Friday, August 1, 2008

The Purpose of the Rod and Staff

(After five months, I'm back with more thoughts on the importance of our prayer life. Due to severe illness of several members of our church, some of us joined our pastor in long periods of heavy prayer and intercession until we saw healing taking place.)

"He restoreth my soul...He leadeth me in paths of righteousness...thy rod and thy staff they comfort me...." Psalm 23.

Sometimes I think of my childhood days and reminisce about the fun times growing up and once in a while the times of correction. In those early years, I used to wonder why I was corrected so much. I would often hide to cry my heart out. Then one day it dawned on me: if I obeyed I would not be punished. What a revelation! After that, I became diligent to do my daily chores until they were finished and I became happy when I heard I had done well! Not only did our parents shower all 6 of us children with love but there was a need for stern correction too because our obedience prepared us for more trust and favor. Strict adherance to family rules had to be inforced all the time! They never changed. Is it not the same with us and our relationship to God? David said God's "rod" and "staff" were necessary teachers in his life also. The rod was to correct him and His staff was to lovingly guide him. They were necesary in not only preparing him but keeping him in line for the destiny God had chosen for him.

It's interesting to read about the different personalities, weaknesses and strengths of people God chose to accomplish His purposes and how carefully He prepared them for their assignment. Joshua is an example of a great leader who was chosen by God to succeed Moses to lead the Israelites into their promised land. He began his career carefully following God's detailed instructions on how to prepare for and to invade the lands before them. Jericho was first. God's detailed instructions stated that the people were to keep themselves from the accursed things in Jericho lest they make themselves accursed and make the entire camp of Israel a curse. Only the gold and silver and vessels of brass and iron were to be consecrated to the Lord (Joshua 6:19) They were considered "devoted" things to be placed in the treasury of the Lord. The battle of Jericho was such a tremendous military success that the heathen nations surounding the Israelites trembled and their "hearts melted" with fear.

At times there have been great men who started out wholly consecrated to God who had sucessful results in ministry or business while depending on Him,only to see them one day suddenly rush into a situation without inquiring for specific directiion or discerning God's timing and going blindly with human confidence because the last battle they faced was so victorious. Their attitude seemed to show an air of pride, "We know how to do this now so we will not need to take time to seek God....but "if and when we need you, Lord, we'll call on you." These people set themselves up for God's correction with His "rod."

After the success at Jericho, Joshua looked toward the next conquest of Ai but we notice that he failed to inquire from God what instructions or strategy God might want to share with Him. After all, because God had given such a great success to take Jericho and since Ai was a smaller city with less people, he may have assumed it was not necessary to take time to seek God for specific instructions! There is great danger in this presumption! Because of his neglect to pray, Joshua sent only 3,000 men of war into Ai, and the battle was lost! Thirty-six men were killed, and the rest fled home defeated and confused. Hearing the news, now Joshua fell on his face to seek the Lord with his elders. He humbled his heart before God and cried out as he sought Him with all his being, "Why did this happen, God?" God Who has unfailing mercy and grace forgave Joshua but spoke sternly to him. "Stand up, Joshua! Israel has sinned!" If Joshua had taken time to talk to God before making plans for Ai, God would have revealed to him that there was sin in the camp. God saw everything that happened during that battle. Then men would not have been killed in the battle..., the heathen nations would not have spread the news of Ai and God would have dealt with sin first! Israel had disobeyed God's commands..., some of the accursed things had been taken and hidden..., devoted things had been stolen and hidden..., and others may have witnessed the items being stolen but said nothing so they were guilty before God too. The devoted things belonged only to God. When Achan took the silver and gold, he stole from God!

Sin in the camp had to be dealt with first. God did deal with Achan. His entire family was stoned to death and after death they were burned with fire. The judgment upon Achan and his family had a profound impact on all of Israel to know that God will deal with sin! God means what He says! If we will not recognize the rod of correction, we will experience God's stronger discipline.

Today, at times we see defeated Christians who seemingly have little or no faith, no victory, no joy, no desire to be faithful to attend God's house and to hear His Word though its God's Word that would reveal the cause of their defeat and His Holy Spirit would lead them back to repentance and to victory! These people attend church only if they feel like it or have time. They appear to live in darkness as if they are bound with problems, habits that cannot be broken and sickness or physical problems that are constantly with them. Defeat can be turned to liberty! Doubt can be turned to faith again! Repentance can bring the glory of God and joy back to a weary backslider and healing can put an end to sickness again! There is no defeat in Jesus! If you have been experiencing these problems, turn to Jesus and heed his correction. Recognize you may be experiencing his "rod."

At times problems are the result of walking far from God because of disobedience. Sometimes problems are caused by ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit, or not making things right with family or friends, or not obeying the leading and direction God has given us. Sometimes problems are a result of making small or great decisions without inquiring for God's direction, but asking God to bless them though we do not have peace that we are in God's will with the decisions we made. When sickness comes, it might be easy to endure the sickness instead of taking all the needs to the Lord in prayer and allowing Him to speak to us of the reason we are sick. Sometimes people are suffering because of eating foods that they know affect certain organs of their hody and in time will cause serious illness. The Bible says, "Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities." (Psalm 107:17.) Also, "To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin." James. We only need to read of the lives of Old Testament prophets and leaders to see they were very human as we are, yet when God dealt with them, His rod and staff brought them back to full blessing again. How about you?

God's plan for believers is to walk with Him every day, recognize His rod of correction if it comes, repent and humble our hearts so that we may be restored daily with His Words of life from the scriptures and be led by His Spirit. God loves you!