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The New Testament book of Hebrews offers a powerful lesson about surrendering to God. It tells the story of the forty years of wilderness wandering of the children of Israel, as told in the writings of Moses, Israel’s deliverer.
Take a look at how the Hebrews author wrote it.
“Christ as Son is in charge of the house.
That’s why the Holy Spirit says, Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in “the bitter uprising,” that time of wilderness testing!”
Hebrews 3:6-8 The Message
The story begins with Jesus being in charge of the house. This passage of scripture is important because it ties the Old Testament story to the life of the New Testament believer.
God the Holy Spirit is calling out, “please listen!”
In other words, pay attention, Christ follower, because there is something here to learn.
He continues, “Don’t turn a deaf ear as in the bitter uprising.”
In other words, “turning a deaf ear” was the keynote of the forty-year wilderness experience.
“Even though they watched me at work for forty years, your ancestors refused to let me do it my way; over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked! I said, “They’ll never keep their minds on God; they refuse to walk down my road.”
Exasperated, I vowed, “They’ll never get where they’re going, never be able to sit down and rest.”
Hebrews 3:9-11 The Message
The Israelites saw God at work, but how did they see him work when the Bible says God is at rest?
They saw him work through feats that could only be described as supernatural.
For (a few) example:
- The Red Sea part creates a path wide enough for a few million people to pass through.
- Their enemy (the Egyptian army) attempted to do the same thing, and the water poured over them, drowning them.
- A pillar of fire by night, standing guard over them
- A pillar of cloud by day
- Millions of quail fly into their camp and drop dead so they would have meat to eat.
- Millions of gallons of water gush from a rock in the desert so they could drink.
- Armies bigger, better trained, and equipped fall before them.
In other words, for forty years, Israel saw incredible works performed when it needed them.
The point is that Israel did not physically see God, although they witnessed unspeakable things when Moses entered God’s presence.
Instead, they say they saw things that could be considered coincidences. This is important because the Hebrews author repeatedly says they (Israel) saw God work and did not believe.
In other words, they chalked it up to being a coincidence.
A personal story of how God works
I recently bought a newer model vehicle. I had driven my dad’s truck since I inherited it after his passing seven years ago.
It was time to retire the truck and get into something else. I asked the Lord about it and was urged to contact a friend who owns a mechanic shop near a prominent retirement community.
About a week later, he sends me a video of a nice high-end (Lexus) crossover vehicle for $6,000.
I later found out that I called the owner (a fellow Christ-follower) and agreed to buy it for $5,500.
I put the truck on Facebook Marketplace and sold it 10 minutes later.
You can look at this story and say What a coincidence, or you could say, What a blessing that the Lord was working on your behalf.
As a Christ-follower, I chose to believe the latter because I prayed and followed an instruction I believed to be from the Lord.
The keynote is what I choose to believe.
I could build a case that it was all just a coincidence. The lady selling her vehicle just happened to bring it to my friend’s shop a week after I called my friend about a vehicle.
Logic could dictate that because I was looking for a vehicle, I would contact a friend who owns a mechanic shop.
The Hebrew author says Israel chose to believe in coincidence instead of God.
What is the bitter uprising?
The bitter uprising (as The Message Bible puts it) was the repeated stubbornness refusing to follow God’s way.
Surrendering is letting go of your way to do it God’s way, and (particularly this generation of Israelites), Israel refused to yield.
God sees this as a bitter uprising, and here is why.
“Even though they watched me at work for forty years, your ancestors refused to let me do it my way; over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked! I said, “They’ll never keep their minds on God; they refuse to walk down my road.”
Exasperated, I vowed, “They’ll never get where they’re going, never be able to sit down and rest.”
So watch your step, friends. Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God.”
Hebrews 3:9-12 The Message
When you refuse to do it God’s way, you must justify why things are not going according to your plans.
Because of the garden sin, humanity lives in a fallen world with a God-hating adversary known as the devil.
The devil plans to discredit God with any and every opportunity.
This means that God-blaming thoughts enter your mind, and (because of your stubborn refusal to believe) you latch on to them.
If you do this enough (say forty years), you begin to believe it is true, and now you find yourself on the outside (of God) looking in.
This is why God the Holy Spirit says, Please listen and do not turn a deaf ear.
Listen to your heart. What does it say?
If you hear excuses, justification, or blame, follow Solomon’s wisdom.
“Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger,
If you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back and now find yourself shivering out in the cold,
Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess. You’re in that man’s clutches! Go, put on a long face; act desperate.
Don’t procrastinate – there’s no time to lose.
Proverbs 6:1-4 The Message
Don’t procrastinate, get out of that mess right away.
Cry out to God, get with a trusted friend, but deal with the issue before it deals with you.
The journey is exciting and scary, and I am thankful for everyone who is willing to accompany me on it.
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