this holy Presence. The fiery angel brought a burning coal to touch Isaiah's lips, saying, "Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged." (Isa. 6:7). As he heard the Lord asking, "Whom shall I send for Us?", Isaiah answered, "Here I am! Send me." However, what he was about to be sent to do would be a very difficult task. Isaiah is known to us as one of the greatest prophets in scripture. He had profound and wonderful revelations from God regarding the Messiah to come, and many other glorious things of God. However, even as the prophet would faithfully record the prophetic Word he received, he did so knowing that the people of God to whom he was prophesying would not understand them. Like their king, their pride made them want to know God only by their natural understanding, rather than by the Spirit. The Lord told Isaiah at the time of this vision: "Go, and tell this people: "Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive." Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed." (v. 9-10). We have been called to have the mind of Christ. We have been called to walk in the Spirit, and know God by the Spirit, and to receive from Him all the things which He desires to freely give to us by His Spirit. Jethro, or Yitro, understood more in a moment by the Spirit, than the children of Israel would understand in forty years of experiencing God in the wilderness. When the world is using their natural understanding to face the confusing and dangerous events of this time, and not coming closer to either solutions or God, we are called to be Jethros, who speak wisdom and clarity by the Spirit of God. May we never let pride in our own understanding, quench the Spirit of God. It is better to walk an inch with God in the Spirit, than a mile in our own understanding. Overflowing abundance that exceeds measure or limit is found only by the Spirit of God. If you would like to receive the Lord, who is Spirit, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, I want to know You and worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Your Son, Jesus, allows me to be born of water, and the Spirit, so I can know You. Jesus has cleansed me of my iniquity, and purged me of sin by His sacrifice for me. I believe that He rose from the dead for me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, who teaches and leads me in all things concerning You. Let me be directed always and in all ways by Your Comforter, the Holy Spirit. I ask and receive these things from You in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen."