Our Unbelief

If we’re honest we’re always somewhere on the scale between belief and unbelief. I’ve shared with you many times the Father’s exclamation from Mark 9 when he brings his son to Jesus and asks him to heal him, “if he can.”

Jesus responds:

Mark 9:23–24 ESV

And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

We’re all on that continuum. I’ve shared it with you many times. But there’s a problem. We’re really good at talking ourselves into the unbelief side.

Why would God, the Creator of the entire universe care for a person like me? Why would God care anyone?

Each one of 7.5 billion people God cares for.

Each one of 8.7 million species of animals (humankind being only one) God cares for.

And this on only 1 of 8 planets in our solar system

In a galaxy of as many as 250 billion stars with their own planets

In a universe with as many as 100 billion galaxies.

And still, as we discussed last week God came in the flesh, Jesus came to earth and we called him Emmanuel - God with Us. In the Hebrew his name would have been pronounced Yeshua - from which we get Joshua, which means,

Yeshua > Joshua = “The LORD saves.”

This is the promise of God - I will be with you. And God was visible to the Israelites as they’d been travelling, now he will dwell among his people in the tabernacle. And you can read all about that in Exodus 25-40.

Then we learn there is a cost to sin, and what sin is by reading through Leviticus. And as you read through some of these things remember the words of my seminary professor Dr. Russ Spitler,

“Heresy leads to orthodoxy.” ~ Dr. Russ Spitler, Fuller Seminary

In other words, God would tell you NOT to do something, unless someone, somewhere has done it. Why plant ideas in your head. And as you read through the Laws recorded throughout the books of Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy) and you think “Wow!” Just “Wow!”

Yet it reveals just how far all of humanity had fallen from the purity of God, and that relationship we had back in the beginning. And yet we read over and over again as God’s people are called out for their sin:

Exodus 24:7 ESV

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”

But as you and I know that wasn’t true. And it isn’t true today. As much as we would like to say it is in our lives, we know that we fall short of the Glory of God. We are in need of a saviour.

Now remember all of this is happening as Moses is leading them to the land he has promised to them. A land God has said is flowing with Milk and Honey. It is supposed to be some of the choicest land in the area, it is in fact the land that was shown to Abraham back in Genesis.

Despite this promise, the people grumble, and complain - they’ve received manna from heaven, they’ve received quail, and God has been continually for them.

Not only has God been providing for them, but God has also been fighting their battles for them. The obvious one is against Egypt, but he has also fought for them against Arad, King Sihon of the Amorites, King Og of Bashan, and others as they made their way to the promised land.

So as they’re going, Moses is leading them to claim God’s promise of the Promised Land Canaan. As they are on the edge of the promised land Moses sends 12 spies into the land.

10 spies say, “No” there are giants and we won’t be able to take them.

2 spies come back and say, “YES” The Lord indeed has provided.

Isn’t how it is with us?

But like all of us, Moses was not without his unbelief. Moses was also tempted to be able to take credit for things in front of the people where it really was God that was working.

The people were complaining once again about the lack of water and supplies and Moses and Aaron go an intercede for the assembly at the tent of meeting and they fell on their faces before the Lord. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them and the Lord spoke to Moses:

Numbers 20:8 ESV

“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”

But instead of speaking to the rock as he was commanded, he struck the rock twice

Numbers 20:12 ESV

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

And so Moses would not enter the promised land with the rest of the Israelites.

How do you obey?

How do you respond to God?

When you hear the Laws of God, do they point you to God? Or do you see it as one option?

Trust and Obey