UNDERNEATH
TEXT: Deuteronomy 33:27
Deuteronomy 33:27 KJV The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
l. INTRODUCTION – THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY & MOSES
-If you read carefully, if you bend and listen closely, you can almost here the stirring words of an old man. This is not just any old man but this is a man whom God has used mightily throughout his lifetime and now he has some parting words for the people that he has walked closely with for the last forty years.
-Deuteronomy pours out of Moses as the ripest and most choice fruit that comes from a lifetime of communion and service with God. This book called Deuteronomy is his song. . . . . . Moses’ Song. The text that I read comes as a crescendo full of spiritual feeling and purpose closing out the song. He is leaving behind some things that Israel needs to hear.
A. Moses’ Life
-Obviously some of his experiences in life color the words that the Lord impresses on him to write. His life had been marked by some times that were up and some times that were down. He had been prepared in the finest schools of the world at the time and then all of the great aspirations that the Egyptians fell apart for him.
-Partly because of a mistake on the part of Moses and partly because of the plan of God for his life. His mistake was murdering an Egyptian slave-driver. The slave-driver probably deserved all he got but still the lynch law of Moses should not have been factored into the picture.
-Yet generally speaking most of the men of this world never plan on mistakes and failure. There probably are some things that lead them down the path but most likely none would ever dream that this would be their lot in life.
-But all in all, Moses mistake became God’s blueprint. It would be a blueprint that God would draft out the construction and character of the man named Moses.
Hebrews 11:24-27 KJV By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; [25] Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; [26] Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. [27] By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
-His great education appears to languish in the desert for forty years before God found him at a burning bush. It appears that a murder is going to cause him to have to flee for the rest of his life. He is forced into a dead end or so it appears.
B. The Lessons from the Desert
-There are some lessons that we learn from this difficult spot in the life of Moses and these points also overflow into the children of Israel:
Hard times do not erase God’s promises.
Harsh treatment does not escape God’s notice.
Heavy tests do not eclipse God’s concern.
-Moses’ failure turned him into a servant. The desert helped Moses to discover himself. That is often what happens to men who allow the desert to shape them. It forces us to see things within that we are not accustomed to dealing with.
-Our responses to the desert often determine the success or failure of the future for us. There are generally three ways that we respond to the desert:
I don’t need it!
I’m tired of it!
I accept it! (This is more than just a resignation to the facts but an embracing of destiny that God has for us.)
-There are some who understand the great value of a forty-year tenure of the desert. Consider your own “desert” and reflect on what has happened with that “desert”:
Those years reduced and subdued our temper.
Those years weaned us from the shams and setups and supposed sweetness of this world.
Those years gifted us with eyes and hearts to suffer the loss of this world to trade for a greater reward in heaven.
C. Other Circumstances in Moses’ Life
-Not only did the desert seem to attempt to choke the life out of Moses but there were other circumstances that he had to endure throughout his life.
-He went to the mountain and met with God. Not only would he meet with God, he would return a changed man. But personal revival does not always secure local nor national revival and this he found when he returned and found Israel dancing around a golden calf.
-He had to endure the criticism of his sister and brother over his choice of a wife. Sometimes this is the most difficult criticism to have to endure, that of family. It was a day when he had to stand the disgraceful attack from his brother and sister. They tried to pull him down from the place that God had been working the entire life of Moses to bring him to.
-It was the point that the final pieces of Moses’ greatness was being put into action. Throughout his life, there was something that was developing. It was called meekness.
Numbers 12:3 KJV (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)
-Meek is a word that very few in this world ever come to know. It means mild, gentle, humble, unpretentious, unassuming, and modest are a few words that give us an idea of what being meek really means.
-True meekness never just appears in our lives. It does not come until it has been planted, watered, pruned, purified, and beaten upon by every wind of God and cut to pieces by every knife of God.
-If you track through the life of Moses, you will find other instances and examples where that he would have an opportunity to believe that God was working through the situation to bring Moses to a place so that he would be able to help others.
D. “Remember”
-If there is a key word in the book of Deuteronomy, it would have to be “remember.” Moses wants the children of Israel to remember some things about his journey with them. But more importantly he is longing for them to remember some things about the God that they serve.
-One finds the word “remember” fourteen times in the book of Deuteronomy.
5:15 – Remember you were a servant in Egypt and were delivered by God.
7:18 – Remember how you were saved from Pharoah’s armies therefore do not be afraid.
8:2 – Remember how God led you in the wilderness.
8:18 – Remember the Lord your God, He is the one who gives power to gain wealth.
9:7 – Remember how you provoked God to wrath in the wilderness.
9:27 – Remember the servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Keep your eyes off of the stubbornness and wickedness and sin of the people around you.
15:15 – Remember you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord redeemed you.
16:3 – Remember the bread of affliction in Egypt and how you came out of it.
16:12 – Remember you were a bondman, now observe and do the commandments.
24:9 – Remember what happened to Miriam when she murmured and was stricken with leprosy.
24:18 – Remember you were a bondman.
24:22 – Remember you were a bondman.
25:17 – Remember what Amalek did to you on your way.
32:7 – Remember the days of old.
-One could sum all of that up in this:
Remember your God.
Remember your redemption.
Remember your strength comes from God.
Remember your heritage.
Remember your enemies.
ll. UNDERNEATH
-Our text comes from the next to last chapter that Moses would ever utter. We move into chapter 34 and Moses disappears from human history by the way of death. But he writes something in the closing verses of chapter 33 that he felt that was important for us to know.
Deuteronomy 33:27 KJV The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: . . .
-I don’t think that it took Moses a lifetime to learn this. It only took a few years for him to determine this. This knowledge did not lessen the intensity of the trial but it did help him to understand that God was “underneath” everything that he had to walk through.
-When this Scripture was simmering in my mind, I thought of another that tells how I feel about know that God is “underneath” every situation that we must endure. It goes like this:
Psalms 139:1-6 KJV To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. [2] Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. [3] Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. [4] For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. [5] Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. [6] Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
-I was talking with a pastor in another state a few days ago (Bro. Harrell in Bridge City, TX) and he told me this: “Son, there is a broken heart on every pew. Some hearts are freshly broken and some have been broken years ago but they are still broken. There will be times in your ministry when you have the opportunity to pour in the oil and use the bindings of the Samaritan. Do it every time you can because life is a long, hard road.”
-This is a word you need to hear tonight. It might not be for you tonight but not many days down the line, this message will make a world of difference.
A. The Word, Underneath
-This scripture from God through the pen of Moses tells us that God is underneath everything.
-This had great meaning for the Israelites.
They had walked through the hot desert.
The wearying marches through the sand had worn them down physically.
They had gotten blisters on their feet from the pebbles that had gotten wedged in their sandals.
They had endured sharp cuts from the thorns.
They had gained stone bruises from the rocks that were scattered in the path.
-From underneath the pressure had come. Life has a way of being a wearying desert path sometimes and the most difficult times come from “underneath.” But I remind you that there is a God who is “underneath” all of the trouble.
-But there is another component to this word “underneath.” Sometimes the attack assails us from the dark abyss and the attacks come from a very real underworld. The attacks that come from the devil are sometimes unnerving and tense.
-The work of the enemy is attempting to destroy us. Trying to discredit God with his outright lies and half-truths. But Moses writes to us that God is underneath with His everlasting arms.
-A hymn-writer one day sat down and put this Scripture to song. It goes like this:
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.
O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
lll. WE NEED GOD AT ALL TIMES
-We need God at all times but there are times that it seems as if we need Him more than other times.
A. We Need God When We Are Under the Yoke
-The children of Israel were having to endure the back-breaking task of making brick. Mud and straw seemed to sum up their entire existence. In fact the time span was around 400 years that they had been laboring.
-The brick-making seemed to be endless. Life had been reduced to long monotonous days and their existence had seemed purposeless. Sometimes that happens to people in their 30’s and 40’s and even into their ‘50’s. Life seems like nothing more than just an endless tangle of making bricks.
-There is a tendency to “zone out” and just go through the motions. But we need God in the times that we are under the yoke of responsibility and duty. Carefully monitor your spiritual status during the times that you are taking mud and mixing in the straw and working in the water. The enemy loves to come to you during these times.
1. The Rock
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man He had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.
This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.
Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s weary mind. "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it."
This gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. "Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough."
And that is what he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord" he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have
not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"
The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself."
"Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in my wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend will now move the rock."
-We need God when we are under the yoke of life.
B. We Need God When We Have Times of Failure
-Israel fell into sin in Numbers 21. The spoke against God and they spoke against Moses and because of that God brought judgment to their lives.
-There is a tendency for us not to go through the right channels at times when we are out of sync with God. We are aware that the things that are troubling us are of our own making. Yet, that is the very desire of God, to restore us.
-Too many prodigals lose their way back to the Father’s House. The Father’s House is the only entrance back into the Kingdom.
-We need God underneath us in times of failure.
C. We Need God When We Are In Times of Need
-We need God when we are underneath the great burdens of life. All of God’s great men had to endure great burdens and during those times of burden, they were in a time of great need.
Job – The burden of Satan’s attack.
Abraham – The burden of sacrificing his dearest possession, Isaac.
Jacob – The burden of wrestling with past mistakes and sin.
Joseph – The burden of iron entering the soul.
Moses – The burden of not progressing to the Promise.
Elijah – The burden of depression.
Ezekiel – The burden of private sorrow and public duty.
Peter – The burden of transformation – from clay to stone.
John Mark – The burden of two failures but one final great success.
Judas – The immense burden of fatal and final failure.
Paul – The burden of the thorn.
-I have watched just as you have watched. We have seen God take men and use them greatly for the Kingdom. I have to be honest with you when I say that I long for the same experience for God to use me in the same manner. In fact, I think it is a great sin in a person who has been filled with the Spirit NOT to have some ambition and great desire for God to use him in some great way.
-But A.W. Tozer summed it up well when he said, “No man will ever be used greatly of God until he has been hurt deeply of God.”
In 2002 at Because of the Times, one of the concluding times of one of the services, Bro. Anthony Mangun asked for Sis. Kilgore to come and pray over the ministers that were there. Little did anyone realize that in just 3 ½ months, in the month of May, that Sis. Kilgore would be promoted to a great reward in Heaven.
Because of the tremendous impact that Bro. Kilgore has had on many men in the United Pentecostal Church, he has been honored and revered over the years. I think that this is a good thing that we honor men who have been faithful to the calling over the years. But at the graveside was when Bro. Kilgore’s faith came out in an incredible way.
Everything has been concluded and the family is waiting. Sometimes it is just hard to leave in situations like that. The last words had been spoken and the last prayer had been prayed. Out of a vacuum of silence and grief, the words of a hymn began to come from Bro. Kilgore. Tentatively at first but gaining steam with each word, he sang:
I will meet you in the morning,
Just inside the Eastern Gate;
Then be ready, faithful pilgrim,
Lest with you it be too late.
If you hasten off to glory,
Linger near the Eastern Gate,
For I’m coming in the morning,
So you’ll not have long to wait.
Keep your lamps all trimmed and burning,
For the Bridegroom watch and wait;
He’ll be with us at the meeting,
Just inside the Eastern Gate.
O, the joy of that glad meeting,
With the saints who for us wait!
What a blessed, happy meeting,
Just inside the Eastern Gate.
I will meet you in the morning
I will meet you in the morning
Just inside the Eastern Gate over there;
I will meet you in the morning
I will meet you in the morning
I will meet you in the morning over there.
-We especially need God during times of need.
Philip Harrelson
barnabas14@yahoo.com
