The QUAGMIRE Of MANKIND’s SEPARATION-II—Genesis 10:1-32 & 11:1-9
Mankind became separated into various nations following the Flood.
Genesis details the origins of the nations following the Flood.
Genesis concisely details the separation of the nations following the Flood.
Genesis concisely details a separation of nations following the Flood.
*The separation of mankind is concisely documented/recorded.
*What defines the quagmire of mankind’s separation?
9 concerns in mankind’s separation.
The week before last we found in these verses that...
The quagmire in mankind’s separation is in his...
1. CLIQUISH DIVERSITY(10:2; 10:6ff; 10:21ff) Family
2. CONFLICT(10:13-14; 10:15-19) Contention
3. KINGDOM CONSTRUCTION(10:8-12) Built on flesh
4— The quagmire in mankind’s separation is in his...
CAMARADERIE(11:1-4)
Explanation:(11:1-4) Worldly Cooperation
11:1—“Now the whole earth had one language & one speech.”
The “whole earth” consisted of an unknown number of Shem, Ham & Japheth’s progeny; Probably the third generation because Nimrod was Ham’s grandson(10:6, 8).
There was only “one language” which was used by all mankind. Their manner of speaking was likewise the same. Thus all maintained an understanding of each other, having both an ability to express it fully as well as being fully understood(11:6-7).
“Whole”(See :4)—lk kol—1) All, the whole. Strong—properly--The whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense).
“Earth”(See :4, 25)—Ura eh’-rets—1) Land, earth. Strong—from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; The earth(at large, or partitively a land).
“One”(See :6)—dxa ekh-awd’—1) One (number). Strong—properly--United, i.e. One; or (as an ordinal) First.
“Language”—hps saw-faw’—1) Lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding. Strong—The lip(as a natural boundary); by implication--Language; by analogy--A margin(of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.).
“Speech”—rbd daw-bar’—1) Speech, word, speaking, thing. Strong—a word; by implication--A matter(as spoken of) or Thing; adverbially-A cause.
:2—“And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, & they dwelt there.”
They all “journeyed” “from the east”(KJV, NKJV) or simply “east” or “eastward.” Some settled in “the land of Shinar”(between the Tigris & Euphrates rivers; Current Iraq with Baghdad near upper convergence).
Zech. 5:5-11 “Then the angel who talked with me came out & said to me, “Lift your eyes now, & see what this is that goes forth.” So I asked, “What is it?” And he said, “It is a basket that is going forth.” He also said, “This is their resemblance throughout the earth: “Here is a lead disc lifted up, & this is a woman sitting inside the basket”; then he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her down into the basket, & threw the lead cover over its mouth. Then I raised my eyes & looked, & there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, & they lifted up the basket between earth & heaven. So I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they carrying the basket?” And he said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.””
“Journeyed”—eon naw-sah’—Qal Infinitive—1) To pull out, pull up, set out, journey, remove, set forward, depart. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To pull up,(especially the tent-pins), i.e. Start on a journey.
“From the east”—Mdq keh’-dem—N. m.—1) East, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime. Adv.—2) Eastward, to or toward the East.
“Found”—aum maw-tsaw’—Qal Imperfect—1) To find, attain to. Qal—1a1) To find, 1a2) To find out, 1a3) To come upon, light upon. Strong—a primitive root; properly--To come forth to, i.e. Appear or exist; transitively-To attain, i.e. Find or acquire; figuratively--To occur, meet or be present.
“Plain”—heqb biq-ah’—1) Valley; 2) Plain, level valley. Strong—properly--A split, i.e. A wide level valley between mountains. Used 20X.
“Shinar”—renv shin-awr’—1)The ancient name for the territory later known as Babylonia or Chaldea. “The fertile valley watered by the Euphrates & Tigris was chosen as the center of their union & the seat of their power.”—JFB. Shinar = “Country of two rivers.”
:3—“Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks & bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, & they had asphalt for mortar.”
They decide to make very durable bricks. They used brick in place of stone. Tar was used to hold the bricks in place.
Brick is the product of man’s handiwork.
Asphalt/Bitumen/Pitch/Slime is used by many cultures to waterproof ships/boats/canoes, etc. as well as cement for various purposes. It is also flammable. It can be artificially heated to a liquid, applied, & hardens upon allowing it to cool.
“Bitumen is a black, oily, viscous material” from naturally-occurring deposits. “Also known as asphalt or tar, bitumen was mixed with other materials throughout prehistory & throughout the world for use as a sealant, adhesive, building mortar, incense, & decorative application on pots, buildings, or human skin.”— About.com—The Olmec[S. America] Civilization & Bitumen
“Some of the bitumen in Syria was found to have originated from the ‘Hit’ seepage on the Euphrates River in southern Mesopotamia.”—About.com—Bitumen
Today:
“The primary use of asphalt is in road construction, where it is used as the glue or binder mixed with aggregate particles to create asphalt concrete.” Also used for ‘roofing felt.’—Wikipedia— ‘Asphalt’
The ‘LaBrea Tar Pits’ in Los Angeles, CA are an example of natural ‘asphalt seeps.’
“Make”—Nbl law-ban’—Qal Imperfect–1) To be white; 2) (Qal) To make bricks. Strong—a primitive root; to be (or become) White; also (as denominative from hnbl’(from the whiteness of the clay) To make bricks. Used 8X.
“Bricks”—hnbl leb-ay-naw’—1) Tile, brick. Strong—A brick (from the whiteness of the clay). Used 11X.
“Bake/Burn”—Prs saw-raf’—Qal Imperfect—1) To burn.
“Thoroughly”—hprs ser-ay-faw’—Qal Imperfect—N. f.—1) Burning. Strong—Cremation. Used 13X.
“Stone”—Nba eh’-ben—1) Stone (large or small). Strong—from the root of hnb(To build); through the meaning to build; A stone.
“Asphalt/Slime”—rmx khay-mawr’—1) Slime, pitch, asphalt, bitumen. Strong—Bitumen(as rising to the surface). Used 3X.
“Mortar”—rmx kho’mer—1) Cement, mortar, clay; 2) Heap—2a) Swelling, surging (of water); 3) Homer - a unit of dry measure about 65 imperial gallons (300 l). Strong—properly--A bubbling up, i.e. of water, a wave; of earth, mire or clay(cement); also A heap; hence, A homer or dry measure.
:4—“And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, & a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”” ”
The bricks were to be used in making a “city.” The focal point of the city was to be a “tower.” The tower’s top was intended to reach into “the heavens.” Would this city with its tower make a name for the people or would they make a name for themselves through some other means & the city & tower would add to the name?
The “making” of “a name” “for themselves” would prevent the people from being scattered over the earth. Thereby their own fleshly desire would be stronger than that of God’s. This “scattering” was obviously odious to the people in general. Thus all did not follow the directives of the true & living God, YaHWeH(:5), which had been received by Noah & his progeny(Gen. 9:1).
Their intent was to do the polar opposite of God per Noah’s blessing(Gen. 9:1) in that, they limited their fruitfulness & multiplication to specific parts of the earth rather than seeking to “fill” the earth.
Another fear they had was that they would pass this life unnoticed & unrecognized at having contributed something to society. bigger & badder=Recognition & attration. They sought to be leaders & innovators in their own families, banding together with others in “making a name for themselves.” Obtaining such “a name for themselves” would then rival the name of YaHWeH. Unfortunately humanity is dealing with a jealous God who will not give His glory to another, particularly so to a being which He had created.
Ex. 20:2-6—““I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third & fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me & keep My commandments.”
Isa. 42:8—“I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.”
Nahum 1:2—“God is jealous, & the LORD avenges; The LORD avenges & is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;”
Js. 4:4-10—“Adulterers & adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil & he will flee from you. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; & purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament & mourn & weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning & your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, & He will lift you up.”
“Build”—hnb baw-naw’—Qal Imperfect—1) To build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue. Strong—a primitive root; To build(literally & figuratively).
“City”—rye `iyr—1) Excitement, anguish—1a) Of terror; 2) City, town (a place of waking, guarded). Strong—A city(a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense(even of a mere encampment or post).
“Tower”—ldgm mig-dawl’—1) Tower—1a) Tower, 1b) Elevated stage, pulpit, 1c) Raised bed. Strong—A tower(from its size or height); by analogy--A rostrum; figuratively--A(pyramidal) bed of flowers.
“Top”—var ro’sh—1) Head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning. Strong—from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; The head(as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, etc.).
“Heavens”—Mymv shaw-mah’-yim—1) Heaven, heavens, sky—1a) Visible heavens, sky—1a1) As abode of the stars, 1a2) As the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc, 1b) Heaven (as the abode of God). Strong—dual of an unused singular hmv shaw-meh’; from an unused root meaning to be lofty; The sky(as aloft; the dual perhaps alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve).
Argumentation:
Gen. 3:22-24—“Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good & evil. And now, lest he put out his hand & take also of the tree of life, & eat, & live forever”-- therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; & He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, & a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”
It is not man’s place to become God Almighty. However he is to imitate God but only thru a servile attitude in that godliness.
Ps. 2:1-3—“Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD & against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.””
Jer. 7:9-11—““Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, & walk after other gods whom you do not know, “& then come & stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, & say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’? “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD.”
Jer. 12:1-11—“Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth But far from their mind. But You, O LORD, know me; You have seen me, And You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, And prepare them for the day of slaughter. How long will the land mourn, And the herbs of every field wither? The beasts & birds are consumed, For the wickedness of those who dwell there, Because they said, “He will not see our final end.” “If you have run with the footmen, & they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? For even your brothers, the house of your father, Even they have dealt treacherously with you; Yes, they have called a multitude after you. Do not believe them, Even though they speak smooth words to you. “I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies. My heritage is to Me like a lion in the forest; It cries out against Me; Therefore I have hated it. My heritage is to Me like a speckled vulture; The vultures all around are against her. Come, assemble all the beasts of the field, Bring them to devour! Many rulers have destroyed My vineyard, They have trodden My portion underfoot; They have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate; Desolate, it mourns to Me; The whole land is made desolate, Because no one takes it to heart.”
1Jn. 2:15-19—“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, & the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, & the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. Little children, it is the last hour; & as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”
Micah 7:2-6—“The faithful man has perished from the earth, And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; Every man hunts his brother with a net. That they may successfully do evil with both hands-- The prince asks for gifts, The judge seeks a bribe, And the great man utters his evil desire; So they scheme together. The best of them is like a brier; The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; The day of your watchman & your punishment comes; Now shall be their perplexity. Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.”
Jn. 16:32-33—““Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, & will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.””
Jn. 17:12-15—““While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; & none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, & these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; & the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.”
Jn. 15:18-19—““If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
A den of thieves
they persecute you
Illustration:
Political systems:
Communism—actively opposes Christian thought
Atheism— actively opposes Christian thought
Globalization— CAMARADERIE
Space Station— CAMARADERIE
And all this with language barriers!
The CHURCH:
We can always do more together than separately...
*As Southern Baptists, we know very well how this concept can be transformed to honor God. The bulk of our mission work is built on this premise. Cooperative Program giving supports our mission training facility in VA(The Baker James Cauthen and Eloise Glass Cauthen International Learning Center). Its on 238 Acres with a 15 acre lake. Nearly 11,000 career missionaries have been trained there.
Application:
?You caught up in the Quagmire of Worldly CAMARADERIE?
?You caught up in the Quagmire of what separates you from God?
5— The quagmire in mankind’s separation is in his...
CREATIVITY/Cleverness/Ingenuity(11:3)
Explanation:(11:3) Worldly Innovation
:3—“Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks & bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, & they had asphalt for mortar.” ”
Mankind has been endowed with an incredible wisdom by his Maker. The ability to Imagine, Design & Manufacture.
He can take raw materials such as ore from the ground & by combining it in specific ways with other materials & taking it thru certain processes, produce metals strong enough to produce monstrously tall buildings, building up instead of out!(Burj Khalifa, Dubai, The United Arab Emirates is 2716 ft. high—The Empire State Building is less than half that height). To employ his God-endowed reasoning to the betterment of mankind. And to a lesser degree—praise be to our God in Christ—to his demise.
Argumentation:
Rev. 18:1-3, 9-20—“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, & the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, & has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, & a cage for every unclean & hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, & the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.””.....““The kings of the earth who committed fornication & lived luxuriously with her will weep & lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ “And the merchants of the earth will weep & mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise anymore: merchandise of gold & silver, precious stones & pearls, fine linen & purple, silk & scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, & marble; & cinnamon & incense, fragrant oil & frankincense, wine & oil, fine flour & wheat, cattle & sheep, horses & chariots, & bodies & souls of men. The fruit that your soul longed for has gone from you, & all the things which are rich & splendid have gone from you, & you shall find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping & wailing, & saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, & scarlet, & adorned with gold & precious stones & pearls! ‘For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, & as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance & cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’ “They threw dust on their heads & cried out, weeping & wailing, & saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’ “Rejoice over her, O heaven, & you holy apostles & prophets, for God has avenged you on her!””
All those things are ‘resources’ highlighting man’s creative endeavors both good & bad!
Prov. 1:10-19—“My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, And whole, like those who go down to the Pit; We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, We shall fill our houses with spoil; Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse”-- My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood. Surely, in vain the net is spread In the sight of any bird; But they lie in wait for their own blood, They lurk secretly for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.”
Js. 4:13-17—“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such & such a city, spend a year there, buy & sell, & make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time & then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live & do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good & does not do it, to him it is sin.”
1Cor. 7:29-31—“But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, & those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.”
Illustration:
Negative Creativity:
Mankind is creative/ingenious with evil(that which opposes God).
Human trafficking!/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Drug Rings
Prostitution Rings
Crime syndicates(Mob/Mafia empires)/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Submarines for sneaking in illegal drugs/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity.
Digital theft/A person can literally walk up beside you with their smart phone & read your credit-debit card info & walk away with you completely oblivious/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Computer virus updates allow us to keep ahead of the criminals/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Creative, Clever, & Ingenious....But Immoral!
Positive Creativity:
Creative in good(?) way—Smart phone app that allows you to speak English into the phone & within seconds, translates & parrots the same(thru phone speaker) in whatever language you need! So two people can converse, even though they are completely ignorant of each other’s languages!/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Harnessed Electricity—Air conditioning—Heating—Cars—Planes—Ships—Trains—Tractors— X-rays —MRIs—Robotic surgery—Sky scrapers—etc./CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Habitat for Humanity/Enabling those who are unable/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Smart Phone Apps. for sharing Jesus/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Paved Highway system for transporting goods quickly/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Air travel—Airplanes-Jets-Helicopters/CREATIVITY-Cleverness-Ingenuity
Application:
?You caught up in the Quagmire of CREATIVITY?
?You caught up in the Quagmire of what separates you from God?
6— The quagmire in mankind’s separation is in his...
CONTRAST(11:5)
Explanation:(11:5) Compared Motivation
:5—“But the LORD came down to see the city & the tower which the sons of men had built.”
The LORD came down. He came to see the city & tower that the men had built.
*This may be a statement as to the miniscule efforts of man in comparison to his reality. This is seen particularly in YaHWeH’s sight. YaHWeH had to leave heaven in order to “see” both “the city” & “tower.”
When we observe out world thru God’s eyes, we recognize our own efforts without Him as a futile reality.
“Came down”(See :7—“Go down”)—dry yaw-rad’—Qal Imperfect—1) To go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down. Strong—a primitive root; To descend(literally, to go downwards; or conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or figuratively--To fall); causatively--To bring down(in all the above applications).
“See”—har raw-aw’—Qal Infinitive—1) To see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider. Strong—a primitive root; To see, literally or figuratively(in numerous applications, direct & implied, transitive, intransitive & causative).
“Men”—Mda aw-dawm’—1) Man, mankind—1a) Man, human being, 1b) Man, mankind (much more frequently intended sense in OT), 1c) Adam, first man, 1d) City in Jordan valley. Strong—from (Mda; to show blood (in the face), i.e. flush or turn rosy); Ruddy i.e. A human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.).
Argumentation:
Ezek. 18:20-30—““The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, & the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, & does what is lawful & right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. “None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “& not that he should turn from his ways & live? “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness & commits iniquity, & does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty & the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, & your ways which are not fair? “When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, & dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. “Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, & does what is lawful & right, he preserves himself alive. “Because he considers & turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. “Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, & your ways which are not fair? “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, & turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin.”
Isa. 55:6-9—“Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Hosea 14:9—“Who is wise? Let him understand these things. Who is prudent? Let him know them. For the ways of the LORD are right; The righteous walk in them, But transgressors stumble in them.”
Ps. 77:19-20—“Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, And Your footsteps were not known. You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses & Aaron.”
God had to lead them. He had to direct Moses & Aaron.
Mat. 11:25-30—“At that time Jesus answered & said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven & earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise & prudent & have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, & no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, & the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” “Come to Me, all you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me, for I am gentle & lowly in heart, & you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy & My burden is light.””
Illustration:
Prisoner(deserving)/Identity thief/Steals credit card numbers/Spent his time on earth selfishly taking from others/Destroying the lives of the innocent...
...Contrasted with:
The sweetest, most godly Christian woman/Loves...Neighbors...Husband...& her Children/Always giving of herself for these/Provides for their well-being/Truly concerned about the widow down the street/Gives all(time & money) she can to her church/Actively concerned with global missions/
Huge CONTRAST!
Application:
?You caught up in the Quagmire of CONTRAST?
?You caught up in the Quagmire of what separates you from God?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
The quagmire in mankind’s separation is in his...
4. CAMARADERIE(11:1-4)Worldly Cooperation
5. CREATIVITY(11:3)Worldly Innovation
6. CONTRAST(11:5)Compared Motivations
1. CLIQUISH DIVERSITY(10:2; 10:6ff; 10:21ff) Family
2. CONFLICT(10:13-14; 10:15-19) Contention
3. KINGDOM CONSTRUCTION(10:8-12) Built on flesh
Presented 09/23/2012am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
