When You Ask For Help Can You Feel God’s Touch Guiding You To Obey?
Good Morning Friends,
Yesterday we contemplated what it was like to hear from God but today we explore the problems we have when we do not hear from God as set forth in the book of Samuel. Then we explore the problems of not feeling in the life of a leper for that is a symptom of the disease and finally we touch on the process of Jesus taking on our sins. And we find that both not hearing and not feeling can cause serious and even life-threatening problems of not acting as we should. Friends when we are out of touch with God the results can be disastrous. So, with these conditions in mind read on even as we ask in discernment today’s question. When You Ask For Help
Can You Feel God’s Touch Guiding You To Obey?
Scripture: And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. In those days the Philistines mustered for war against Israel, and Israel went out to battle against them; they encamped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle was joined, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. When the troops came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord put us to rout today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, so that he may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” So the people sent to Shiloh, and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. When the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid; for they said, “Gods have come into the camp.” They also said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, in order not to become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” So the Philistines fought; Israel was defeated, and they fled, everyone to his home. There was a very great slaughter, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. The ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
1 Samuel 4:1-11 (NRSV)
A leper came to him begging him, and kneeling he said to him, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I do choose. Be made clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.
Mark 1:40-45 (NRSV)
Message: Friends, not having the sensation of touch is a very serious physical problem but it is also a serious spiritual problem as well. Not feeling is perhaps one of the most challenging of sins. Yes, leprosy is a metaphor for sin, the worst of all human diseases that separates sufferers from society, in part because they have an ailment that makes one numb. Add not hearing and it is a recipe for disaster. Now today’s passages from Mark is generally positive and yet the reality is that the person healed failed to obey and the result was that Jesus could no longer go into town. He took on the sins of the leper he healed. You see, learning to feel again is not enough. Being healed is not enough. We must hear and obey. The deaths and depressing plot line in today’s text from Samuel and to a lesser degree Mark are there for a reason. All this negative stuff is in the Bible to warn us and to teach us a very valuable lesson on the consequences of sin and disobedience. We are to stay in touch with God so we might obey. Friends, God wants us to learn from the horrible mistakes that people had made in the past when they do not hear and listen for God’s voice…and when they are not compassionate. You see, God wants us to avoid repeating the same costly mistakes of prideful actions. God wants us to take seriously these lessons from the Bible and learn. The reality is that we will be facing similar situations in the future and we need to know how to respond properly.
Pray we have compassion for those in need.
Pray we clearly hear God’s directions. Pray we learn to love our neighbor by doing good. Pray we have faith in Jesus to heal us. Pray we learn to obey the law of love. Pray we discern God’s will with the purpose of glorifying God as the focus of our actions.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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