There are two types of trouble in which we find ourselves from time to time, and sometimes when they occur, we are at a loss as to why the shadows are not lifted from off our eyes so that we can see the light of day. There is the type of trouble or temptation which God permits to come our way, in order to test and fine-tune our faith. This kind of trouble is the one we did not invite, nor did we set in motion a series of negative circumstances which resulted in hardship and difficulties that could have otherwise been avoided. This type of temptation or trouble is closely monitored by God to make certain that we are not overwhelmed, for the flames of the furnace of affliction are designed to cleanse and to purify, not to destroy. Let’s read:
Job 23:10 But he knoweth the way that I take: [when] he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
23:11 My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.
23:12 Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary [food].
1st Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].
A prime example of what we’re speaking about is what took place with Job, as he was serving God in spirit and in truth. All of Job’s ducks were in a row, for he was found to be following all of the laws and instructions given by God as best he knew how, and in his relationship with God and with man, there was no perverseness or insincerity on his part, that could have triggered the deluge of trouble that was to about to be poured out upon him. In other words he read his Bible and prayed every day, and put into practice that which he had seen and handled of the word of God. Let’s read:
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
1:4 And his sons went and feasted [in their] houses, every one his day” …
1:5 And it was so, when the days of [their] feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings [according] to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.
But as the story goes, even though Job was doing everything he could to avert trouble by walking uprightly, yet out of the blue, and without any warning, a series of severe temptations started coming at him fast and furiously, in so much that he lost everything he had held dear on this earth in just a few short moments. Nothing was done on Job’s part to precipitate the furnace of affliction he was about to enter, and because of this, his faith in God was severely tested, to the point where even his dearest friends began concluding that it must be something wrong that he had done to trigger such terrible tribulations. Let’s read:
Job 1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.
What follows next is a detailed revelation of the work of satanic agencies, through the forces of nature and through those human agents that are directly under his control. For those who may question whether there are supernatural agencies at work in the hearts of evil men, and the terrible and deadly hurricanes and tornadoes which occur from time to time, the Bible gives pause for serious reflection, because we are prone to blame the increase of natural calamities on global warming and other scientific factors, when in the background there are sinister forces at work which could put all of the triggering mechanisms in place, to cause untold harm to thousands. Let’s read:
Ephesians 2:1 And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins:
2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
In the case of Job, both human and natural agencies of evil were set in motion to bring upon Job, much trouble which he had done absolutely nothing to trigger or invite. Let’s read:
Job 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath [is] in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
1:13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
1:14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
1:15 And the Sabeans fell [upon them], and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:16 While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:17 While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:18 While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
1:19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
1:20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,
1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
1:22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
Then again there’s the other type of trouble which we have brought on our own selves by a wrong course of action that was taken ignorantly or deliberately. In this kind of affliction we played a vital role in inviting the devil to tempt and harass us, and through various unwise steps and misguided decisions and actions, we now find ourselves deep in the mud of torment and adversity, spinning our proverbial tires and going nowhere.
It was this type of trouble that Jacob had gotten himself into, by practicing fraud upon his father and telling a series of white and black lies, some about himself being Esau, and others against God Himself. Let’s read:
Genesis 27:18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here [am] I; who [art] thou, my son?
27:19 And Jacob said unto his father, I [am] Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.
One of the negatives we will observe as we read is the fact that falsehoods never come in the singular form, but always in a plural format, since we always find ourselves having to cover our tracks with a second, third, and fourth lie, until we are led like Jacob to involve God Himself in the flurry of lies, while the devil sits grinning in the background. It is never advisable to utter any falsehood, for this method always leads to a cascading effect that ultimately gets us entangled in the snares of the devil, from which we can never extricate ourselves in our own strength. Let’s read:
Genesis 27:20 And Isaac said unto his son, How [is it] that thou hast found [it] so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought [it] to me.
27:21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou [be] my very son Esau or not.
27:22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice [is] Jacob's voice, but the hands [are] the hands of Esau.
27:23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
27:24 And he said, [Art] thou my very son Esau? And he said, I [am].
27:25 And he said, Bring [it] near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought [it] near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.
These deliberate actions that were taken by both Jacob and Rebekah were the cause of their final and permanent separation, and Jacob was never again able to see his mother’s face, even when she was being buried. As for Jacob himself, he was banished from the face of his father, his friends and his family, and thereby found himself running for his life from the face of Esau who had vowed to take his life for revenge. This type of trouble is the kind we bring on ourselves through a series of ill-advised moves, the consequences of which are especially hard to bear, knowing that our consciences were violated in the process. Let’s read:
Genesis 27:41 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
27:42 And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, [purposing] to kill thee.
27:43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran;
Genesis. 28:10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put [them for] his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
The fact of the matter is that more often than not, the troubles that come our way are the result of our own doings, and when we become trapped by the enemy of souls, the question often arises, what do we now do to free ourselves from the chains that we permitted the devil to bind about our own necks. The answer to this question leads us into our Bible study for today, “When we get ourselves into trouble”, and it will be well for us to observe very carefully what is going to be presented from this point onward.
When we get ourselves into trouble, two basic questions arise in our minds - (1) Should we, and can we reasonably expect God to deliver? And (2) How, and how soon can we escape from the snares we laid for our own feet. Let’s start with the first question: Should, and can we reasonably expect God to deliver us from troubles we brought on our own selves?
Let’s take for instance a person who deliberately lies on a mortgage application, by superficially inflating their earnings in order to secure the desired loan, but after sometime found themselves not able to make the payments, and are now faced with threatening letters from debt collectors, as the prospect of imminent foreclosure looms on the horizon. Should a Christian who finds himself or herself in such self-inflicted difficulties reasonably expect God to deliver them from their trouble?
Answer: While it is true that God often delivers us from self-inflicted difficulties, yet it cannot be reasonable to anticipate Him doing so, for this manner of reasoning sets us up to take actions that are unwarranted, by presuming on God’s goodness and mercy. If God were to give any written or stated guarantee that when we deliberately place our feet
in a known snare of the devil, He will certainly deliver us, then we will ultimately find ourselves taking risks that should never be taken, with the expectation of a reversal of the natural laws of cause and effect, which are set in motion by the decisions we make.
In the scriptural instances given in Jacob’s case, we observe that when he and his mom plotted to deceive Isaac, Jacob did not expect a blessing but a curse, and we in our experiences should understand this important aspect of our relationship with God, for it is often the case that we harbor unfounded and unrealistic expectations from God, at times when we knowingly chose to do wrong. Let’s read:
Genesis 27:11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother [is] a hairy man, and I [am] a smooth man:
27:12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I
shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a
curse upon me, and not a blessing.
This reasonable expectation of Jacob is fully in line with what the scripture teaches on such matters, for there is nowhere in the Bible where The Lord ever promises a blessing or deliverance when a wrong course of action is deliberately or ignorantly pursued. This very sacred and solemn truth should be clearly understood by all Christians as we seek a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God. In other words, we can and should pray to God for His mercies to be extended in such situations, but we should also bear in mind that deliverance in such cases remains His sole prerogative, to be given or withheld at His discretion, and according to His good purposes. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 11:26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
11:27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
11:28 And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
A general misunderstanding of this sacred truth has led millions of Christians to expect a blessing and deliverance for a wrong course of action, and when nothing happens, many people become frustrated and confused in their relationship with God, which then leads to repining, murmuring and even open accusations against God. The Lord never blesses disobedience, and although at times He may choose to deliver us from self-inflicted wounds, yet we must always bear in mind that it is because of His mercy and love towards us, and not because of any obligatory agreement, why He rescues us when He does.
This basic understanding and the corresponding attitude has been manifested by all the faithful in ages past, and urgently needs to be understood and implemented in the 21st century, by all Christians and members of the human family, for the sacred truths pertain to them as well as to us. Let’s read:
Genesis 32:6 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.
32:7 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed” …..
32:9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
32:10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant” ….
32:11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, [and] the mother with the children.
The same sentiment and thorough understanding of God’s unmerited favor in the face of deliberate sin is also echoed by all the holy prophets of old, and urgently needs to be understood by all of us living today, where the very atmosphere is pervaded with the sin of presumption. Let’s read:
Daniel 9:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
9:5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
9:6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
9:7 O Lord, righteousness [belongeth] unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, [that are] near, and [that are] far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
9:8 O Lord, to us [belongeth] confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9:9 To the Lord our God [belong] mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
9:10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
Ezra 9:5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,
9:6 And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over [our] head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.
9:7 Since the days of our fathers [have] we [been] in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, [and] our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as [it is] this day.
9:8 And now for a little space grace hath been [showed] from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
An understanding of this first point sets the stage for the next, which as stated before has to do with how, and how soon can we escape the snares of the evil one. On this second point it is imperative that we never ever try to disentangle ourselves from any deliberate sin in our own strength, and by using our own methods. This will certainly cause us to become more and more entangled, and will make the retrieving process all the more difficult and hard to bear. It’s important for us to immediately stop the hemorrhaging by seeking the Lord through confession and repentance, and we should then wait for His direction moving forward, so that He can guide us with wisdom and discretion.
It is of critical importance for us to understand and adopt this second point, because it has a direct effect on the healing process. After Jacob had wrestled with God all night and had gotten him the victory, The Lord then went before him and did what he could never have done, for a decided change of feelings towards his brother was imparted to Esau, so that instead of hatred sprung up pity, and instead of vengeance sprung up embraces and tears of joy. This was a supernatural work directly accomplished by God’s power alone, as is clearly stated in the scriptures. Let’s read:
Genesis 33:1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men” ….
33:3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
33:4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
33:5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who [are] those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.
33:6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
33:7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
It just reminds us of two passages of scripture which we should ever keep in mind whenever we’re facing daunting challenges or dangerous situations we got ourselves into. These verses will enable us to look to God from whence cometh our help, instead of trying man-made means and methods to free our souls from satan’s iron grip. Let’s read:
Proverbs 21:1 The king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the word of the LORD” … “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Whenever we get ourselves into trouble, let us then always remember that we serve a God who delights in mercy and specializes in restoration, but let us also remember that we are not worthy of the least of His mercies, and therefore we should come before Him with a humble and contrite heart, and a teachable spirit. With this attitude we can always appeal to His loving-kindness, and as sacred history shows, God often responds in the affirmative, by forgiving, cleansing and restoring us to His favor.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which reiterates this very point, and it is the will of God that we seek His face in times of danger, even when we are in the wrong, for He delights in mercy and takes no pleasure in our sufferings. Let’s read:
2nd Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer [that is made] in this place.
7:16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!