LOCUSTS AND HONEY
Vol. 7, Part 3
How Do We Find the Specific Will of God for Our Life?
Introduction.
In this edition of Locusts and Honey, we will be reviewing the methods in the Old Testament for determining God’s specific will for our lives. We will begin by looking at how people in ancient cultures during the time of the Hebrews tried to determine God’s will for their lives. In contrast to pagan methods of determining God’s will, people in the Old Testament, utilized other means to determine God’s specific will for their lives. In short we shall focus in this edition on how people in the Old Testament sought the will of God in their lives. In a future and subsequent we will look at means that people in the time of Christ and in the early church sought God’s will. We will also touch upon in a future edition some of the methods which believers utilize today.
Pagan Cultures.
Men and women have an intrinsic desire to know what God’s specific will is for their lives. They have used various means over the years to get an insight into what God wants them to do and how to take advantage of divine forces in order to better themselves and to live successfully. Some of the methods utilized in ancient cultures include the following:
Consulting the Stars
People have believed since ancient times that the stars affect their destinies including constellations at the time of a person’s birth. We see this in cultures as diverse as Zoroastrian, Chinese, and Indian cultures. We see it in effect today with the use of astrology and horoscopes. The belief is that the stars control your destiny and that you can know the future through the knowledge of the stars. The occurrence of extraordinary celestial events were interpreted to have various special meanings for the future including meteors, eclipses and the like.
Consulting the Dead
Consulting the dead and the use of witchcraft is not a new development but is ancient. Witchcraft is known in the Bible and we know the example of Saul going to the Witch of Endor to call up the spirit of Samuel so that Saul could get advice. The use of witchcraft and mediums as a way to determine the future and knowing what to do goes back to ancient times. The use of mediums, witches and the like were found in numerous cultures and was prohibited by the Bible. Some verses of interest would be
Deut. 18:10-12; Is. 8:18; Levit. 19:31 and Levit. 20:27.
Consulting Soothsayers and the Like
At various times people would consult soothsayers, oracles, and prophets. There were false prophets like the prophets of Baal ( 1 Kings 18:38-40) and others and there were true prophets like Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Nehemiah and others found in the Bible. Examples of soothsayers and prophets found in the ancient world would be the Oracle of Delphi and the Vestal Virgins found in Rome. True prophets heard directly from God and passed upon God’s word to people.
Consulting Entrails
Ancient people would make animal sacrifices and then cut the animals open and make prophecies based upon the entrails of the animal sacrificed.
The above methods were some of many methods utilized by ancient societies to ascertain the will of the gods and to assist individuals in ascertaining what the specific will of the gods were for life. In addition, ancient people utilized a wide variety of charms, books and superstitious paraphernalia to help them to ascertain the will of the gods and the course of future events.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament prohibit the use of divination, witchcraft, consulting mediums and spiritualists, the casting of spells, consulting of the dead and the use of astrology. Some Old Testament verses on this are : 1 Chron. 10:13; 1 Sam. 15:23; 1 Sam 22:23; 2 Chron. 33:6; Lev. 19:31; Lev. 20:6; Micah 5:10-12; Is. 8:19-22; Is. 19:1-4; Is. 47:8-14 and others. Some New Testament verses dealing with these practices include: Rev. 18:23; Rev. 21:8; Gal. 5:19-21; Acts 8:9-13; and Acts 19:17-20.
How did the Hebrews determine the specific will of God?
Direct Encounters with God
Various people in the Old Testament had direct encounters with God and as a result received direction for their lives. These encounters came in a variety of ways. Sometimes God “appeared” to them. Sometimes, they heard God or had visions or dreams of God. Sometimes they had an encounter with the “Angel of God.” Although who and what the Angel of God is worthy of a full study, many Christian theologians believe that the Angel of God was the pre-incarnate Christ which in effect means that they believe that this is a manifestation of Christ in the Old Testament before his birth to Mary. Hopefully, in the future we can take a closer look at this question. The fact of the matter is that God directly had encounters with men and women in the Old Testament directly through a variety of means and methods. Below are some examples.
Adam—We know from Genesis 3:8-10 that Adam and Eve heard the sound of God walking in the Garden of Eden. We also know from various verses in Genesis that God spoke to Adam and Eve.
Cain—God spoke to Cain on several occasions. See Gen. 4:6, 9, 13 and 15.
Noah—God spoke to Noah. See Gen. 7:1; 8:15; 9:1,8,12.
Abraham—Abraham had a number of experiences with God where God spoke to him and gave him direction. God used a number of different methods to communicate with Abraham in Genesis 1:12-23. In Genesis 12:1, God speaks to Abraham and tells him to leave his native land. In Genesis 12:7, God appears to Abraham and promises to give him the land where he is residing. In Genesis 13:14, God speaks to Abraham and makes him certain promises. In Genesis 15:1, God appears to Abraham in a vision. In Genesis 18, Abraham and Sarah encounter the Lord and two angels and Abraham negotiated with God to preserve Sodom if ten righteous men could be found in the city. God appeared to Abraham and spoke to him after the birth of Isaac in Genesis 21. He spoke to him in Genesis 22:1 and the Angel of the Lord spoke to Abraham and preserved the life of Isaac from being sacrificed in Genesis 22: 11, 12 and 15. In short, God encountered Abraham by numerous methods including speaking to him, appearing in a vision, appearing in a dream, meeting him with two angels, and through the Angel of the Lord. In the course of these encounters, Abraham becomes the Father of a Nation, the Father of Isaac and gave an object lesson of faith foreshadowing the future sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
Jacob—Intriguingly, Jacob’s encounters with God begin after he has fled from his home and Jacob is on his way to the home of his relative Laban. When he comes to Bethel, he has a dream and sees in the dream a ladder with angels ascending and descending. At the top of this ladder is God who makes certain covenant promises to Jacob. (Gen. 28:10-16). His next encounter is many years later when he has left Laban and is returning to Esau. Genesis 32:1 says that he met an angel. In Genesis 32:24-30, there is an account where Jacob wrestles with a “man” all night and refuses to let go until he is blessed. Jacob names the place where this encounter happened “ Peniel” meaning “For I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved.” Later Jacob returns to Bethel (meaning House of God) and there he is spoken to by God who blesses and changes his name from Jacob to Israel. (Genesis, Chapter 35). The encounters of Jacob are fascinating. They begin with dreams and end with a very close encounter with God.
Moses—Moses encountered God at various times and in various fashions and as a result found God’s will for his life. Some of the ways involved encountering God at the burning bush, meeting God on Mt. Horeb, meeting the presence of God between the Cherubim in the Tent of Meeting and in various other fashions. We will look at a few of these. The important thing to remember is that God is not limited by the way that He communicates with us. In addition, God uses different methods to meet each of us.
The Burning Bush
In Exodus 3:1-21 we find Moses encountering the “Angel of the Lord” at the burning bush. In this instance, Scripture equates the Angel of the Lord with God Himself and God reveals his name to Moses as being “I AM.” God also reveals himself as being “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”.
During the Plagues
From Exodus 3 through Exodus 14, there is a constant dialogue between God and Moses regarding each plague brought upon the Egyptians. In each instance, God speaks to Moses and gives him precise instructions regarding the plague and Moses responds.
From Mt. Sinai
In Exodus 19 we find God being present above and on Mt. Sinai. In this chapter, God manifests His presence not only to Moses but to the people of Israel. In Exodus 19:9, we find God saying to Moses: “And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold I come to you in the thick cloud that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.”” The experience was a frightening one for the Israelites with the presence of a thick cloud, thundering, lightening and the sound of a loud trumpet. In Exodus 19:18 it says: “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire,. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.” God calls Moses up to the top of the mountain, and it is there that he receives the Ten Commandments. The people of Israel decided that they did not feel comfortable with God speaking directly and so in Exodus 20:18-19 they say to Moses: “You speak with us and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”
After Moses destroyed the first set of the Ten Commandments, God renewed the covenant with Israel and Moses, Aaron and 70 elders of Israel. They all ascended to a certain place on Mt. Sinai and , according to Exodus 24:10 saw the God of Israel and ate what we believe was a covenant meal there (Exodus 24:24). Although many scholars have discussed this account I believe it is a renewing of the Mosaic Covenant where Israel agreed to be the people of God and God, in turn, was to be the God of Israel. After this experience Moses went back up to the top of Mt. Sinai where he remained for 40 days and received instructions for building the Ark of the Covenant, and the Tabernacle and for establishing the Levitical Priesthood (See Genesis, Chapters 25-32).
From the Tent of Meeting
After the construction of the Tabernacle, Moses generally received direction from God by going into the Tent of Meeting. The presence of the Lord appeared in the Pillar of Cloud and descended to the door of the Tabernacle and God spoke directly with Moses. When this occurred, the people of Israel stood at their tents while God talked to Moses and Moses recounted to the people what God said. See Exodus 33:1-11. Notwithstanding this, God still spoke directly to Moses from time to time and He also continued to speak directly to Moses in front of the people of God from the Tabernacle.
Moses Wants to Meet God Face to Face
One of the most interesting of the encounters of Moses with God is the request by Moses in Exodus 33:18 to see God in all of His glory. God’s response in Exodus 33:20 is “You cannot see My face for no man shall see Me, and live.” This is at first surprising because Moses and the 70 elders at Exodus had seen the God of Israel on Mount Sinai at Exodus 24:10. However, God is a Spirit and even though Moses and other fathers of the faith had encountered God in various ways, here Moses asks to experience God in his fullness. God’s response is that Moses request was not possible perhaps because man may experience God but we simply do not have the capacity to experience God in his absolute fullness and infinity. God’s response to Moses is found at Exodus 33:21-23: “And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand while I pass by, Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”
As a Christian, I see some meaning in these words. My best ability to see the glory of God is to be placed safely in the rock of ages cleft for me. There I can come into an experience seeing God. Although I may not fully comprehend the face of God the Father I can see a representation of the Father’s love for Me in the Risen Christ who is my protection. Christ is the rock which was struck (“cleft”) for me.. Again, this is just my interpretation.
Concluding Words on Moses
We have spent a great amount of time reviewing the encounters of God and Moses. Understanding these various encounters is important because they are diverse. In some instances, God speaks to the heart of Moses. He used the Angel of the Lord; there is a burning bush, there is a Cloud of Glory on Mt. Sinai; there is a Meal on Mt. Sinai; there are encounters at the Tent of Meeting and there is an experience where Moses is placed in the cleft of a rock for protection as the presence of the Lord goes by. God is not limited in reaching his people. We try to build hedges and dictate exactly how and what God does. However, His love and desire to reach is not limited by the rules of man. He is in charge and He reaches out to people and does so in His times and by His methods. Therefore, do not be discouraged, God loves you and He may use any number of ways to contact you and reach your heart. At the same time, he has provided us with a number of safety nets to help protect us including the written Word of to keep us safe and to guide us.
.
Gideon
Gideon encountered God in the form of the Angel of the Lord in Judges Chapter 6. Gideon’s reaction was one of fear. Judges 6:32-33 says, Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.” “Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” God leads Gideon to go against the Midianites who had enslaved the Israelites. Gideon is cautious and so he asks God to perform some miracles to assure Gideon that he is doing what God wants. Those miracles are described in Judges 6:36-40 and we call this situation “laying out the fleece”. First Gideon puts a fleece of wool on the threshing floor and asks that in the morning that it be full of dew and the ground around it dry. When the morning occurs, he wrings a bowlful of water out of the fleece. Just to be sure, he reverses the request the next night. When morning comes, the fleece is dry but there is dew on the ground. Through this method Gideon received confirmation regarding the direction of God.
It is probably a very good thing that Gideon got that confirmation because he is told to reduce the size of the Israelite army and goes up against the Midianites with only 300 men and wins a great victory.
God Gave Guidance through the Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire
God used a Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of fire to lead the Israelites in the wilderness. The Israelites had tangible evidence of God’s direction of where and when to move. Exodus 13:21 says, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night”. God used this pillar to protect the Israelites from the Egyptians and to lead them. Many of us use a GPS or a map to guide us. The Israelites had a Pillar of Smoke and Fire to lead them and apparently this phenomenon continued until they came into the Promised Land. By following the Pillar and the Ark of the Covenant, the individual Israelite would not get lost. Today, as we follow the Holy Spirit and the Presence of Christ, we can be assured that we will not get lost or lose our way but instead will go where we are supposed to go, do what we are supposed to do and move when we are supposed to move. Like the Army of God, we move at the command of our General and do not move without God’s leadership and instructions.
God gave Guidance through the Urim and Thummim
It is very interesting but the Jews believed that there were three ways to know the will of God. One way was by the Urim and Thummim which we will discuss below. The other two methods were by Dreams which came from God and the third method was by the prophetic word. In 1 Sam. 28:6, God ceased speaking and giving guidance to Saul. That verse says, “When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.”
The terms Urim and Thummim were some sort of instruments or objects used to discern the will of God. They were placed in the Ephod of the High Priest. The Ephod was a vest or sleeveless jacket containing twelve stones on the front of the Ephod, each which had the name of one of the twelve tribes. We know very little about the Urim and Thummim. Some believe that it was a parchment with the name of God on it. Others believe it was like lots. Generally, but not always, questions were addressed to the High Priest which required a yes or no answer. We know from Exodus 28:8 that the Urim and Thummim were placed in the Ephod above Aaron’s heart. (See Ex. 28:8; Levit. 8:8; Deut. 33:8).
The term Urim and Thummim means “lights and perfections.” Joshua evidently made use of this method. Numbers 27:21 says, “Set him (Joshua) before Eleazar the priest (the High Priest and son of Aaron) and before all the congregation and inaugurate him in their sight…Eleazar the priest who shall inquire before the Lord for him by the judgment of the Urim.” It is believed that the Urim and Thummim were used in dividing up the Promised Land among the tribes and used to answer important questions such as when to go out to war. David apparently used the Urim and Thummim. See 1 Sam. 23:9-11; 1 Sam. 30:7-8)
There is not much mention of the Urim and Thummim after the time of Nehemiah when the Temple was restored. (See Ezra 2:63 and Neh. 7:65).
Although this method was helpful at various times between the time of Moses and the time of the Restoration of the Temple after the Babylonian Captivity, the method fell out of use. Some believe that the Thunnim and Urim were lost and others believed that the method ceased working and that God began to work more directly with people instead of just through a somewhat mechanical means.
God gave Guidance through Dreams
Introduction
We know that the world of dreams was a method which God used in the history of Israel. Not only did God communicate with his people in dreams but he also used dreams as a method of communicating with non-believers for the benefit of his people. God sent dreams to Abraham, but he also sent them to non-Jews such as Abimelech (Gen. 20:1-7), Pharaoh and to Nebuchadnezzar. He gave the ability to interpret dreams to people such as Joseph who interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and to Daniel who interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar. God’s will was often expressed through dreams both in the Old Testament and even in the New Testament.
Jacob—We have previously discussed that Jacob when he fled from Esau and his home came to a place where he went to sleep and had a dream of a ladder in which angels were ascending and descending on to God and God made certain promises to Jacob. That place was named Bethel meaning “House of God.” God communicated his promises to Jacob through a dream. See Gen. 28:10-17.
Joseph—One of Jacob’s children, Joseph, had dreams and the ability to interpret dreams. Joseph dreamed that his family would bow down to him. This caused a great amount of consternation to his family. Later his brothers sold him into slavery and in time Joseph became second to the Pharaoh in Egypt and his family did actually bow down to him as he had dreamed years earlier. In addition Joseph interpreted dreams to the servants of Pharaoh (the baker was not restored to power and died and the cupbearer was restored and survived). Joseph interpreted and explained dreams which Pharaoh had thereby achieving a position which allowed Joseph both to save Egypt and the Hebrews from famine. See Gen 37:1-11 and Genesis 40-41.
Solomon—After Solomon became king, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked Solomon what he would ask for. Solomon asked for wisdom to govern his people, which was a request which pleased God. (1 Kings 3:5).
Daniel—Daniel was both known for interpreting dreams and having dreams and visions. He rose to power by interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of an image with a head of gold. The King had made a nearly impossible demand that his “magicians” tell him what the dream was first and then interpret it for him. Daniel after prayer did both rising to a high position in the Babylonian Empire allowing him both to serve his king and protect his people. God gave numerous dreams and visions to Daniel. For Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation, see Daniel, Chapter 2. For Daniel’s vision of the end times, see Daniel Chapters 10-12.
Final Comments on Dreams.
In seeking God’s guidance and knowledge of His will, God utilized dreams as one of the methods by which he conveyed His will to people. God utilized dreams in the Old Testament; however, he also utilized them in the New Testament. Peter preaching on the Day of Pentecost at Acts 2:17 said, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.” Peter was quoting Joel 2:28. Therefore, dreams from God are found in both the Old and New Testaments. More will be written about this later.
God Gave Guidance Through the Prophets
Introduction
In our passage above, Acts 2:17 quoting Joel 2:28, it is promised that our sons and daughters will prophesy. Carefully note that although our examples given of prophecy are men such as Samuel, Isaiah and Ezekiel, the promise is given to women as well. In the Old Testament, it is believed that Mariam the sister of Moses moved in prophecy (Ex. 15:20). Other Old Testament women who were considered to be prophetesses were Deborah (Judges 4:4); Huldah, wife of Shallum (2 Chron. 34:22) and the wife of Isaiah (Is. 8:3). We also find in the New Testament that when Jesus was a baby in the Temple one of the people speaking words and prophesying over him was Anna the prophetess (Lk 2:36).
Moses—We generally think of Moses as a law-giver as opposed to a prophet; however the Bible said that Moses was the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 34:10-12 says: “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.”
Samuel—God spoke in a dream to Samuel. Samuel went on to become one of the great judges of Israel. He is also the prophet who anointed Saul as King and later David as King. God gave guidance to Israel, including who should be king, through Samuel the Prophet. We know that along with Samuel were other prophets.
Elijah—Elijah (along with his student Elisha) led Israel in the prophetic ministry and God spoke to His people many times through these prophets. Elijah was taken into heaven by a whirlwind and appears to Jesus along with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration. Most Christian scholars believe that this appearance on the Mountain illustrates the unity of the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah) in the ministry and work of Jesus for our salvation.
School of the Prophets—Apparently there were schools of prophets and prophetic communities. For further study see 1 Samuel 19:18-21; 2 Kings 2 and 2 Kings 4:38-99. There are numerous instances where groups of prophets and the “sons of the prophets” are mentioned in the Bible.
Isaiah—Isaiah was one of the greatest of the prophets. His calling is described in Isaiah 6 where he sees the “Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up with the train of his robe surrounded by angels.” Isaiah in Isaiah 53 writes one of the clearest descriptions of Jesus Christ and his coming work of salvation. Isaiah gave directions to various kings about the will of God.
Jeremiah—Jeremiah warned Israel about the need to repent and the coming judgment on Israel by Babylon.
Ezekiel—Ezekiel was a great prophet during the Babylonian captivity who had visions of the “end-times” and a presence of God surrounded by fire and indescribable angelic creatures.
Summary of Prophets
God used prophets to speak to people, kings and nations regarding his will and the need for repentance. These prophets also spoke to things and events which would come in the future. However, there were good prophets and bad prophets. For instance, those who worshipped Baal had prophets and it was Elijah who came up against 500 prophets of Baal and asked the Israelites who they were going to serve-either God or Baal. Therefore prophecy existed in both true and false forms.
Moreover, Moses had said that one of the ways that you can know that a prophet is true is that the words of the prophet come true. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 says, “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.” Unfortunately this may help in retrospect but is not of great help in knowing whether the prophecy is true on the front end.
One of the great difficulties in knowing who the true prophet is and who the false prophet is. A great example of this was an event which occurred in Jeremiah 28. Jeremiah had previously been predicting the victory of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The prophet Hananiah contradicted Jeremiah and said that within two years King Nebuchadnezzar would restore those things which he had taken to Judah. Jeremiah in Jeremiah 28:6 responded, “Amen! May the Lord do that. May the Lord make the message you say come true”. Jeremiah had been wearing a yoke to illustrate the slavery of Babylon and Hananiah broke the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and said that in the same way the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar would be broken in two years. (Jer. 28:10-11). Jeremiah left the temple but the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah and said that Hananiah had broken a wooden yoke but that it would be replaced with an iron yoke. Further God said that Hananiah would die within a year because he had taught the people to turn against the Lord. Hananiah died within the year as God had promised. (Jer. 28:15-17).
The difficulty with prophecy is that sometimes it takes time to test the prophet and the prophecy. Prophets that are correct time after time prove their reliability. However, sometimes we do know the prophet or the track record of the prophet. The New Testament suggested that prophecy is to be judged by others with the gift. ( 1 Cor. 14:29 ) At any rate, prophecy is a means by which God speaks to us; however, one must be prepared to test prophecy and to look for the fruits of the prophets. We will study more about prophecy in the church in a future edition of Locusts and Honey.
In our last political election there were many “prophets” who predicted political events which did not take place. We would do well not to rely upon these “prophets.” Instead of retiring their “prophetic mantles,” they are already back in business with new prophecies and hawking their latest books without breaking stride.
Many of the prophets of the Old Testament would not have survived long in the modern church. Sometimes the prophets took graphic actions to illustrate the point. We have already mentioned that Jeremiah was wearing a wooden yoke. Ezekiel drew an image of Jerusalem on a clay tablet and lay on his side. He did this for 390 days and this rolled over and laid on the other side to make his point. (Ezekiel 4). On another occasion he shaved off his beard with a sword and divided his hair into thirds with one third being set on fire, and another third being stabbed with a sword and the final third being thrown into the wind, to illustrate the fate of Jerusalem’s inhabitants. (Ezekiel 5). Isaiah went around naked or nearly naked for three years to illustrate the captivity of the Jewish people. (Isaiah 20:2-4). These actions would not have endeared a prophet to the local church today; however God used His prophets in drastic ways to get his message across and to try to bring His people into repentance.
In our next edition, we will look at some of the methods for ascertaining the will of God in New Testament times.
