Are There Not Enough Graves?

"Camp where I tell you. It will look like we are meandering aimlessly," God told Moses, adding, "I'm going to harden Pharaoh's heart one more time. ...The Egyptians are going to know I am the Lord, " God concluded.

Moses understood God's plans, but the Israelis did not.

Pharaoh gathered his chariots and pursued the Israelis. The Israelis saw the Egyptians were coming.

Wildly they ask, "Were there not enough graves in Egypt? Moses, why have you treat us like this?" 

Why was counting on God so strenuous?

Their irrational behavior, recognized as exaggeration, reflects fear. Fear reveals limited faith. Their 'embellishments' came from weak, inexperienced reasoning. Were these the early signs of a hard hearted people??

Do hard hearted people ignore faith-causing information or events?

Consider these New Testament stories.

• There was hard-packed soil in the parable of the sower. Why was the “seed” ineffective on this soil?
• Lazarus was joyously resurrected. But the Pharisees brushed off his resurrection, plotting to kill Jesus.
• So intent on obedience to their Sabbath laws, they ignored the healings of Jesus.
• 
  Jesus gave sight to a blind man (John 9). The religious leaders interrogated him. They belittled his intelligence. They said, "...but as for this man (referring to Jesus), we do not know where He is from.” Verse 30 adds, "The man answered and said to them,“Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. ...If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

What are preventatives to hard-heartedness?

Here are a few answers.

1. Delight over the good luck (or blessings??) of friends.
2. Determine if its God's blessing or the Devil's tool. Not all “blessings” are truly blessed.
3. Thank God for every blessing. “Count your many blessings, name the one by one,” the song echos.
4. Enjoy every event remembering it came from God.
5. Ask God's help frequently.
6. Acknowledge God's justice.
7. Tell your family and friends what great things God has done for you.
8. Study nature, and inspect His knowledge.
9. Accept God-given joy from obedience.
10. Before you decide God is not answering your prayer, look for alternate ways He may have already answered.
11. Be guided by his way, and not your inferior wisdom..
12. Ask him to build your faith.
13. Be aware of God. Watch His doings. Find evidences of His working.

'Shoulder Of The Road'

Are you like me? Once I have something figured out an idea I don't want to do anything to it? I like putting it in a 'cubbie hole' and leaving it there till I need it.

So if you are like me, then you may struggle with this parable in Mark 4 like I am. I MUST take this 'figured out' parable out of the 'cubbie hole', think it through AGAIN, and then RE-CONSIDER my conclusions.

This code talk about soil quality has been familiar since childhood. I have spend most of my studies and sermons on either Matthew's or Luke's account. But studying Mark's chapter 4 version has forced at least 3 changes in my thinking about the first of the soils.

The first change deals with where the seed goes. I read several versions like NKJV, KJV, NASB, NIV, Youngs Literal Translation., The Message, Easy To Read V., and others. The translations (or paraphrases) differed as to where the seed went. So, I used a Greek interlinear bible with translation abilities. It has a neat word ("PARA") meaning beside or near. The seed fell NEAR / BESIDE THE ROAD. 

For years I considered these folks to not have the ability or opportunity to be responsive to God's word. They were the highway, so hard packed, like pavement or concrete, that God's powerful message COULD NOT GET IN. 

But Mark records this as being the 'shoulder of the highway', a notable difference. Some highway shoulders, in Arkansas at least, have grass flourishing through the asphalt. These people are reachable. God's word is getting in. It says "when they hear..." Rom. 10:17 says this is the beginning point for faith. I am rethinking their possibilities.

The second point being reconsidered is based on "akouswsin", to hear. This word, sounding much like "accoustics", includes the hearing of sound. Generally, it means more. It includes "perceiving", "considering what is being / has been heard, and "comprehending" a thought.

These meanings carry heavyweight implications. This implies a PERCEIVING the word (seed) as being from God. COMPREHENSION is present. They CONSIDER what is being heard. God' word is at work. 

I had previously thought these folk COULD NOT be reached because the message was removed too quickly. I did not know what God was going to do with these people on judgment day. Now I know. They PERCEIVED, COMPREHENDED, and CONSIDERED God' message of love, grace, and consequences, and chose to nothing. Doing nothing equals deciding against. They will receive God flaming vengence.

The third item to be re-considered is based on the first and second, namely why Satan is able to remove the word so quickly. Certainly Satan wants it gone as quickly as possible, before it can have its full effect. Satan can not remove God's word by force. But Satan can and will remove the word from anyone not positively choosing God's way. 

Since these 'shoulder-of-the-road' souls have considered the message and selected against acceptance of God, Satan moves quickly before they can do any re-considering. He "carries away" anything without roots. 

Are these souls worth my effort at evangelizing? Yes, since I can't easily tell how 'hard packed' a heart is. God has made me, a servant, into a seed sower (with your help in this blog). And now that I know they are capable of dealing with God's message on an intellectual basis, it is my responsibility to make sure they have a chance. 

It not be terrible if on the judgment day on of these "hard packed" people looked at me and said, "You never mentioned Him to me."

Code Talk

This title sounds like espionage.

There are times I get tired of hearing politicians. When asked a direct question they talk in great patriotic themes all around the subject while wrapping themselves in the red, white and blue American flag. I think they do this so Americans will be impressed by the rhetoric and not by the answers. They are answering in a kind of code.

I recently watched an episode of Law and Order in which a rap artist was interrogated by the police. But if you did not know slang, you heard the answer but did not grasp the meaning. He hid information directly in front of their eyes using a code.

And Jesus was not a fool either. There were occasions when Jesus hide his message in a code. Why? Here are a few ideas I learned from commentators.

1. He fulfilled prophesies.
2. He confused the Pharisees' spies.
3. He challenged listeners to greater spiritual discernment.
4. He knew Hebrew people were familiar with this style of teaching.
5. His teachings would be easier to remember.
6. He disguised powerful teaching in a language Pharisees could not use in court.

One commentator said he "taught those who wished to know truth and confounded the opposition."

Jesus was open to the twelve (and us) as to why he used these codes called parables. He put the information in front of some listeners knowing they were spiritually so insensitive they would not perceive nor understand.Jesus hid spiritual truths in  stories like The Sower (Soils), The Lamp, Growing Seed and Mustard Seed.

Does this mean that a reader of Jesus' stories (parables) who does not understand is hopeless? NO!

Christians are told the scriptures are "able to make you wise". Those lacking wisdom should ask God. He liberally gives wisdom without fuss.

So where is the struggle? It is more than just hearing the code, but in comprehending. It is one thing to hear or read Jesus' parables, and it is another to understand. It is most important to translate the understanding into action.

Listen to the code, understand, and do.