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BACKGROUND
GOD
GOD
I. His Being
II. His nature
III. His character
IV. His will
V. His subsistence
VI. His Fatherhood
MAN
WOMAN
FALL OF MAN
MAN
a. Man in nature
b. Man’s destiny
c. Man ‘s structure
d. Man’s sin
e. Man in God’s image
WOMAN
The
full background to this teaching is available online at this link
DEFINITIONS (For serious students)
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Online links to scriptures (New International Version [NIV] unless otherwise stated) are shown in blue
| THE STEPS OF OBEDIENCE (Continued Part 2) |
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Steps 3 and 4 follow.
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| 3. PROVISION |
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 a. MOSES AND THE STAFF: At Zin, Moses suffered the greatest disappointment of his latter life. For he lost his cool with the complaining people and didn't listen to God. In his anger he simply did what had worked in the past, rather than following current instructions.
He used the staff to hit the rock for provision of water rather than simply speaking to it.
God punished him by refusing to let him lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.
A picture in the Spirit of the Holy Spirit in our lives today.
Numbers 20:1-13
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 b. ISRAEL - OLD GENERATION: A literal provision of manna and water, speaking again of the spiritual provision of the Holy Spirit today.
Exodus 15:22 - 17:7
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 c. ISRAEL - NEW GENERATION BORN IN EGYPT: Once again a literal provision, this time the Promised Land.
Exodus 3:8
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 d. JESUS' LIFE: The Holy Spirit was the provision of God to Jesus to lead and guide Him through His life.
Matthew 3:16-17
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 e. THE APOSTLES: The Holy Spirit was to be the provision to the disciples, as He was to Jesus.
John 16:13-16
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 f. OURSELVES: The Holy Spirit is also our provision to make possible our walk of obedience today.
John 16:13-16
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| 4. WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE |
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 An important, but not much liked, part of our walk of obedience is a faith testing time spent in the wilderness. A time when God seems so far away, a time when, whatever we do, nothing seems to work out.
This is not a modern phenomenon but has always been a part of God's from the beginning of time.
a. MOSES AND THE STAFF: After killing the Egyptian Moses fled to the desert of Midian in fear of his life. He married and settled down, thinking that his God had deserted Him, or that he had got everything wrong in his thoughts that he was destined to save his people from the Egyptians.
Exodus 2:11-25
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 b. ISRAEL - OLD GENERATION: A two part wilderness experience.
a. The Egyptian Exile: Not a pleasant experience! But one that developed the people from the extended family of Jacob into a nation, ready to take its place in the world.
Genesis 15:13
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 b. Exploration of Canaan: The Israelites had to wait, wondering, while their leaders explored the land God had promised to them.
Numbers 13:1-24
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 c. ISRAEL - NEW GENERATION BORN IN EGYPT: A wilderness experience in the literal desert wilderness! The new generation, (those under 20) had to experience the wilderness along with their parents, who died there.
Numbers 14:28-32
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 d. JESUS' LIFE: Jesus too, had to experience the testing of the wilderness.
Matthew 4:1-11
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 e. THE APOSTLES: Twin times of testing.
a. From the Cross to the Resurrection: It was now all over - or was it? Their Saviour had died. Promises seemingly unfulfilled. What would happen to them now!
b. From the Assencion to Pentecost: Jesus arose! Hallelujah! But then, He departed again! Only a few followers were left. We will give it until Pentecost. If nothing happens, it will all be over for us too!
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 f. OURSELVES: We all have individual wilderness experiences - often more than one! "Oh Lord, why have you deserted me!"
Elijah, for example, had his troubles over a long time when all of Israel was seemingly against him.
1 Kings 16:1-17:4
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| <i>NEXT WEEK:</i> GOD AND MAN continues... |
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 We look at the length of wilderness times and our response to the wilderness.
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| A NOTE FROM DAVID |
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 None of us enjoy wilderness times. I am sure Jesus didn't either. But times when God seems far away both tests and builds our faith. They are an integral and vital part of our walk with Jesus, whether we like it or not!
Understanding that they do happen, and will end, helps us cope with them better.
Hezekiah's Tunnel
The most magnificent waterworks of ancient Jerusalem is Hezekiah's Tunnel. The tunnel is hewn inside the hill in order to protect the access to water from enemies. It channels the water from the Gihon fountainhead to the Shiloah pool, which was within the new walls of the city built by Hezekiah. King Hezekiah built the tunnel in preparation for the Assyrian siege: "This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David." (Chronicles II, 32;30) The external entrance to the Gihon spring was hidden: "... and many people gathered together, and they stopped up all of the fountains" (Chronicles II, 32; 4). Then the waters of the Gihon were channeled through the tunnel to the Shiloah Pool, also built by Hezekiah (Kings II, 20; 20). The pool was located outside the original fortifications of the City of David (Chronicles II, 32; 30), but within the wall that Hezekiah had built. This is the main reason for the reconstruction of the southern part of the wall.
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So until next week.......
MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOU BLESS GOD!
His servant and yours
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A DAVID'S DOODLING
991. Without life's valleys we wouldn't truly appreciate the mountain tops.
David Tait
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