Monday, November 1, 2010

Do Our Part

"Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.'" ~~Exodus 3:16-17 NIV

The Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob gave Moses a promise for the Israelites. For their time of suffering in Egypt, God led them to the Promised Land. A land flowing with milk and honey.

God being God keeps His word for He is not a man that should lie (Numbers 23:19). He never concealed the fact that the land was occupied. God told Moses and Moses conveyed the message to the Hebrew people.

The Pharaoh let God's people go and led them right to the Red Sea. It was there Moses was instructed by God to consecrate the first born male and to eat nothing containing yeast. This instituted the first observance of the Passover. Then Moses told them:

When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month. ~~ Exodus 13:5

The people were advised that the land was occupied by others. When the people actually arrived at the border, Moses sent in spies to spy out the land. The spies then instilled fear in God's people with this report (Numbers 13:26-33, my paraphrase):

  • The land does flow with milk and honey.
  • Here's the fruit.
  • The people there are powerful.
  • We saw the Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Canaanites living there.
  • They are stronger so we can't attack.
  • The land devours those who live there.
  • The people are giants.
  • We look like grasshoppers.

Only Joshua and Caleb said, " We can do it." God promised the people the land, but they had to do their part. Because they failed to do their part, they spent 40 years in the wilderness.

In America, on Tuesday, we have an opportunity to do our part. God promised Abraham He would bless those who bless him. Our nation has so many blessings and promises from the Lord, but we must do our part. We MUST vote.

The Hebrew people were to take the land with weapons, but our weapons are our pencils at the polling places tomorrow. Our nation was founded on the belief of one nation under God. We can take this land by trusting God to lead us into battle as we exercise our freedoms by voting. Seek the Lord on whom to vote.

Typically fewer people turn out for mid-term elections. We can change what has been the norm. Let's not instill fear to be complacent among our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let's be like Joshua and Caleb saying, "We can do it!"

To continue to live in our land that flows with milk and honey, let's do our part.

1 gracious comments:

Shona Neff said...

Great and timely analogy!