Pastor Ovid Need

NOTE: Time requires I leave in the minor errors, e.g., abbreviations in text, wrong abbreviations, mixed tenses in a sentence (though I have tried to catch all of them), caps, etc. As time progresses, we will correct the lessons. There are also some comments at the end of this chapter.

When placing in your answers for each question in the space provided, put ANS: before each answer. Capitalize, ANS:

Lesson 4-2

DEUTERONOMY FOUR

Moses has reminded them of their past history. He is now reminding them of their God and His requirements for them, His people. He reminded them of the danger of Baalpeor—the infiltration of sin into the camp of God's people. Thus "Baalpeor" continues to be a very real and grave danger among God's people. We see the Lord as He rebukes His people in Rev. 2:14 for serving Baalpeor. In Baalpeor, we have the heathen gods brought into the congregation of the Lord, to be served within the church, and His people are destroyed from WITHIN. Baalpeor, the quiet infiltration of sin, must be guarded against at all times, requiring eternal vigilance, courage, and character. Phinehas, as he killed the two, would be considered a MAD MAN today, but we need many more mad men like him. We need MEN who get mad over the inroads of the gods of this world into the congregation of the Lord, and then use the SWORD OF THE SPRIT, the law-word of God, to cut them out. We need MEN with a zeal for God and His word:

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. (Eph. 4:26, 27.)

Paul calls for some "angry" men. Men who will get stirred up enough over sin in their lives, in their families, in their churches and in their communities (society) to take Godly action against that sin.

The people that Moses spoke to would know about zeal for God's law, and Moses reminded them of the blessings that came from both obeying God at Kadesh and departing from him in the matter of Baalpeor. We have noticed today that when the word of God is used to cut out the "Baalpeor" inroads, it really causes many hard feelings. Those who stand firmly against the quiet, subtle inroads of "Baalpeor" within the "congregation of the Lord" will be accused of dictatorship, legalism and being unloving because they will not tolerate Baalpeor within the church.

1. V. 5, Moses has already given the statutes and judgments (see lesson 4-1). Who gave them to Moses?

These were laws concerning the conditions for enjoying the promised land. The laws given through Moses are still basic principles for enjoying our life in Christ, as well as inheriting His blessings.

2. V. 6, what is commanded?

a. This statement is repeated many times throughout scripture. The statutes and judgments of God are what to His people?

b. Check Ps. 19:7, 8, and especially Ps. 119:97-104. What does His law do in Ps. 119:130?

c. The teaching of Deut. 4:6, 7, is restated by Paul in II Tim. 3:16. How many of the works of God's people does the law of God do the above for, II Tim. 3:17?

d. If a work is not a good work, what kind of a work is it?

3. V. 6, ties hearing together with what, Eph. 5:15?

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a. When a person only hears, what happens to him, Ja. 1:22?

4. As God's people observe the command of v. 6, what will others, especially the unsaved, say about them, I Pet. 2:15?

a. What did the Queen of Sheba do, I Ki. 10?

b. Though we do not give the answers in these lessons, here is one that must be pursue because of the misuse of a passage. When referring to wisdom from God, we must include Ja. 1:5. When we pray for wisdom, what will God give us?

He will show us what to do in any given situation from His word. These prayer for wisdom, apart from searching and studying His word, is presumption because our wisdom is found in Him alone, Col. 2:3; I Cor. 1:30.

"I am a Christian now, so all I must do is pray for wisdom in this, and He will direct and work it all out" says that Christ redeemed much more than He did. The Ja. 1:5 prayer for wisdom is asking to ask the Lord for the Holy Spirit to open the understanding of HIS WORD and to guide in that search of His word. As we seek wisdom from His word, the Holy Spirit directs the mind or understanding to the part of HIS WORD that give the needed instruction, Ph. 3:15. He does not sanctify our understanding, so we can understand apart from His Word. Using Ja. 1:5 as a prayer so we can understand apart from His Word is close to what Eve fell into. However, we may not be able to get to a Bible for the wisdom in a particular situation, which is a purpose of study and meditation. A result of study and meditation is to get the word of God (the wisdom of God) in our heart. Then in answer to our prayer for wisdom, the Holy Spirit can bring a Godly precept to mind. Salvation, along with Ja. 1:5, does not remove the necessity of seeking and searching God's word. Salvation and prayer (Ja. 1:5) does not remove Ps. 1 nor Pr., chaps. 2, 8 and 9 from God's word.

Salvation did, however, provide the Holy Spirit, so we might see and understand and do the wisdom we find in HIS WORD for any given situation. Certainly, we must pray for wisdom, but it still must be sought out from God's Word as one would mine for gold or precious stones or treasure. A treasure hunter does not sit home and pray for the treasure to be delivered to him. He will pray and then go search (seriously apply his heart, Pr. 2:2ff.) for it. A Christian cannot lay back and pray for wisdom to be delivered to him; he must go look and search for it in God's word. Anything less is presumption, and will result in decisions based on the corrupt human wisdom of this world. A godly, Christ honoring education is based on finding the hidden wisdom of God in His creation and in His word. A godly education will not even hint at finding direction for one's life and decisions apart from His word.

When we need wisdom, do we pull this verse out of context and seek it upon our own, apart from His word? To do so is to fall into the same snare which Eve fell into.

When we ask for wisdom, we must dig DEEPER into the treasure of God's WISDOM, His word, and then do what IT shows us.

Concluding thought: This writer realizes the context of Ja. 1:5. The context is "divers temptations" working patience in the lives of God's people. Thus the v. 5 wisdom is God's wisdom to properly respond in the many trying situations one fines him or her self in.