Tag Archives: sin

Three days of battle (Matthew 27:46) July 1, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Ezekiel 19-24

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 27:46
In the middle of the dark afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice.
Jesus: Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani—My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

The sun was blotted out. This was no ordinary eclipse. Darkness fell over the earth for hours while the Son of God hung on the cross. It was as if evil finally won and blotted out all the light that God created and said was good. Jesus had taken on the sins of the world and as Satan thought he won the battle, God let darkness creep over the land showing everyone present just how evil men could become.

Throughout His ordeal, Jesus continued to pray from scriptures He’d learned throughout His life. He quoted from the Psalms and poured out His heart to His Father. He used David’ words to gain the strength He need to endure the pain and suffering inflicted on Him by those around Him who didn’t understand the meaning of the sacrifice He made for them or the actions they took against God Himself by hanging Him on that tree.

And now, as Jesus neared the end of His agonizing sacrifice, He cries out in one desperate plea, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani.” Which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” When the human side of Jesus needed the Father most, He turned His face away because of the darkness of the sins He bore for us. The Man who committed no sin. The One who served as the perfect sacrifice for us. The Father, turned away to let Him die alone on the cross as the penalty for us, separated from Him for a time.

Utter darkness. Complete separation. Total abandonment. We have never experienced it because God’s Spirit is alive and active in our world today. He does not leave us alone in this place. But He did with His Son for those moments as He carried the whole world’s sins on His shoulders.

We have no record of what happened from the time Jesus was laid in the tomb until He burst forth in resurrection power. We don’t know the struggle that took place between He and Satan. We don’t understand the realm of the after life and what happened to Jesus’ spirit after He took that last breath and left this world to enter the next. But I imagine the real battle took place then.

Satan thought he won when He killed the physical shell that housed the God/Man. He thought it was over when Jesus’ heart stopped its rhythmic beat and His lungs refused to release and accept air in them. Satan thought when the physiological processes ceased, it was over. But I think he and his minions found the battle had only begun when Jesus’ last breath passed His lips.

I think it was at that point, when Jesus had become sin for us and died for us that He entered the depths of hell for us. And there He engaged His enemy in full force. I expect Satan never expected God to visit his domain. God is holy and would never step foot into the bowels of hell which reeks of evil and vice and sin. But when Jesus, the Son of God, became sin for us, then gave His life, and as Paul tells us, descended into Hades, the battle was on. Now the Son of God, covered in our sins, took on the demons of hell in their domain.

What could they do? Here was God in their midst. Satan thought He was defeated, but through His death it gave Him entrance to the very place God would not go because of His holiness. Now carrying our sins into the pits of hell, that place reserved for us, Jesus faced the tormentor for us. And the tormentor could do nothing but bow at Jesus feet because He is Lord of lords, King of kings, Creator of all things. Even the demons bow before Him.

Those days between Jesus’ death and resurrection remain a mystery for us all. One day we can ask what happened in that interim. Until then we can only surmise what Jesus did during that time. But I expect He did not just sleep. I expect He did not just lay on that stone slab in the cave dug out for Joseph’s final burial place. I expect Jesus was busy letting Satan know He had the last word. Sin would not conquer God’s holiness then, now, or anytime in the future. Jesus died to conquer death. Jesus became sin to destroy sin. Jesus paid a visit to hell to take hell off our vacation list and make it possible for us to avoid its trap.

God, the Father, forsook the Man as Jesus hung on the cross. I think the reason was so He would never have to forsake us. Once and for all, Jesus made possible real life without the dominion of sin and death hanging over us. He conquered it all and three days later burst out of the tomb dressed in glory, the garment of victory for all who follow Him.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Go to your brother in private (Matthew 18:15-17) April 26, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Samuel 1-4

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 18:15-17
Jesus: This is what you do if one of your brothers or sisters sins against you: go to him, in private, and tell him just what you perceive the wrong to be. If he listens to you, you’ve won a brother. But sometimes he will not listen. And if he does not listen, go back, taking a friend or two friends with you (for, as we have learned in Deuteronomy, every matter of communal import should be testified to by two or three witnesses).Then, if your brother or sister still refuses to heed, you are to share what you know with the entire church; and if your brother or sister still refuses to listen to the entire church, you are to cast out your unrepentant sibling and consider him no different from outsiders and tax collectors.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Man, if we would just put these words into practice in our churches, what a difference it would make in the love people felt for each other. What a difference the outside world would see in the sense of community with our churches and in our mission to the greater community around the facilities that hold our worship services. If your church is like every church I’ve attended in the last 62 years (by the way, that’s nine months before my birth for those that are wondering). People gossip, backbite, tell tales, exaggerate, talk about each other behind their backs, and all sorts of things that run contrary to these biblical principles.

And the world outside our doors know it goes on, because they hear the stuff around the water fountain at work, over the fence in the neighborhood, and now plastered all over facebook, instagram and twitter. We don’t even pretend to hide our failures to do the right thing in confronting the sins of one of our brothers and sisters. We’re afraid we might hurt their feelings, I guess.

But there’s a reason Jesus says to first go to the brother or sister who sins against us in private. Let me enlighten you after years of attending a lot of different churches in a lot of cities, states, and countries. Several years ago, good friend put this verse in great perspective. When you’re thinking about a brother or sister in Christ saying or doing something that hurts you, sins against you as Jesus starts his example, what do you have to think about that brother or sister to think they would purposely, intentionally, viciously do what ever it is they did against you a fellow brother of sister in Christ? Then ask yourself, knowing what you know of that person, do you really think they would do that? Usually, normally, most of the time if you’ll take the time to ask yourself those two questions, your answer to the second will be an emphatic no.

So what happened? The answer can usually be found in an illustration I used with soldiers about communication. If I gave the order to secure the building. It might seem clear at first. But what outcome would you expect? If you’re a Marine, you’d storm the building and nothing would be left of it. Not even a cockroach would survive. If you’re an Army soldier, you’d put up fighting positions around it, concertina wire, perhaps a few landmines, so nothing within 300 meters could come close without you knowing about it first. If you’re an Air Force pilot, you’d lock the door and turn out the lights. If you’re a Navy submariner, you’d pull out your checkbook and buy it. So what did I mean when I said secure the building?

That’s what happens in most of the events brothers and sisters in the church get most riled up about. What they heard is not what was said. I wanted the doors locked and the receiver of the information blew it up. Same words, but the outcome, the interpretation of those words were so totally different because of our different experiences, backgrounds, the lens through which we understand information, that what I wanted was completely missed.

That’s what happens usually, normally, most of the time between brothers and sisters in Christ. So Jesus says, go to that person in private. Find out what was really done. Maybe she said, “Secure the building” (lock the door) and what you heard was, “Secure the building” (blow it up). Getting together in private suddenly defuses the situation. You find out the words were meant to help, not hurt because you left the door unlocked and she was trying to save your stuff! You’ve won a friend.

If you still can’t communicate, if there is still tension between you, Jesus says take two or three people with you. The broader experience in the group helps sort that stuff out. Remember, the first two questions my friend asks, what do I have to believe about my Christian brother or sister to think they would really do what you think they did? Then, knowing what you really know about them, do you believe them to be that person? Three or four heads together can straighten things out and get everyone on the same sheet of music. If not, Jesus says, bring the sin to the whole congregation. If there is no repentance, no contrite heart, no brokenness, throw them out of the congregation before the infection of brothers and sisters failing to try to find unity in the body of Christ spreads to others. That’s what Jesus is telling us.

It’s a shame we don’t go to Jesus’ formula first. It really does work. There’d be a lot fewer squabbles in the church if we did. We see a lot fewer churches split over silly issues. Visitors would find and feel more love when they walked in the door. We would get along a lot better month after month and year after year if we would just do what Jesus told us to do. Try it. It works. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

The lengths people go to (John 18:19-40), August 16, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – John 18:19-40

Set – Jeremiah 22; John 18

Go! – 2 Kings 24; Jeremiah 22; Psalms 112; John 18

John 18:19-40
Annas (to Jesus): 19 Who are Your disciples, and what do You teach?
Jesus: 20 I have spoken in public where the world can hear, always teaching in the synagogue and in the temple where the Jewish people gather. I have never spoken in secret. 21 So why would you need to interrogate Me? Many have heard Me teach. Why don’t you question them? They know what I have taught.
22 While Jesus offered His response, an officer standing nearby struck Jesus with his hand.
Officer: Is that how You speak to the high priest?
Jesus: 23 If I have spoken incorrectly, why don’t you point out the untruths that I speak? Why do you hit Me if what I have said is correct?
24 Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas bound as a prisoner. 25 As this was happening, Peter was still warming himself by the fire.
Servants and Officers: You, too, are one of His disciples, aren’t you?
Peter: No, I am not.
26 One of the high priest’s servants who was related to Malchus—the person Peter attacked and cut off his ear—recognized Peter.
High Priest’s Servant: Didn’t I see you in the garden with Him?
27 Peter denied it again, and instantly a rooster crowed.
28 Before the sun had risen, Jesus was taken from Caiaphas to the governor’s palace. The Jewish leaders would not enter the palace because their presence in a Roman office would defile them and cause them to miss the Passover feast. Pilate, the governor, met them outside.
Pilate: 29 What charges do you bring against this man?
Priests and Officials: 30 If He weren’t a lawbreaker, we wouldn’t have brought Him to you.
Pilate: 31 Then judge Him yourselves, by your own law.
Jews: Our authority does not allow us to give Him the death penalty.
32 All these things were a fulfillment of the words Jesus had spoken indicating the way that He would die. 33 So Pilate reentered the governor’s palace and called for Jesus to follow him.
Pilate: Are You the King of the Jews?
Jesus: 34 Are you asking Me because you believe this is true, or have others said this about Me?
Pilate: 35 I’m not a Jew, am I? Your people, including the chief priests, have arrested You and placed You in my custody. What have You done?
Jesus: 36 My kingdom is not recognized in this world. If this were My kingdom, My servants would be fighting for My freedom. But My kingdom is not in this physical realm.
Pilate: 37 So You are a king?
Jesus: You say that I am king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the cosmos: to demonstrate the power of truth. Everyone who seeks truth hears My voice.
Pilate (to Jesus): 38 What is truth?
Pilate left Jesus to go and speak to the Jewish people.
Pilate (to the Jews): I have not found any cause for charges to be brought against this man. 39 Your custom is that I should release a prisoner to you each year in honor of the Passover celebration; shall I release the King of the Jews to you?
Jews: 40 No, not this man! Give us Barabbas!
You should know that Barabbas was a terrorist.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

How blind can you let yourself become to violate the most basic laws of human nature to avoid accepting that I am who I say I am? When I walked alongside you, the chief priests and leaders of the Jewish nation willingly determined to kill Me to keep their rules intact. Nevermind that murder carried a capital offense. Nevermind that everything I did brought good to those I served. Nevermind that the only things I said to those who listen brought truth to them about the Kingdom of Heaven.

The leaders began to plot My death early in My ministry because I disrupted their normal train of thought. They didn’t like a carpenter explaining scriptures in ways that lifted their burdensome rules from humanity and gave them the hope of salvation through faith in Me and My message for them. The leaders thought they saw in My message the demise of their institution and so they wanted My death more than they wanted the truth.

It’s still hard for Me to believe they would abandon their own beliefs to get rid of Me. Of course, I knew it would happen to fulfill scripture, but if anyone would uphold the commandments, you would think the leaders and teachers of those commandments would. But they didn’t. They figured My death meant their freedom. It would have if they believed in Me because My death is the sacrifice, the penalty paid for the sins of the world for all who believe I am God incarnate come to save people from their sins. For those who do not believe, they will remain chained by their sins and guilt.

You choose to believe or not. You choose to try to destroy My message and Me or not. Always your choice. Choose rightly.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

A slave, like it or not! (Romans 6:15-23), May 25, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Romans 6:15-23
Set – 1 Kings 10; Romans 6
Go! – 1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9; Romans 6

Romans 6:15-23
15 So what do we do now? Throw ourselves into lives of sin because we are cloaked in grace and don’t have to answer to the law? Absolutely not! 16 Doesn’t it make sense that if you sign yourself over as a slave, you will have to obey your master? The question before you is, What will be your master? Will it be sin—which will lead to certain death—or obedience—which will lead to a right and reconciled life? 17 Thank God that your slavery to sin has ended and that in your new freedom you pledged your heartfelt obedience to that teaching which was passed on to you. 18 The beauty of your new situation is this: now that you are free from sin, you are free to serve a different master, God’s redeeming justice.

19 Forgive me for using casual language to compensate for your natural weakness of human understanding. I want to be perfectly clear. In the same way you gave your bodily members away as slaves to corrupt and lawless living and found yourselves deeper in your unruly lives, now devote your members as slaves to right and reconciled lives so you will find yourselves deeper in holy living. 20 In the days when you lived as slaves to sin, you had no obligation to do the right thing. In that regard, you were free. 21 But what do you have to show from your former lives besides shame? The outcome of that life is death, guaranteed. 22 But now that you have been emancipated from the death grip of sin and are God’s slave, you have a different sort of life, a growing holiness. The outcome of that life is eternal life. 23 The payoff for a life of sin is death, but God is offering us a free gift—eternal life through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

To Me the choice I give you is simple, eternal life or death. Become a slave to sin or live obediently to Me. Live a life of shame or a life filled with hope and joy. The choice seems so simple. Why would anyone choose death over life, sin over obedience, shame over joy? I don’t understand. Everyone since Adam wanted complete control over life. The only problem is that it can’t happen. You’re not God. The only thing you can control is yourself and you can’t do that very well.

You think you were free to do whatever you wanted, but you were a slave to sin and disobedience, that selfishness that drove you every moment. But when you come to Me, I free you from that path. I give you the hope and joy I intended for you when I created you.

Paul got it right when he said you will serve as a slave to either sin or Me. Which do you choose? Slavery to sin leads to guilt, pain, suffering, and death. I won’t tell you that you won’t suffer in this world if you follow Me. You will, just as I suffered. But the suffering is only for a moment of time compared to eternity. Just a flash, and I’ll be with you to help you through it. I won’t let you go through it alone.

Still having trouble with your choice? I dare you to make a list of the pros and cons of each choice, following Me or being in control of yourself. See how your assets and liabilities fall out. See what benefits you gain from Me or from your selfish path. Discover what you can do on your own or what you can do by following My advice. Be honest in your appraisal, though. Remember to take into account what you can really control versus what I control as you make your assessments.

For instance, you have little or no control over your health. You can’t control accidents that might injure you or cause irreparable damage to you. You cannot control the economy and so your ability to gain or sustain wealth or material goods. You have no control over your friends and relatives other than what little they might allow you to have. You can’t control politics or society and how it affects your life. When you really think about it, you have relatively little control over life.

You can, however, choose whether you will follow Me or your own selfish whims. So which will it be? You know the best choice. Will you be wise enough to make it? 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:1-12) May 6, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 12:1-12
Set – 2 Samuel 12; Psalms 51
Go! – 2 Samuel 11-12; Psalms 51; Matthew 23

2 Samuel 12:1-12
1The Eternal One sent the prophet Nathan to visit David. Nathan came to him and told him a story.

Nathan: Two men lived in the same city. One was quite rich and the other quite poor; 2 the rich man’s wealth included livestock with many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man owned only one little ewe lamb. He bought it and raised it in his family, with his children, like a pet. It used to eat what little food he had, drink from his meager cup, and snuggle against him. It was like a daughter to him.

4 Now a traveler came to the city to visit the rich man. To offer a proper welcome, the rich man knew he needed to fix a meal, but he did not want to take one of the animals from his flocks and herds. So instead he stole the poor man’s ewe lamb and had it killed and cooked for his guest.

Nathan stood back, waiting for the king’s verdict. 5 David grew very angry at the rich man. It was his royal duty to protect the poor and establish justice.

David: As the Eternal One lives, the rich man who did this deserves to die. 6 At the least, he will restore that lamb four times over because he acted without pity.

Nathan: 7 You are that man!

This is the message of the Eternal God of Israel: “I was the One who anointed you to rule over Israel, and I was the One who rescued you from the hand of Saul. 8 It was I who gave you Saul’s house, Saul’s wives, and dominion over both Israel and Judah; and if that were not enough, I would have given you as much again.

9 “So why have you despised the word of the Eternal and chosen to do evil in His sight? It was you who killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and stole his wife, even though you used the Ammonites to do the dirty work. 10 Now because he was killed with the sword, the sword will be your constant companion. It will hang over your household, bringing death and violence to your family, since you have despised Me by showing no regard for My law, and you have taken Bathsheba, the lawful wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife.”

11 This is the message of the Eternal: “I will bring trouble on you in your own household—right under your nose. I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will flaunt that he sleeps with them in the light of day. 12 You did your evil in secret, but I will do this out in the open, in front of all Israel.”

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

“You are that man!”

When you get your eyes off of Me and look to satisfy your base desires in ways that violate My laws it’s easy for you to overlook your sins. It’s easy for you to point fingers at others and try to cover your own guilt, but it never works.

David thought he could cover the guilt he felt after his adulterous affair with Uriah’s wife by getting this mighty warrior killed in battle and then making the public think he was doing an honorable thing by taking her into his house as one of his wives. The public thought David was a truly compassionate king for his kind actions toward this poor widow of a fallen soldier. But he and Bathsheba knew better. Both of them and I knew better. They knew and I knew the real secret of their affair and the child they conceived together. They knew of David’s murderous plot. They knew of the treachery in David’s heart to hide his guilt from the people he served.

Sin cannot be kept secret. It will always find its way into the light no matter how hard the perpetrators work to keep it hidden the darkness. And sin will always affect more than just the one who commits the atrocity. David’s sin affected his whole family and ultimately the entire kingdom of Israel as his son slept with David’s concubines in view of the people and then tried to overthrow his father from the throne. David’s family from the point of his sin became filled with incest, rape, hatred, plots to gain control of the throne, violence, and murder. David found forgiveness for his sin, but lived through the unrelenting consequences throughout the rest of his life.

Sin cannot be kept secret. Someone will find out. Just like the leaks you hear in the press about some sordid affair, some secret indiscretion, some unjust action, some shady deal, sin breaks out into the light and the consequences of those actions reap a harvest. I forgive when men and women come to Me in repentance and with a contrite heart. But the consequences of actions may still follow. The harvest comes.

Nathan reported to David the story that uncovered his sins and drove him back to Me repentantly. Listen to My voice early in life. Listen to Me often. Listen to Me every day to avoid the traps that Satan throws in front of you. Don’t let him trick you into thinking you can hide your actions or satisfy your desires without consequences. The harvest always follows the sowing. Don’t make Me send a prophet to you to declare, “You are the man!”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Confession is good for the soul (Deuteronomy 1:26-46), Mar 5, 2015

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Deuteronomy 1: 26-46
Set – Deuteronomy 1; Mark 12
Go! – Deuteronomy 1-2; Mark 12

Deuteronomy 1: 26-46
26 But even after all this encouragement, you still weren’t willing to go up and fight. You rebelled against what the Eternal your God told you to do. 27 In your homes, you complained to each other, “The Eternal hates us! That’s why He brought us out of the land of Egypt—so He could hand us over to the Amorites. They’re going to destroy us! 28 He tells us, ‘Go up,’ but go up where? The report of the rest of those we sent out was terrifying: ‘The people there are bigger and taller than we are. Their cities are huge, with walls as high as the sky! We even saw giants there—descendants of the Anakim.’”

29 So I told you, “Don’t be scared! Don’t be afraid of them! 30 You won’t have to fight this battle yourselves; the Eternal your God, who always goes ahead of you, will fight for you just as He did in Egypt—you saw Him do it! 31 And here in this wilderness, all along the route you’ve traveled until you reached this place, haven’t you seen the Eternal, your True God, carrying you the way a parent carries a child? 32 But you still don’t trust the Eternal your God, 33 even though He always goes ahead of you as you travel and finds places for you to camp. In a pillar of fire by night and in a cloud by day, He always shows you the right way to go.”

34 When the Eternal heard your untrusting words, He angrily swore an oath: 35 “Not a single person in this wicked generation will see the good land I swore to give to your ancestors! 36 There’ll be only one exception: Caleb (Jephunneh’s son). He will see it. I’ll give the very land he walked through when he spied it out to him and his descendants because he remained completely loyal to the Eternal.” 37 And He was angry with me, too, because of the way you acted. He told me, “Not even you will go into the land! 38 It will be Joshua (Nun’s son), a man you’ve already entrusted with important responsibilities, who will enter it instead. Encourage him, because he will lead the people into the land and give it to Israel as their possession. 39 You said that if you fought, all your soldiers would be killed and your little ones would become plunder for your enemies. But it will be those children under age 20, who don’t know right from wrong yet, who will enter the land. I’ll give it to them, and it will belong to them. 40 But as for you, head back into the wilderness, toward the Red Sea.”

41 After God’s judgment you responded, “We’ve sinned against the Eternal! We’ll go up and fight now, just as the Eternal, our True God, commanded us.” So each of you strapped on your weapons and prepared to fight. You thought it would be easy to get up into the highlands. 42 The Eternal tried to warn you that it was too late by telling me, “Tell them not to go up and not to fight! I am not with them. They’ll be crushed by their enemies.” 43 I told you everything, but you wouldn’t listen. You rebelled against the Eternal’s command, and you went up arrogantly into the highlands. 44 The Amorites who lived there came out and attacked you, and you ran away from them as if they were a swarm of bees! They crushed more and more of your soldiers all the way from Seir to Hormah, until they gave up the chase. 45 You came back and wept before the Eternal. But He wouldn’t listen to a word you said. 46 So you just stayed in Kadesh and didn’t leave for a long time.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Moses gives a pretty good summary of the Israelites’ history at the edge of the promised land with one exception. He says I didn’t let him go into the promised land because of My anger with the Israelites. Do you notice the problem? Moses never wanted to own up to his own error. Moses was a great leader for Me, but I wasn’t angry with him over the rest of the nation’s reluctance to believe in Me. I was angry at them, not him. Moses tried to convince them I would win their battles for them. He tried to convince them to go on into the promised land. In fact, Moses didn’t want them to send spies into the land because he knew it might weaken their faith.

I didn’t keep Moses out of the promised land because of the Israelites’ failures. I kept him out of the promised land for two reasons. First, he disobeyed Me. He struck the rock to get water at Meribah when I told him to speak to the rock. It might seem a little thing to you, but Moses was with Me constantly. He knew I demanded obedience. He knew the consequences of disobedience. I gave him My commandments on the mountain and he understood My power more than any other person in the nation.

But there was a second reason Moses didn’t go into the promised land. Did you notice his blame game? He blamed the rest of the nation for Me blocking his entrance to the new land. He would do it again later in his discourse. He couldn’t take the blame for his disobedience. Like so many, he tried to point the finger somewhere else. He wanted to share his guilt. Like Adam in the garden when he blamed Eve for his failure to keep My command. Like Eve who then blamed the serpent for giving her the fruit from the tree. Like Cain who tried to shun the blame for his brother’s murder. Like so many, Moses tried to shed the blame for his disobedience.

Like all who have gone before him and all who have come after him, Moses could not shift the blame. As Paul wrote, “All have sinned and come short of My glory.” No one but Jesus ever walked the earth in a sinless state. So no matter how hard Moses might try to deflect the guilt, he couldn’t. No matter how many times he tried to tell the story and lay the blame elsewhere. He and I knew his failure to enter the promised land came as a result of his own failure.

Never forget what John says in his first letter to the churches of his day. “If you confess your sins, I am faithful and just and will forgive your sins and purify you from all unrighteousness.” Don’t hold back. Give Me a try.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.