The past experiences of the Hebrew people are full of instructions for Christians living in the 21st century, and their history was chronicled for the benefit of those of us, who like themselves, hope to cross spiritual Jordan for the very last time, before entering the heavenly Canaan. Throughout their entire sojourn in the wilderness, the devil had been successful on different occasions, in getting them to stumble, and the forty years spent wandering to and fro in the desert was a direct result of satan’s efforts to fore-stall God’s plans for His people.
And now, once again, as they prepare to cross Jordan for the very last time, the devil is in a frenzy, knowing that if he fails here, he must suffer severe loss. Just across the Jordan the Hebrews can see the rich cities that were to be theirs, and as their eyes behold distinctly, the verdure and tropical fruit of the plain, they are buzzing with much enthusiasm and anticipation, knowing that just over the border lies the promised land. And so the devil goes to work in what can aptly be described as a last ditch effort to overthrow as many as he can, and thus prevent them from entering the goodly land.
The previous time when the Hebrews had reached this close to the Promised Land, temptations on appetite had been brought to them and they had then murmured and complained, thus placing them in the wrong frame of mind to deal with the challenges of the giants that were in the land. There is a direct relation of disposition to diet, and the spiritual graces and strengths that are so urgently needed to penetrate by faith into new and unconquered territories, are severely compromised by that which is not in harmony with God’s ideal will. Let’s read:
Numbers 11:1 And [when] the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard [it]
11:4 ...“And the children of Israel also wept again, and said,
11:6…“Now our soul [is] dried away: [there is] nothing at all, beside this manna, [before] our eyes.
In other words, what they were implying is that the food provided them by God was inferior to what they had been accustomed to in Egypt, and therefore the logical reasoning is that since adopting the new diet, they had suffered loss, and were actually being malnourished by God, a very serious charge indeed, for if God had taken away something superior to now give them something inferior, or of less nutirtional value, thus causing them to be malnourished, then their charge against God by default would be maliciousness.
If a dietician were to take away our well rounded diet of proteins, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and grains, and were to put us on a regimen of French fries and sodas, then we can charge that person with deliberate maliciousness, for introducing us to foods that are greatly inferior to our previous diet, thus causing us to be weak and severely malnourished, and thereby putting our health and our longevity at risk. So the real question that needs to be answered, as it pertains to the Hebrews’ charge is, did they actually suffer loss as a result of the change in diet that God had instituted? Did they become weaker and more malnourished as a result, or did they become much
stronger and healthy since the switch was made. It’s a very simple and direct question, and it deserves a very simple and direct answer. Let’s read:
Psalm 105:37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and [there was] not one feeble [person] among their tribes.
The above passage makes a very serious claim, one that defies both logic and modern scientific discoveries on food and nutrition, and so the question is, can it be true, or was God feeding the Hebrews with something that was detrimental to their health? Here at omega truth we decided to put the original God-given diet to the test, a diet that consists of no meat, no fish, no cheese, no milk, and no eggs, and over a period of time we have made some amazing discoveries, in which a diet of fruit, nuts, vegetables, and grains, coupled to together with prayer, faith in God, regular exercise, and appropriate rest, has proven to be not only vastly superior to what current, conventional knowledge teaches, but literally confirms what we just read in Psalm 105.
The following is just a tidbit of a documentary we are currently working on, and it will be released worldwide when it is completed. It will be jam packed with simple information on methods, diet, exercise, foods, and the highly debatable issue of not eating between meals. In the next three exhibits we are not far from our goal of 2000 lbs.
Let’s read:
Numbers 14:1 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
14:2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt!
14:3 “Were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
14:4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
The children of Israel first fell at the borders of Canaan on the issue of appetite, and now that they are just about to cross over Jordan for the last time, satan brings back the same temptation, repackaged in another form. There are only three categories of temptations he can choose from, and although many people, even amongst Christians, may not be aware of it, these three temptations are recycled, modified, and tailor-made to suit our various weaknesses, and thus, as we ourselves stand on the borders of the heavenly Canaan, we need to make certain that by the grace of God all sinful desires, whether in reality or in phantom form are uprooted from our hearts, lest there be a repeat of ancient history in our lives.
Christ was tempted with only three temptations in the wilderness, and the very first one was on appetite. But the temptations on appetite assume different many forms, ranging from forbidden diets and foods, to forbidden pleasures and practices. And any area of these, in which we come up short, we are thereby rendered vulnerable to the assaults of the enemy of souls, who lurks in the shadows, awaiting for an opportune moment to take us down at our weakest point. Let’s read:
1st John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
2:16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Numbers 25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
25:2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
25:3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
25:6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who [were] weeping [before] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
25:15 And the name of the Midianitish woman”.. “was … Cozbi”… “of a chief house in Midian.
What is worthy of note is that many of the people who now fell on the banks of the Jordan river at this time, were also looking forward with eager anticipation to entering the promised land, but there were some evil thoughts and desires that were still harbored in the dark recesses of their minds, which had not been fully overcome. Thus when the enemy came, dangling his temptations before their eyes through the human agencies he so often uses, he found a responding chord in un-renewed hearts, and the rest is history.
The problem with the Hebrews who fell on the banks of the Jordan is that their eager hope of the Promised Land did not translate into victorious living, and because of this, their faith was not found to be commensurate with their works, a very serious problem indeed, for it cost them the earthly Canaan, and quite possibly, also the heavenly. Thus the following passage which closes off the episode is pregnant with both instruction and warning for us who are living on the brink of eternity, with the real Promised land in full view. Let’s read:
Numbers 26:1 And it came to pass after the plague, that the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,
26:2 Take the sum of all the congregation of the
children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward,
throughout their fathers' house”…
26:3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho, saying,
26:4 [Take the sum of the people], from twenty years old and upward; as the LORD commanded Moses and the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt.
26:63 These [are] they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho.
26:64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.
26:65 For the LORD had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
God never sugar coats the truth to suit the carnal desires and cravings of the natural man, neither does He promise heaven to those who deliberately choose to continue on living contrary to His revealed will. That’s why, as we stand upon the borders of the heavenly Canaan, we should study carefully the points on which the Hebrews fell, so that we too may be instructed as to what will certainly come our way, and how the various pitfalls of satan can successfully be avoided. The Bible specifically warns us to be careful of repeating particular sins that the Hebrews fell a prey to, and the cautions listed in the following verses constitute a sort of blueprint of what we can expect, just before Christ puts in His appearing. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as [were] some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
10:10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also
murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
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].
10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
10:8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
The various fanciful interpretations of scripture which now abound in modern Christendom offer heavenly rewards without effort or sacrifice, and they may sound pleasing to itching ears that are bent on self pleasing. But these doctrines and teachings which promise eternal life to the deliberate sinner, fail of producing victories in the lives of those subscribe to such teachings, and as such, produce a false hope that is built upon the shifting sands of mere human interpretations, human ideologies and philosophies, whilst the plain cutting truths of the word of God, that are a savor of life unto life, sit on the back burner, and are cast out as being archaic and irrelevant.
Hence the reason why The Lord through His servants and prophets makes the truth as plain as plain can be, so that no one may have any misgivings about the terms and conditions of obtaining immortal life. The following passages of scripture should be taken at face value, and should never be altered, misinterpreted, or reasoned away, if we are to have a clear compass to guide us to the pearly gates. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
5:23 Meekness, temperance”….
5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
In closing, The Lord would have us understand clearly, that His grace can enable us to overcome the most deeply seated, inherited or cultivated tendencies to evil, if we will seek Him every day for a renewal of grace to help us in times of need. None of us need be intimidated by the sin that so easily beset us, for by looking to Jesus, even the weakest saint can live victoriously.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to shoot for the gold of Christ’s imputed and imparted character, and God will give us the grace and strength through His Spirit dwelling within us, to bring it to pass. Let’s read:
Revelation 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him,
and will sup with him, and he with me.
3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
May god add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!