Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” (Prov. 1:23)
“It's all about You, Jesus”
Establish the Hebrew word qum, Strongs #6965, and it means to arise, become powerful, and stand up. [1] The Lord will cause His people to arise, become powerful and stand up straight as we keep the commands of the Lord and walk in His ways.
One commentary notes, “This passage repeatedly emphasizes the Israelites’ responsibility to obey.” [2] It was as the Israelites obeyed the commands of God that He would cause them to fully arise and stand up straight.
This is easy to say, yet over and over, God speaks of the Israelites rebellion and disobedience. In Deuteronomy 31:19-20 God had Moses write down a song and teach it to the children of Israel as a witness against them. He said, “When I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods and serve them; and they will provoke Me and break My covenant.”
The people had made a covenant at Mount Horeb with God and failed to keep it. They were rebellious and stiff necked (Deuteronomy 31:27). Moses told them that while they had seen all the miracles God had done before their very eyes, the Lord had not given to them eyes to see, ears to hear or a heart to perceive God. In the land of Moab, God was renewing the covenant with the children of Israel. (Deuteronomy 29:2-4)
To perceive, Strong's #3045, the Hebrew word yada, means to know by experience. [3] The children of Israel had seen many miracles by God but they did not know God by experience or truly understand His heart towards them. They did not have an intimate relationship with Him.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible notes about this, “They had some of them seen the above miracles with their bodily eyes, but had not discerned with the eyes of their understanding the power of God displayed in them, the goodness of God to them on whose behalf they were wrought, in order to obtain their deliverance, and the vengeance of God on the Egyptians for detaining them; so Jarchi interprets it of an heart to know the mercies of the Lord, and to cleave unto him:
and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day; to see and observe the gracious dealings of God with them, and to hearken to his voice and obey it: so the understanding heart, the seeing eye, and hearing ear, in things spiritual, are from the Lord, are special gifts of his grace, which he bestows on some, and not on others...” [4]God bestows the gift to perceive Him on those who receive Him by faith. In Acts 28:25-28, Paul says to the Jews in Rome who refused to believe the gospel, “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers saying,
Go to this people and say:
'Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with the ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'"“Almighty Father, we are Your children, You have been faithful to Your own. Lord, for Your glory, we have been chosen, We lay down all we have here at Your throne”
Even though God's people are unfaithful and disobedient, God continually displayed His mercy, goodness and faithfulness. Despite that Israel continually fell into rebellion, disobedience and unbelief, God was faithful to fulfill all His promises to them. He made a way for them to enter the Promised Land – by faith. He gave the people Joshua, a man of strong faith, full of the spirit of wisdom, to lead them into their inheritance (Deut. 34:9; Joshua 1:6).
The Lord spoke to Joshua, “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land I am giving them -the children of Israel... No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I sword to their fathers to give them.” (Joshua 1:1-6)
The Lord was moving His people from observing rules and regulations to a place of receiving their inheritance by faith, while God dispossessed their enemies before their very eyes. They were learning that God was their Savior and consuming fire that went before them burning up their enemies. Despite their weaknesses, they could count on God's faithfulness to them.
God demonstrated His loving kindness and faithfulness towards the children of Israel at every turn. When Moses blessed the people of Israel before he died in Deuteronomy 33, He told them:
“The Lord came from Sinai,“Your love has captured me, Your grace has set me free... Be glorified in me.”
And dawned on them from Sier;
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He came with ten thousands of saints;
From His right hand came a fiery law for them.
Yes, He loves the people;
All His saints are in Your hand;
They sit down at Your feet;
Everyone receives Your words.
Moses commanded a law for us,
A heritage for the congregation of Jacob.
And He was King in Jershurun,
When the leaders of the people were gathered,
all the tribes of Israel together...
There is no one like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to help you,
And in His excellency on the clouds.
The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, 'Destroy!'
Then Israel shall dwell in safety,
The fountain of Jacob alone,
In a land of grain and new wine;
His heavens shall also drop dew.
Happy are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord,
The shield of your help and the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies shall submit to you,
And you shall tread down their high places.”
The Israelites possessing the Promised Land by faith is a type and shadow of people inheriting the promises of God through faith in Christ. And God going before the people consuming their enemies is a picture of God purifying and bringing holiness in our lives and the lives of those we encounter.
God's right hand, one of my pastors mentioned this past weekend represents His hand of power. And commentary notes, his law is called 'a fiery law', because it was given them out of the midst of the fire (Deu. 4:33)[the shadow], and because it works like fire; if it be received, it is melting, warming, purifying, and burns up the dross of corruption; if it be rejected, it hardens, sears, torments, and destroys.” [5]
“This is your gift, this brand new day. So take it to heart, take it on faith. Open your eyes, don't be afraid to learn how to live. This is your gift.”
And the power of God that takes the Word of God and melts, warms, purifies and burns up the dross is the Holy Spirit. God knew that His people did not have the power to obey His commands so He gave us the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit by faith in Christ.
In Ezekiel 36:27 the Lord says, “And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding (Is. 11:2) that causes us to hear, see and understand (perceive) in our hearts (John 7:38-39). Proverbs 1:23 says, “Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.” Through the Holy Spirit, we have the power to experience God and the freedom to obey His commands (2 Cor. 3:17).
The fiery law was given as a gift to the Israelites that they would become His holy people. Moses told the people in Deuteronomy 26:18-19, “Also today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken.”
To “keep” all His commandments, the Hebrew word samar, also means to celebrate. [6] The law was not given to them to force them to follow a legalistic set of rules in order to receive God's approval. It was given to the Israelites as gift, that they might celebrate their life with God in the way they lived their lives. Sanctification is a gift to us and a means by which we celebrate God in our midst.
“I will celebrate, sing onto the Lord, I will sing to Him a new song”
God freely gives His Spirit to all who will receive His Son by faith, pursues us in passionate love, and frees us to celebrate Him in the way we live our lives. He desires to have an intimate relationship with Him. One which we have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to perceive -truly experiencing Him and responding to His love by the way we live our lives.
So what is our part?
Proverbs 2:1-5 says,
My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply to your heart understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:24-25 says, "God called but they refused, and He stretched out His hand and no one regarded. The people disdained all his counsel and would have none of his rebuke."
As my commentary notes, the key difference in Proverbs 2 is desire. Rather than refusing and disdaining wisdom, those who find wisdom, knowledge and understanding seek it out. Proverbs 2 says:
- receive my words
- treasure my commands
- incline your ear to wisdom
- apply to your heart understanding
- cry out for discernment
- lift up your voice for understanding
- seek her as silver
- search for her as for hidden treasures [7]
Joshua was someone who had a deep desire to pursue God. He sought out all God had for him and for the people he led. The Lord spoke to him, “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.” (Joshua 1:7-8)
His pursuit came from His intimate relationship with God. Joshua was someone who was preoccupied with God. Whenever Joshua was given the opportunity, he would spend time in God's presence (Ex. 33:11). And when he moved into leadership, it was this presence of the Lord that Joshua carried with him (Jo. 1:5). Joshua had experienced God so he knew what to expect from Him and trusted God would do what He promised.
Mike Bickle writes, “We are called to live fascinated in the pleasure of loving God that overflows in loving people...The truest and greatest pleasures available to the human spirit do not come from the counterfeit pleasures of sin, but come from God when He reveals Himself to our spirits... We are liberated from the inferior pleasures of sin by experiencing these superior pleasures of the love, beauty and majesty of God... Paul taught that the Holy spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God's heart. We have received the Spirit that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God (1 Cor. 2:10-12).” [8]
It is in the place of intimacy with God that we grow to be more like Him in holiness. My previous pastor, Sue Sievers, once wrote that just as salvation breeds righteousness (right standing with God), so intimacy breeds holiness.[9] We become like Him as we behold him.
And in this place of intimacy, His purposes and will are revealed. Sue Sievers once noted, “There are things hidden in God from eternity past that can only be revealed by His Spirit in intimate moments. Things revealed, revelation of His eternal purposes to be carried out in the earth. Hidden things that are revealed to us only as we turn aside to hear Him.” [10]
The Lord revealed His plans to Joshua for bringing down the walls of Jericho and giving the people the victory in an intimate moment with Joshua. The Commander of the army of the Lord came to visit Joshua by Jericho and revealed to him his plan as Joshua was willing to turn aside to listen. (Joshua 5:13-6:5).
Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”
In the place of intimacy, as Mike Bickle notes, we are empowered to set our heart to love and obey God with all our hearts. He writes, “Jesus said, 'If you love Me, keep My commandments' (Jn. 14:15). Part of God's gift to our heart is our very love and desire for Him. The God who calls for our full dedication to Him, is the very One who empowers us to give it. When we set our hearts to live in 100 percent obedience, our emotions are significantly impacted and our heart is spiritually vibrant.” [11]
Song 8:6,
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame.”
Mike Bickle writes, “Aiming for hundredfold obedience includes bridling our speech (Jas. 3:2), making a covenant with our eyes that refuses to look on anything that stirs up lust (Job 31:1), disciplining our physical appetites, managing our time to give ourselves more fully to prayer and works of the kingdom, and stewarding our money to advance His kingdom.” He notes that it is not achieving perfection but setting our hearts and reaching after holiness that matters (rather than being a halfhearted follower). Mike Bickle writes, “There is nothing more satisfying than to know we are giving our all to God... Setting our heart to fully obey and love always enables us to function at our highest potential.” [12]
Joshua passionately set his heart to fully obey the Lord and experienced incredible miracles in His life. The Lord was clearly with Joshua (Joshua 6:27). Yet Joshua was not perfect. He also failed to seek God's counsel when the Gibeonites came to them, telling them that they were from a distant land and wanted to make a treaty. Joshua made a covenant with the Gibeonites to let them live, only to find that he had been deceived.
What mattered is not the Joshua made mistakes, but that he kept on seeking and pursuing God with his whole heart. As Mike Bickle notes, worship is love in action.[13]
Romans 12:1-2 says, Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Mike Bickle notes that seeking to obey God with all our hearts involves three things: 1) seeking to know the truth, 2) resisting darkness, and 3) pursuing knowing God (see Romans 6:11-13). He writes, “all three are vital to maintain a life in godliness and cannot be exchanged for another.... We must actively pursue intimacy with God and present our bodies as instruments that He can use to bless others as we serve them and release the power and presence of Jesus in their lives. We pursue serving with humility, ministering to people in the power of the Holy Spirit and relating to God and people with love.” [14]
Joshua sought God with his whole heart and worshiped God in his actions, calling the people to do the same. He meditated on the truth day and night. He knew God intimately, pursued God passionately, and celebrated God with the way he lived his life, keeping His commands.
Lord, more than anything, I long to have You be very present with me all the days of my life. “You're all I need... Every day I want to see more of you and less of me, my days are better with You!” sings.
Holy Spirit, would you breathe a fresh desire for us to follow and obey your commands. Draw us deeply into intimacy with You, to behold You and become more like You. Would you stir in us a holy desperation to seek You with all of our hearts and celebrate you in the way we live our lives. Establish us as a holy people unto Yourself.
1, 3, 6. Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (G1589). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.
2. Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson's new illustrated Bible commentary (Dt 28:1-9). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.
4. Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Deuteronomy 29. Located at: http://gill.biblecommenter.com/deuteronomy/29.htm. Last Accessed: 10/25/10.
5. Henry, M. (1996, c1991). Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible : Complete and unabridged in one volume (Dt 33:1). Peabody: Hendrickson.
7. Maxwell, John. The Maxwell Leadership Bible. NKJV. Thomas Neslon. Nashville, TN. 2007.
8, 11-14. Bickle, Mike with Kim, Brian. 7 Commitments of a Forerunner: A Sacred Charge to Press Into God. Forerunner Publishing. Kansas City, MO. 2009.
9-10. Sievers, Susan. Intimacy with God. February 2004.
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