"Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, 'It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.'” 2nd Samuel 21:1 Things don't happen without a cause. King David knew that, so he went to the Lord and asked why famine was on the land. The Lord answered that the former king, Saul, had killed Gibeonites. Saul was dead by now and the slaughter of the Gibeonites took place long ago. So we see that judgments and curses can be brought forward even long after the deed was done that caused them. It's reminiscent of the several passages revealing that judgment continues down to the third and fourth generations. "The Lord is long-suffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but he by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation." Numbers 14:18 So David set out to make things right. He asked the Gibeonites how he could make things right with them. They asked that seven descendants of Saul be handed over to them, and David complied. Then he went to the graves of Saul and his son Jonathan who had been buried by enemies who killed them in war, and he brought their bones back to Israel and buried them in the graves of their fathers. After doing all he could think of to rectify the situation, he then went to the Lord and asked the curse to be removed, and "God heeded the prayer for the land." Folks, we need to understand spiritual laws. Today, believers ignore them believing that their sins have been forgiven because of the atoning sacrifice Jesus accomplished for us, and that is very true. But there are CONSEQUENCES of sin, and many times those consequences will reach down the generations from the perpetrator. Children tend to carry on the sins of their fathers. If you look into the descendants of an alcoholic, you'll often see alcoholism down through the generations. If a woman is promiscuous, oftentimes her daughters will be too. If a man sins through violence, there will oftentimes be violence in his descendants. So what to do when you realize there is such a tendency in your own family, even if the source is a generation or two back from you? You do as David did. You confess the sins you know about, and ask for forgiveness. Then you do whatever you can to make things right with anyone who was victimized by the sin in your family. And then you ask the Lord to reveal anything more of what you need to know, and you submit the whole subject into the hands of the Lord and ask for guidance. Then, having done all you can, you wait for his response. Sometimes a judgment or curse cannot be reversed, but in such a situation the Lord will walk with the person through whatever he has to face. And if a judgment or curse cannot be reversed, the Lord will make a way to turn it into a blessing, because for those who love the Lord, "all things," ALL THINGS, will be turned around for the good. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 If you perceive that there is a judgment upon your family, seek the Lord concerning what you should do. One way or another, Jesus has promised relief. Stand on his promise, read the following over and over again until it lives inside you: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;" Luke 4:18
"Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri,
the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom,
in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze,
in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood,
and to work in all manner of workmanship."
Exodus 31:1-5
The setting:
The Lord is revealing to Moses all the detailed instructions involved in setting up the tabernacle. When he gets to the specifications concerning the implements to be used, the details he gives are very complex, very intricate. He singles out Bezalel, saying that God has filled him with the Holy Spirit, and has endowed him with wisdom, understanding and knowledge in all manner of workmanship.
In calling Bezalel by name, God makes it clear that not just anyone would be able to do this work, but only the ones he specifies and in whom God has given the skill to handle this kind of work.
This is a picture of the Body of Christ. Every member of the Body of Christ is gifted. But it is important to remember that gifting is specific, so that only the one gifted with a certain gift can operate in that gift.
Expectations…
This is where trouble can brew. A believer looks at another who is operating in a particular gift, thinking he/she "should" be doing something like that too. But how can he, if he is not equipped to? No, a believer is not to be judged by what he cannot do, and that should put an end to all criticism in this area.
"And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you,'
nor again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.'
No, much rather, those members of the body
which seem to be weaker are necessary.
And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable,
on these we bestow greater honor; ...God composed the body,
having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO SCHISM IN THE BODY..."
1 Corinthians 12:21-25
If you're a foot, you cannot be an ear. If you're an eye, you cannot be a hand. Let no one judge you for not meeting their unreasonable expectations of you, as long as you are operating in the gifts you do have.
The Scriptures admonish us to love one another, and that means to love the ones who are not meeting OUR expectations. No one can walk your walk, they're not equipped to. Nor can you walk theirs. Therefore, we are called to have respect for each one's calling regardless what it is, even if we consider another's calling "inferior." We are working together for a common goal, and each one has a part to play. This is how the Body of Christ works, each one playing his part.
"And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ..."
Ephesians 4:11-12
"Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Are all workers of miracles?
Do all have gifts of healings?
Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?"
1 Corinthians 12:29-10
Just as important as it is to honor each one's calling, it is equally important that you play your part. If not, you are robbing the Body of Christ of the critical role you are equipped to play. Never think your gifts are inferior, there is no "inferior" gifting from God. Also, there is NO ONE who can play your part. If you don't play it, there is loss. Seek the Lord for direction so that you may operate effectively in the role you are CALLED to play. And then play it! Live it! With all your heart!
"And the people spoke against God and against Moses: 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.'” Numbers 21:5 By the time you get to this passage in the Bible, you've seen the children of Israel complaining to Moses over and over again, and each time they express regret that they followed him out of Egypt, and accuse him of bringing them into the wilderness to die. If you found yourselves in a barren land without food and water, would you complain? Of course you would, anyone would. EXCEPT - these complaints need to be looked at in context. From the beginning of the story of their deliverance from Egypt, the children of Israel saw God do signs and wonders that astounded them, wonders they had never, ever seen before! Beginning in Egypt, they saw the plagues that came upon the land every time Pharaoh refused to let them leave the land with Moses. In the last of the ten plagues, they saw the firstborn in every household in Egypt die, while the plague did not come near them, and not one Israeli died. Can you imagine such a scene? Death everywhere, EXCEPT in the camps of the children of Israel! How that must have impressed upon them the protection of their God while the false gods were judged. Then Moses led them out of Egypt and they journeyed toward the promised land, but the armies of Pharaoh followed after them intending to destroy them. Just when the Israelites had their backs to the sea and saw the approaching Egyptian armies, the Lord parted that sea and they went over it ON DRY LAND! When the last of them reached the other side and Pharaoh's army was closing in on the chase, the waters returned and the entire Egyptian army drowned. Now ...can you imagine having witnessed that? What an impression that must have made on them? This is a people who by now have seen the supernatural power of God to deliver them in every situation. God provided them with manna daily. Every day they got up to find this manna that had fallen during the night. They collected it and made all kinds of things with it, breads, cakes, all that one could think to make with it. Can you imagine getting up every morning and finding your sustenance from heaven and all you had to do was collect it? But no, they got tired of it and wanted what they had in Egypt. They missed the meat they had there, and they complained. So God sends them innumerable flocks of quail, quail everywhere. But that wasn't enough, they started complaining that there wasn't enough water in the wilderness, so God told Moses to strike a rock and when he did, rivers of water came out of that rock. Incredibly after all this, they once again complained to Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" By this time, God was just totally fed up with this ungrateful and unbelieving people, and instead of doing another supernatural sign for them, God sent serpents into the land showing them his wrath at their stubborn ungratefulness and constant demand for this, that, and the other. vs 6: "So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died." That shook them up. They confessed their sin and cried to him to stop the judgment. What is the point of this story? The point is this - be very careful when you think to complain against God. The Lord had no intention of letting them die in the wilderness when he brought them out of Egypt. He did sign after sign after sign for them in order to solidify their faith in him. But they weren't moved by what God did, they had only one thing in mind and that was their needs and desires. Take a notebook and look back over your walk with the Lord. Write down every incident in your life in which he manifested to you his love for you, his provision, his intervention. After you've spent a good deal of time bringing to mind all of those incidents, then turn the page and make another list of things for which to be thankful - eyes that see, ears that hear, legs that carry you, hands that serve, a roof over your head, enough to eat, plenty to wear ...and go on from there. You probably could fill pages if you spent enough time at it. Now - if you lack any of the above, here is the way to receive God's provision: first, do NOT bring your need to God as a complaint. Recognize him for who he is, the creator of the universe who has condescended to show little you the way of salvation, and who has sustained your life thus far. Instead of bringing him a complaint, bow before him in thanksgiving for all he has shown you about himself. Ask the Lord to show you how your lack fits into his plan for your life, but start with thanking him even for that plan. He could have left you to yourself, but he loved you and called you and started you on the path he has ordained for your life, and has included NECESSARY trials in that plan in order to mature you and bring about his great purpose for you. Your right response in a situation of lack is to simply ask him to show you how this lack fits into his plan. Once you turn your complaining voice into a voice of surrender and praise, things will change. And not only will situations change, but you will receive that peace that passes all understanding. From a heart of thanksgiving and surrender you will taste of the goodness of the Lord, and you will see for yourself that the Lord is good. "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in him!" Psalm 34:8