Absence of Reverence

Posted on June 19, 2018 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters

“And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men, therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.” — Isaiah 29:13-14 (ESV)

(I wrote this back in April of 2012…thought we could use the reminder this week.)

For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” and the serpent in the garden tries to level out the reverence for El Shaddai to commonality. We could say that the adversary uses the naivety of Eve to unravel the obedience of Adam, but that takes the idea of freedom of choice out of the picture. Nadab and Abihu offer up an unauthorized fire to El Shaddai and are consumed by a fire that comes from the presence of The LORD. Then Moses has to pull Aaron aside and say to him, “You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”

“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.” Samson, under the Nazirite vow and complete with freedom of choice, allows an absence of reverence to creep into his ability to judge over the nation of Israel. But you gotta give it up for Samson, before his death he repents and takes more Philistine lives at that moment than he did while he was alive. King Saul waited seven days for Samuel to show up at Gilgal. But in his absence of reverence Saul offers up an unauthorized sacrifice and the end result is, “Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue.’”

The Old Testament is full of stories of what happened to the nation, and the people, of Israel when the reverence of El Shaddai would fall by the wayside.  You would think those stories would have been a good deterrent against losing it again but even in the early stages of the Church it happened.  We all read about Ananis and Sapphira and what they did out of reverence for themselves and not God. “But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’”

Unfortunately this kind of heart condition is still in existence today. The name of it hasn’t changed over the centuries. It’s called idolatry and in this case WE (you and I) are the objects of discussion. That is if you agree that you have taken what you think is your rightful place on the throne of your heart. But praise the Lord it doesn’t have to be. Turn, if you will, to 2 Corinthians 6 and starting at verse 16, “What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.’”

Now back at verse 14 it says, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” When we look at these questions in reflection of what we say we are living, The Victorious Christian Life, wickedness and darkness are what we are living in when we do not keep El Shaddai in reverence. There are three promises that El Shaddai gives us in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 and if we can receive them as such what Paul writes as instruction in 2 Corinthians 7:1 becomes quite clear, “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the reverence of God.” Let’s not become too familiar with the presence of El Shaddai and reduce Him down to our level. The end results ain’t too good. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) is married (Kathy) with two grown children (Kevin and Karen) and has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

The Daily Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 1-6|You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

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Motivation: “There are very few unqualified things in our lives, but I believe that the reverential fear of God mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and admiration and devotion is the most enjoyable state and the most purifying emotion the human soul can know.”—A.W.Tozer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. Psalm 130:5

 

 

 

 

 

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