On the Plains of Shinar

A long time ago there were some people who were wanderers on the earth. They had a dream and a vision to find a place and establish themselves as a people who worshipped God and who experienced unity amongst themselves. So, they found a beautiful land and with much hard work and self-sacrifice they began to realize their dream as it unfolded day by day.

It would be hard to deny that these people did not know something of the heart and purpose of God. In the last book of the Bible we see that God is ultimately after a city. Abraham knew this and he spent his life searching for that city.

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Heb 11:8-11

I think it would be difficult to fault these people whose motives seemed so noble. However, they had one shortcoming. God had neither commanded nor requested them to build a city for Himself. Therefore, it is not surprising that when these people built, they built with man-made bricks instead of God-made stone. When God, the MasterBuilder wants something built, He equips and instructs His people as to how He builds. His methods and His materials. Man's work always looks like man and is detestable in the sight of God. "...for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." Luke 16:15b

God eventually stopped the construction of the "holy" city on the plain of Shinar. The place later became known as Babel. Most people forget that it did not start out as Babel. It began as a city with a tower that would reach into the heavens - to God. It is easy to sit back and judge them as a people with some evil imagination in their hearts. Afterall, when people think of Babel they usually think of the worst when it comes to the people that were involved. Pagan, evil, sinister, etc. The fact is, they were people like you and me with ideas, plans and designs for doing something for God. Isn't it amazing that almost every church building today has a tower reaching to the heavens.

Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: Psalm 127:1a

Hi Frank,

Why do you think they "wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth?"

Why do we not have the word describing them "inside the camp" of human institutions and systems?

Scriptures say "the world was not worthy" of them.

Were they pushed out of the system and into the deserts, mountains and dens because of their faithful and holy commitment to God and their uncompromising preaching of the truth? I think that is exactly what happened.

Heb 11:36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

What were they doing or saying that they should receive such rude treatment?

Have you ever noticed that God has very definite ways of doing things? Today we get a little bit of knowledge "under our belt" and then act as if we know exactly how it is all done (laboring with the Lord in building the Kingdom). Many today seem to have adopted this mindset: "Ok God, I see how it is done and I'll take it from here".

How serious do we think God is about doing things His way?

Uzzah was just trying to steady the Ark when God struck him dead. What was wrong with what Uzzah was doing? Uzzah was just trying to "help out God", wasn't he?

Suffice to say that the "Lord's anger was kindled against Uzzah and God smote him"..."and David was displeased".

And why did that whole mission fail, anyway? The mission failed because David himself was not bringing the Ark back the way God wanted it brought back. But they brought it back the wrong route and the wrong way, "driving the ark" instead of on their shoulders. Is there a big difference? In God's mind, there is.

I will talk about this story soon. It is very revealing how men of God can "lean on their own understanding" and get it so wrong. We want to learn something from this story.

Interesting that among other things, Uzzah means "goat".

Blessings to you, bro.

Pilgrim

About 3,500 years ago there were two Israelites that were very special men. What made them special? Their experience and their lineage.

This was their experience:
They had witnessed the Lord bring 10 plagues down on the Egyptians and deliver His people out of Egypt with His mighty hand. They had stood and seen the Red Sea part so that Israel could walk across on dry land. They witnessed the Red Sea come back together and swallow up the pursuing armies. Everyday they ate bread out of heaven and drank pure water that came from a rock - supernatural provision by God to meet their daily needs. These two very special men followed the physical presence of God - a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They stood with the nation at Mt. Sinai and received the law. They were selected by God to come into His presence along with Moses and Aaron and seventy of the elders of Israel. They beheld God with their eyes and ate and drank in His presence. That was the experience of these two special men.

This was their lineage:
They were descendants of Abraham of the tribe of Levi and the two oldest sons of Aaron, the high priest of Israel. Out of the loins of the oldest should have descended all of the high priests for the next 1,500 years. These two men were consecrated and ordained unto the Lord in the presence of the whole nation. They were part of a perpetual priesthood to God.

These two special men, Nadab and Abihu, with all their great experience and lineage, had what seemed to them to be a great idea. They would do something for God. They would serve him in a novel way. They took their respective firepans and after putting fire in them, placed incense on them and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded of them. And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them and they died before the Lord. That's right. God killed them for their great idea and wanting to serve Him in their own way. Even with their great lineage and experience, God snuffed them out.

Did God not know who these men were? Did He not know that they were Aaron's sons. Yes, He knew all of that but it did not matter to Him. God is not a respecter of persons and will have things done in His way, and His time and is not interested in "My Ministry". He is interested in transformation, in the inner man. He is not interested in your ministry, at least not nearly as much as He is interested in you. Before there can ever be a proper ministry, there must be a proper vessel. There are many "vessels" today doing "God's work", who have have never let Him do His most important work, in THEM.

Pilgrim

Once there was a very hard working and industrious man who had a heart to seek God. We know that he could "hear" the Lord God's voice because the Scriptures reveal that he was greatly encouraged and counseled by God. He had a desire to please God so he brought to God part of all that God had blessed him with.

So far, according to popular religious standards this fellow has all the qualifications of a leader of the people of God -- very hard working, a heart to seek God, a desire to give unto the Lord and experience of fellowship with God. This is the type of person that the church is actively seeking, a spiritual mover and shaker. The problem is, "that the things that are highly esteemed among men are an abomination in the sight of God".

And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Luke 16:15

The Lord was not pleased with this fellow's offering. We can only expect our offering to be received by God when we come to Him according to His terms and not in a way that seems "good to us".

The man, whose name was Cain, had a brother named Abel. Somehow, Abel had an understanding of what was acceptable to God. In order for fallen man to be acceptable before God, there must be an atoning death. This is not really pertinent to the story, nor is the fact that Cain went on to be a murderer and a liar. But rather, the fact that man is constantly leaning upon his own understanding to come up with ideas, plans and schemes to do something for God is a principle that has brought more ruin to the people of God than all of our enemies without. Give some thought about this while waiting for the next story.

Thank you both Pilgrim and Frank for sharing your insights on such and interesting thread. I was seeing just the other night how when we lean on our own understanding we will get things all wrong. The topic of fellowship and church has been on my heart and I was thinking this does apply here as well. Far to long those in high places have come up with ways of "doing" church(leaning on their own understanding) instead of walking in HIM, submitting to HIM and living unto HIM. GODS way of doing all things is the only true way so why is it that we fight against this so much with attitudes of "MY" instead of "Your will be done oh LORD!"

I often am amazed as the LORD opens my eyes to show me how in my own heart I do this very thing, I lean on my own understanding of things, of times, of events... I look for all sorts of roads and paths to take when the right one, the narrow one is before me all the time and JESUS is there to lead me!

Sorry if I got off topic a bit. I just really can see so many applications of what you have shared here in my own life and heart that I don't want to miss any part of what the LORD has for me :)

God bless
mj

Hi Mary Jane,

I do appreciate your contributions. Keep them coming.

Cain and Abel is a great example of where it all started. What does Cain bring to the Lord and what does Abel bring? Abel knows his state, but Cain takes the Lord for granted. Cain despises the relationship between God and his brother. Abel has something that his brother does not, he has the ear of God and of course this causes his death, the first martyr if you like. And pharisees have been bringing their unnaceptable offerings and killing the saints ever since...........bro Frank

Thanks for adding to the discussion, Frank.

Your paragraph is a picture of the "children of the flesh" persecuting the "children of the spirit". It has always been that way and it will continue.

One walks by sight while the other walks by faith and brings an offering everyday for the Lord, commensurate with that faith...their hearts.

God did not have Cain's heart but He had Abel's. And Cain was jealous of his brother but there was no need to be jealous of him. Cain could have had what Abel had but did not want to pay the price. So, he devised another way to come to God and was angry that God would not accept him on his terms. After all, Cain thought, "I work hard everyday and believe in God, too".

If you are patient and give men time, their hearts will be revealed and though Cain worked hard and was responsible, and though he believed in God and served him (in his way), he was really serving himself, his flesh. God was not the center of Cain's universe, Cain was. Cain's character reflected the character of his father (Satan) and though he appeared one way before men, he was secretly abiding in Satan and his ways. He certainly was not abiding in the Lord. He was putting on a religious 'show in the flesh' outwardly. But God knows how to reveal men's hearts.

Cain had been incensed before with Abel and his quiet confidence, humility and peace. The day he murdered his brother was not the first day he was jealous and angry with him. Hatred and alienation had been building in Cain until that one fatal day. That one day, Abel offered up a lamb to God and was accepted by God and Cain's offering was rejected. Cain saw Abel's offering as a repudiation of all that he was and he could not take it.

It was more than "the fruit of the ground" that was rejected, it was Cain himself and Cain's ways that God rejected. Offering the fruit of the ground was only a manifestation of his heart's attitude toward God and God wanted nothing to do with Cain's ways, Cain's offerings, wrought by the sweat of his brow.

That was the last straw for Cain and he was about to make a fatal mistake and "blow his cover", his religious cover before men. But only before men, whose admiration he cherished, was his cover blown. The jig was up a long time ago before God. Nothing is ever hidden from Him.

Why do men, try to impress other men when they know that God sees their hearts. Are they so deceived that they don't even know what they are doing when all they talk, walk and think, is only to impress men and be seen of them?

From Genesis to Revelation we have this theme of the flesh against the spirit, good and evil, blessing and cursing, life and death, heaven and hell. And how subtle the flesh is. How subtle the Adversary is. Flesh, evil, cursing and death all masquerade as life. There are only two choices. Never three.

God wants us to know the difference and be able to see through all the machinations of the Enemy so that we know in whom we believe and "another we will not listen to". And if we follow the Lamb, He will lead us safely. He is the only one that knows ALL the machinations of the Enemy.

Do we want our offering to be acceptable to Him.

That offering has been offered for all of us. The one thing that God could never have in the OT and the NT is our heart. It must be given to Him. We give Him our hearts when we abide in Him and His ways, following the Lamb "whithersoever He goeth."

Pilgrim

Yes, Frank. May the Lord keep us from any "blindness".

I am reminded (by your remarks) of the man in Matthew 7 who is standing before the King of Kings and basically talking about himself and all his great works.

Now, he is a living example of blindness.

Standing before the Lord, face to face, boasting when he should be on his face glorifying God.

This is the same prideful heart that is emblematic of a "Cain".

I will post another "story" in a few days.

May the Lord bless you and MaryJane this week.

Pilgrim

Pilgrim writes: . Are they so deceived that they don't even know what they are doing when all they talk, walk and think, is only to impress men and be seen of them?"

______________

I do believe "self" deception is very strong. The idea that I am "doing" all the right things even though I still getting no where can be very strong. Even Cain I think saw himself as a victim. He could not understand why he was rejected because in "Self" his focus was always on trying and never really seeking to know the LORDS heart. Abel wanted to know the LORD, his desire and focus was truly on the LORD while Cain wanted the LORD "to see" how worthy he was and how worthy his offering was. Abel's eyes were always on the LORD while Cains were always on self. Cain was so focused on self, so filled with pride and "doing" things his way, he completely rejected the truth right in front of him(If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.")Genesis 4:7...How often I have fallen into some of these same trappings. I try and try, I struggle only to come up short when all along I just needed to stop and listen to the LORD. To keep my focus on HIM, He knows what is truly right. Its never about me, its always about the LORD...even though self would like to deceive me into thinking it is. My understanding is flawed but HIS is perfect!

Cain's offerings were never meant to show off or display anything of his ability. The offerings were meant to draw him to the LORD, to give thanks for all that the LORD had given and allowed him to accomplish. In the end don't you think Cain wanted credit and glory for what he was doing? He was willing to come to the LORD but it would be on his terms and in his own fashion so that he could receive the recognition that he felt he deserved. Isn't it that same way for many today, we play church, we make sure everyone sees how "good" we can be and no one ever knows how dark our hearts truly are...no one except JESUS.

Sorry again if I seem to have rambled on. Just so much of what you shared has got me thinking and praying...which is a very good thing :)

God bless
maryjane

Cain refused to accept God's ways regarding what it took to be acceptable by Him.

The Lord was looking for a blood sacrifice and Cain brought the works of his own hands. Cain's religion was to be accepted by God based on his own good works (his own self-efforts to be righteous before God). Cain's actions revealed his heart. You can imagine all the adjectives. Prideful, arrogant, unthankful, obstinate, unyielding, etc, etc.

We know that God spoke to Cain and obviously Cain could hear Him because God provided instruction on how he could be accepted by God.

Cain actually reminds me of Adam and Eve covering themselves with fig leaves. Man is constantly trying to "work his way" into relationship with God instead of depending on God's grace.

Cain's offering came from that which was cursed. "Cursed is the ground".
Gen 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Wrong offering and wrong motive and wrong attitude:

Rather than humble himself and offer a sacrifice that demonstrated faith and dependence on God, Cain persisted in his own self-efforts and was livid when rebuked by God. It is quite possible that this event of offerings was a very public one which only increased his rage as he was publicly embarrassed. His offering was a manifestation of his true heart condition which was rebellion against God's ways. That rebellion came to full fruition when he murdered his brother, Abel.

By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous. God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks (Hebrews 11:4).

God is always trying to help us when He rebukes us. He is not trying to destroy us. Sin on the other hand is likened to a crouching creature that is laying at your door ready to pounce on you.

Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

And sin is even personalized (his and him).

Peter could have been thinking of Gen 4:7, when he wrote:
1Pe_5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the DEVIL, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

What do I take away from this? That I should hearken to the Lord's words, not turning to the left or right (unto my own "good" ideas) and that the only way to know Him is not just by the Scriptures but also by the Spirit. I cannot turn the Scriptures into a personalized rule book of morality and have no regard to the voice of the Spirit of God.

Is Christianity just believing that Christ died for me, and rose again, go to church once or twice a week and read my Bible in the morning?

Or, is it about entering into relationship and fellowship with God, through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit and
yielding to the voice of the Spirit each day rather than following my own preconceived ideas of what constitutes pleasing God.

Lately, I have had to face up to something from the Lord that I was ignoring. And I was ignoring it through self-justification. The Lord wants us to walk in total peace and if we don't have peace there must be a reason why. You only have to go to the Lord and ask Him why (with all earnestness) and He will be faithful to tell you? Where the "rubber meets the road" is WILL YOU MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENT in your life? We can continue to play the religious game, read our bibles and look good to men all the while refusing the voice of the Spirit, or we can be more concerned about how we look to God. What has more value for you?

What is one way that one refuses the voice of the Spirit? They convince themselves that God really means something else than what you know in your heart of hearts He is really telling you.

Let's fast-forward to the NT and talk about another "Cain". Here we will see someone that did just what I mentioned. He loved the Torah and was passionate for God, ready to avenge God of all of His enemies, yet he really did not know God or His ways.

Many blessings to you,
Pilgrim

What can be more simple than, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." Gen 4:7

God only wants us to do well. What is so hard about that?

God's version of doing well is heeding His voice and heeding His voice always incorporates the denial of the flesh (the Cross).

Man's version of "doing well" never involves the Cross.

Many today, really don't want to walk by the Spirit, heeding His voice within. It is much better to walk by our own "form" of Christianity.

2Ti_3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Was Cain "wicked" because he murdered Abel or was that just a manifestation of the wickedness in his heart? And what was this wickedness? The refusal to be bound by voice of God.

That is why he and anyone else is wicked in God's eyes. They refuse His voice.

Heb_3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
Heb_3:15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

Turning to the New Testament we have Saul of Tarsus. Saul who became Paul after his conversion on the road to Damascus was like Cain. He offered the Lord the fruit of his own hands. And like Cain, the vanity of his sacrifices drove Paul to the ultimate religious act - he murdered his brethren who were more righteous than he.

Paul was like the ancients who built the tower of Babel - the building of man in behalf of God. Lost in the abomination of religion, Paul's zeal took him to the highest pinnacle of the religious system.

Paul was like Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron who offered strange fire before the Lord. Paul's service before God was to ravage the church and to fill the prisons with redeemed men and women.

Paul was like the men of Israel who bore the ark of God into battle with great confidence. Resolute with fundamental and absolute certainty of victory, Paul marched into battle ignorant that he and his black religious heart were the true enemy of God.

Only to a man like Saul of Tarsus could the true nature of man's religious ways be revealed by the Lord of Glory. And after fifteen years of emptying and filling and changing and suffering and fellowship with the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ - then the Lord had a man that could go to the Gentiles and build something neither religious nor worldly. A man who would prove obedient to the heavenly vision.

Pilgrim

Ever since Adam and Eve, God is trying to drive the point home that He does not want our best intentions. I need you to "learn of my ways, for my ways are higher than your ways and learn of my thoughts for my thoughts are higher than your thoughts". God will grind us down little by little by life's circumstances, situations and disappointments until someday, we will stop trying to walk this Christian walk and build His church in our own strength. When we are ready to surrender, the real fun will begin. There is a lot of security in being a nothing, a zero. If you don't think so, try it. There is a lot of rest getting rid of your false burdens and trying to do only what is God's job to do. When you come to the place where you look to Him in everything and He is truly your everything, life is so much better. When you stop trying to do His job and get rid of your false burdens, you will begin to experience Him and His joy. Peace and rest will enter your soul.

Moses had a false burden and thought that by the strength of his hand he would do a wonderful thing and be the Deliverer of Israel. Yet it was not meant to be. Good intentions, yes, but not God's way. There is only one Deliverer in God's kingdom. After 40 years of being ground down in the backside of the desert, God called Moses. The proof of Moses coming to the end of himself, is that when he was called, he did not even want the job. Now, there is a man that God can use! Contrast that with men today that jump at the chance to "lead" God's people, or who plan it as a vocation and a career. And part of their career plan is to be educated and get credentials from men. Very good intentions, yes. But not God's way. The Lord's school is the school of the Spirit in everyday life. It is not a school of textbooks and term papers and degrees on parchment and letters behind your name and titles, that then give men a false confidence that they can either build or lead the church. Our confidence must be completely in Him. If you are primarily looking to these things instead of the Holy Spirit, you will be disappointed. God will use men with letters behind their name or not, and not because they have these things or lack these things. It does not matter. He will use those who have a yielded and obedient heart and that makes everyone a candidate, educated or not, rich or poor.

Pilgrim

Dear brother Pilgrim,

Thank God for the deep Word,

Amen,amen and amen !

It is with great joy that I am reading this,...please continue.

Bless you,
elizabeth

Bless you too, Elibeth.

Amen brother. We must enter into His rest. There is a direct correlation between His rest and proximity to Jesus. Jesus is our promised land. Jesus is our promise and the fulfillment of all of God's promises and He is the culmination of the New Covenant. We are told to press in, draw near, come unto Him.

Jesus is the beating heart of the New Testament message. There is so much legal talk of how we stand and who we are in Jesus. This is at the heart of so much theology. The irony being that the study of God replaces the presence of God. There are thousands of men all over the world teaching about God, and there is Jesus, standing, knocking at the door, wanting to be known, not in the head as one would know historical or abstract truths, but actually known personally. There was a generation of Israelites who talked about the promised land for 40 years, yet talk is wilderness, crossing over and possessing the fullness of God's promise is life and that more abundantly.

Appolus,

I have always thought that the chief thing to watch out for when discerning the spirits, is this: Is Jesus Christ being diminished? Is some personality or some teaching being exalted over Jesus Christ. One of the first things, if not the first thing I am always listening and looking for (spiritual ears and eyes) is if Jesus is being diminished in any way. That spells trouble if I detect it.

Jesus was zealous for His Father's house and those who have His Spirit will be zealous for the glory of God to rest upon Jesus Christ.

Psa_115:1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.

It is a very cataclysmic event in one's life when they first come to the Lord. How can it not be? Coming to the Lord and receiving His Spirit brings a radical, heart altering change in one's life. We are wrenched out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of His dear Son. What a ride that was!! And we are filled with euphoria and the love of God and we want to change the world and yet we are zealous without knowledge. Not the knowledge of the Bible, but the knowledge of Him and His ways. But that's ok. This is a normal path to take in our new life with Christ. Soon enough, He will bring testings in our lives to mature us (test our love for Him) and teach us what real love is. It is not a feeling or an emotion, though feelings or emotions may accompany it. Love is an act of our will.

And there is another upheaval in one's life when they come to utter failure and the end of themselves and realize they cannot live this Christian life apart from Him. When they finally give up performing for God and vying for men's admiration and promotion and realize that the safest and best thing to be is a nobody, yet known of God, they begin to understand His rest. And they begin to enjoy Him as Mary did, while Martha was in the kitchen and indignantly accused Mary to Jesus. Yes, Mary had chosen the good part that would not be taken from her.

"Stand still and see the salvation of God."

"Be still and know that I am God."

Staying in that rest is not automatic. We are to "labor to enter that rest" and you will labor to stay in that rest, too. But it is a good labor, a worthy labor, a labor that resists the flesh, the world and the Devil.

Do you know this song?

Psa_68:4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

I love it. We were born to extol and worship and love God.

Another song that ministers to me is Zech 3:17.

Zep 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Hallelujah!!

The Lord bless and keep you all in His love.