Tag Archives: Trusting God

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Trusting The God We Don’t Fully Know

Too Deep, Always Kind, Without Mistakes

UNSHAKEABLE: There is a whole lot more to God that we don’t understand than what we do understand! The truth is, when you delve into some of the deep and mysterious truths of God in scripture, it can get a little intimidating, if not downright scary, and for sure, unsettling. But here is a rule of thumb when you get to the mysterious, confusing, unsettling things you are reading and you are a little overwhelmed: You can always trust God! He is good, all the time — and you can take that to the bank! And although he is too deep to always explain himself to us, we can be assured that he is too kind to ever be cruel and too wise to ever make a mistake.

God is too deep to always explain himself to us, but even when we don’t understand him, we can be assured that he is too kind to ever be cruel and too wise to ever make a mistake. —Ray Noah

Unshakeable Living // Romans 11:33

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out.

There is a lot in Romans 11 that, quite frankly, is impossible to get your brain around! For instance:

  • how God hardened Israel’s heart (Rom 11:7-10)
  • election and the full number of the Gentiles (Rom 11:7,25,28)
  • how God uses the misfortunes of some to create blessings for others (Rom 11:12,30-31)
  • how God is using his kindness to the Gentiles to create jealousy in the Jews (Rom 11:11)
  • how God has bound all men over to disobedience so he can show mercy to them all (Rom 11:32)

Huh? Give you a headache? Yeah — me, too! I can understand, after all those mind-teasing theologies, why Paul exclaims,

No one can explain the things God decides or understand his ways. (Rom 11:33, NCV)

Yes, there is a whole lot more to God that we don’t understand than what we do understand! So if you ever run into someone who thinks and talks like they have God all figured out, you are probably listening to a spiritual egghead! The truth is, when you delve into some of these deep and mysterious truths, it can get a little intimidating, if not downright scary and unsettling. But here is a rule of thumb when you get to stuff like this and you are a little overwhelmed:

You can always trust God!

God is good, all the time — you can take that to the bank! And although he is too deep to always explain himself to us, we can be assured that he is too kind to ever be cruel and too wise to ever make a mistake.

I like how the Message translates these verses on the mysterious ways of God—I think they not only shed some needed light on this matter, but they graciously provide us with a whole lot of comfort as well:

Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.

Having trouble figuring God out? I get you! But here is what I am committed to; what I am staking my whole eternity on: Everything ends up in him…always glory…always praise!

I would encourage you to go with that, too!

Get Rooted: There are several things in this chapter (as well as throughout Romans) that might leave you scratching your head. For hundreds of years, theologians and laymen alike have debated “election” versus “free will” with no clear resolution to the debate. Likewise, certain statements are made by the Bible’s human authors that seem to run against the grain of what we know to be true about God, such as the one in Romans 11:32, “For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” Do you think there are some things in Scripture that we should just chalk up to Romans 11:33? Perhaps you should commit yourself today and from here on to that probability.

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A Gift For God

How To Make Him Happy

SYNOPSIS: What can you give to a God who has it all and does it all? Only your fear and your hope! What satisfies God to the core of his being is the fear that arises not out of terror, but from the kind of reverence and obedience that comes from knowing that he is the giver and sustainer of life itself, the rightful owner of Planet Earth and ruler of your life.

Project 52—Memorize:
Psalm 147:11

“The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

How do you make God happy?  He has everything he wants and can create what he doesn’t have.

God is all-powerful—after all, he even created all the stars and calls them each by name:  “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” (Psalm 147:4)

God knows everything there is to know—there is no limit to either his power or his understanding: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” (Psalm 147:5)

God has fixed up this little globe called earth to run amazingly well, sustaining its ecological systems: “He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow like wool, and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.” (Psalm 147:15-18)

God has even ordered provision for the daily needs of his earthly creatures: “He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” (Psalm 147:8-9)

So precisely, abundantly, and consistently does God care for the earth’s higher inhabitants that their utter and ceaseless gratitude is only fitting: “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.” (Psalm 147:7)

What, then, can you give to a God who has it all and does it all?  Only your fear and your hope! What satisfies God to the core of his being is the fear that arises not out of terror, but from the kind of reverence and respect that comes from knowing that he is the giver and sustainer of life itself, the rightful owner of Planet Earth and ruler of your life.

What causes God pleasure is the hope that looks to him for protection, peace, and provision: “For he strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat. (Psalm 147:13-14)

What causes God pleasure is the patience that waits for him to execute justice and fairness: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

What causes God pleasure is trust that expects him to fulfill his good purposes to all those who belong to him: “He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws.” (Psalm 147:19-20).

What gift can you offer to the one Being who truly has it all?  Just your very life, that’s all.

“God desires to be loved by men, although He needs them not; and men refuse to love God, though they need Him in an infinite degree.” ~Plaintes Du Sauveur

Reflect and Apply: Do you want to bring a smile to God’s face today?  I think you know what to do!

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Don’t Sacrifice Future Blessings For Temporal Fixes

Trust and Obey, For There's No Other Way

SYNOPSIS: God desires to bless us—he really does. But there is a path to blessing that we must follow. The path is against the grain of human reasoning and self-gratification, but it is the one and only path that God has chosen for his people to walk. What is that path? It is to ruthlessly truth and completely obey God! Walk it, my friend! It always leads to untold blessing! And on that path, don’t sacrifice a future of promised blessing that arrives only through trust and obedience for quick but temporal fixes that will end up destroying you.

The Journey // Focus: Joshua 8:2

You will destroy Ai this time as you destroyed Jericho and its king. And this time, you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves.

God told Israel to completely destroy Jericho—an evil city that was a part of an exceedingly evil culture—which happened to stand directly in the way as Israel entered the Promised Land. It was the first city of conquest, and as such, it was the first-fruits of sorts—the initial battle of the many battles to come in their conquest of Canaan. These first-fruits belong to God—in this case, and in every case. God says, “Give me the best (that is, the first part), then I will give you the rest. This is how you will honor me and keep me first in your life.” Thus with Jericho, the spoils of the battle were to be totally devoted to the Lord by totally annihilating this evil city and everything in it.

Yet one man, Achan, secretly, selfishly, and in willful disregard to what God has just commanded, took some plunder for himself (Joshua 7:20-21), and as a result of his individual disobedience, national disgrace settled upon Israel. The Israelites lost the next battle—one they should have easily won—and scores of warriors died. Because of the sin of one man, the whole nation suffered. Sound familiar? That is exactly what happened when Adam sinned,

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12)

When you read the story of Achan’s punishment—and the brutality of his entire family being executed for his sin—and you are both feeling sorry for them and miffed that God overreacted, keep in mind that thousands of Israelites were mourning the deaths of their warrior sons who had been killed in battled because of this one man’s selfish act. That will put the harsh consequences of disobedience placed upon Achan, along with his entire family, into a sobering but more understandable light.

The take-away from this story, and it is a sad one, is that Achan could have had everything his heart desired had he just followed the Lord’s commands. As we see in this next battle, the soldiers were free to take the plunder.

When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai. For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua. (Joshua 8:24-27)

Achan made the mistake we often make: We sacrifice a future of promised blessing that arrives only through trust and obedience for quick but temporal fixes that will end up destroying us. Call it what you will—delayed gratification, long-range planning, ruthless trust—waiting upon God in faith and obedience is the job of the Christian. And scripture is replete with promises for those who do:

No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others. (Psalm 25:3)

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. (Psalm 37:4-5)

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6:33)

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

God desires to bless us—he really does. But there is a path to blessing that we must follow. The path is against the grain of human reasoning and self-gratification, but it is the one and only path that God has chosen for his people to walk.

Walk it, my friend! It always leads to untold blessing!

Going Deeper: Here is a prayer I would invite you to join me in lifting to the Lord: “Dear Father, would I have been an Achan if I were in his place? Would I have given into temptation and disobeyed you? Am I doing that now in some area of my life? Oh Lord, I don’t even want an answer to that—I just want you to purge me of any disobedience and faithlessness. I want to be pleasing to you. I don’t want to bring shame and injury upon my family or my church. I want to partake of the amazing blessings that come by trust and obedience. I want to be a part of the Joshua crowd, not the Achan clan. Lord, cleanse me and set my feet on solid ground. Lead me in the way everlasting. Establish my coming and my going so that I am completely devoted and pleasing to you!”

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God’s Unseen But Unstoppable Work On Our Behalf

There's More Going On That What You See

SYNOPSIS: You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to good. He is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory, and he is working out the details of your life for your own good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise, because he has promised to perfect everything that concerns you. And even though God’s enemies may be fighting mad—and taking it out on you—never forget, behind the scenes, he is repurposing even the most unlikely sources as instruments to accomplish his good, pleasing and perfect will for you.

The Journey// Focus: Joshua 2:7-11

So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut. Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

God is always at work, even when we cannot see it. God is always fulfilling his glorious purposes, which includes perfecting everything that concerns you and me.

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. (Psalm 138:8)

At times, God is working in visible, dramatic, undeniable ways. We will see an example of that very thing a few chapters later when the walls of the city of Jericho miraculously fall. Those kinds of stories are strategically placed throughout scripture to build our confidence in God. But between those faith stories, which are long stretches of time—weeks, months, even years—God’s work is not so visible. He is not inactive, mind you; his work is just invisible. You see, most of the time God is behind the scenes, working in unseen ways, as is the case here in Joshua 2. The Israelite spies that Joshua sent out to size up Jericho have made their way into the city, but word has gotten out and now the authorities are looking for them. Their lives are at risk. They don’t see that God is at work—yet. For all they know, they’re toast!

Then Rahab rescues the day. Yes, Rahab—an idol worshipping, street walking, “lady of the night.” At great risk to her own life, and that of her family, she hides the spies and tricks the authorities, making it possible for the two deep cover Israelites to make it out alive. What the two spies didn’t know at the time was that God was working on their behalf by working on a prostitute, whom he would use in such a significant act of faith that her bravery would land her in God’s Great Hall of Faith. (Hebrews 11:30-31)

As she spoke with the spies, this lady of questionable character was laying down some unquestionable theology: the work of God on Israel’s behalf was striking fear in the hearts of Israel’s enemies. The mighty acts of deliverance forty years prior in Egypt and over the decades of Israel’s wandering out in the desert had been sending shock waves into the unseen realm, and the principalities and powers that opposed God, and everything of God, were quaking in their boots. God had been at work all along on Israel’s behalf, and they didn’t even know it.

What is interesting here is how the different actors respond. The enemies of God are fighting mad. The men of God are fleeing in fear. The woman of the night is responding in faith. And over it all, God is at work, fulfilling his purposes and perfecting everything that concerns his people—redeeming a prostitute, rescuing the spies, and redirecting the bounty hunters.

That is true for you too. You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to good. He is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory, and he is working out the details of your life for your good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise. You may be tempted to flee in fear and God’s enemies may be fighting mad—at you. But at the same time, God will be repurposing even the most unlikely sources, the Rahabs in your world, as instruments of faith.

What you see isn’t all that is going on. Never forget that. And learn to trust God’s unseen but unstoppable work on your behalf.

Going Deeper: You may be facing forces today that are out to cause you harm. Take courage: God is also aligning a Rahab or two to work on your behalf. Take a moment to thank God for the good he is bringing about, even if you don’t see it yet.

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Permissible vs. Blessable

It's Best To Ask, "What Does God Want?"

SYNOPSIS: God may give us what we want, but what he gives and what we want do not guarantee it will be for our best. What is permissible is not always blessable. Rather, we should always and only seek what God wants, and trust that he will then take care of what we want.

the Journey // Focus: Deuteronomy 17:14-16

You are about to enter the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you take it over and settle there, you may think, “We should select a king to rule over us like the other nations around us.” If this happens, be sure to select as king the man the Lord your God chooses. You must appoint a fellow Israelite; he may not be a foreigner. The king must not…

“Like the other nations.” That is an oft-repeated commentary on the mindset of the Israelites. In this case, Israel wants a king, against God’s clear warning. And ultimately, God gave them what they wanted, when what they needed was to trust in his God sovereign leadership.

God had pulled the Israelites out of bondage and ignominy among the nations to be their only God, their one true king, and to give them the high honor of being his distinct people—a holy nation set apart for his purpose. But early and often, they would want to crawl back into the pit from which they were dug. “Everyone else is doing it!” was often the basis of their appeal. “We want to be like them.”

Since God knows the end from the beginning, he anticipated the Israelite’s cry for an earthly king. When they settled into the Promised Land as a nation, he knew they would see that all the other nations had a monarch—even though that wasn’t working out too well for the heathen—and Israel would begin to long for what they didn’t have: a king to rule over them.

Four hundred years after Moses, the Israelites rejected the Lord’s desire to be their sole ruler and asked for a king. At the end of the period when the judges ruled Israel, the people came to Samuel with the request:

“Look,” they told Samuel, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.” (1 Samuel 5-9)

God knew way in advance what was in their heart, and in his permissive will, he would accommodate their worldly desire. That brings us to a teachable moment: Sometimes God gives us what we want, but what he gives and what we want do not guarantee it will be for our best. (Psalm 106:15) What is permissible is not always blessable. In Deuteronomy 17, God anticipated their longing for an earthly king and told them when that time came, he would grant the desires of their hearts. However, his provision would be with several important provisos:

One, the king was to be a man the Lord chose. The king was not necessarily to be the obvious, the smartest, the wealthiest or even the guy that would win the popular vote: “be sure to select as king the man the Lord your God chooses.” (Deuteronomy 17:15) God wanted the Israelites to look to him for the leader that he would choose for them. God wanted the people to trust him in the selection.

Two, the king was not to be dependent on human power. He was prohibited from amassing a huge army with overpowering weaponry. He was to trust in God (see Psalm 20:7), not in the arm of flesh: “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never return to Egypt.’” (Deuteronomy 17:16) God wanted first and foremost the king’s trust.

Three, the king was not to use his royal position to gain sexual satisfaction. As king, he would have all the power, so he could easily leverage it to gratify his fleshly appetites If he did, God warned that this would be his spiritual undoing—the women he took to himself would turn his heart away from God: “The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 16:17) Both David, and especially Solomon, were royal poster boys of unrestrained fleshly desire. God wanted the king to trust him for satisfaction of his every desire.

Four, the king was not to use his position to gain inordinate wealth. Rather, he was to serve God by serving the people, and by doing this, earthly and material blessings would come: “he must not accumulate large amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.” (Deuteronomy 17:17) The temptation with a king, as with all positions of power, would be to use royal authority to serve self rather than the sheep. Again, the king was to trust in the Lord, not in his position, for material blessing.

Fifth, the king was to lead by God’s law, not human wisdom. When a human being ascends to leadership and the people he leads begin to applaud, like clockwork, ego will rise up and cause his downfall. Israel’s king was to lead by the book—Book of the Law: “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.” (Deuteronomy 17:18-20) The king was to trust in the Lord with all his heart and not to lean on his own understanding.

God wanted the king’s trust. He wants your complete trust, too—now and at all times. Does he have it?

Going Deeper: Power, sex, money—those were the three temptations about which God warned the king. How about you? Are you jockeying for position, pursuing pleasure or chasing money to give your life meaning? God will give you what is best for you as you always and wholly trust him. Surrender your fleshly longings to him.

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If You Are A Chronic Complainer, Then Your Issue Is With God!

Trust Your God—You Give Him No Greater Gift

The underlying spirit of complaint is that we don’t trust God’s sovereign plan that has allowed us to be in the undesirable state about which we are protesting. It indicates that we don’t trust his power to see us through and accomplish his purposes by those circumstances. Even if complaining is directed at people or situations, it questions his rule over us, and it is sin. And it can spread like a wildfire in the spiritual community, leaving the ashes of doubt, distrust and irreparable damage. In every circumstance, we must reject whining for worshiping the God who does all things well. There is no greater gift that we offer him than our trust, especially when times are difficult, enemies are great, and resources are few.

The Journey// Focus: Numbers 14:1-3

Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voice rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. ‘If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!’ they complained. ‘Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle?”

As the children of Israel neared their Promised Land, their leader Moses sent out twelve spies on a reconnaissance mission. They were to probe enemy territory for weakness in order to enable the Israelites army the best place to invade the land and the best strategy to conquer the inhabitants that held “their” land. Of course, it was expected that these twelve spies, having seen the mighty hand of God time and again extended on their behalf, would come back full of faith for the challenge ahead.

But when the twelve spies returned from their mission with a first hand report of the land, ten of them were of a pessimistic perspective, and they turned the whole community into complainers. Their field reports start off well—it was indeed an incredible land their God was giving them—but it quickly turned from the promise of fruit to the problems they would face, namely giants and warriors. And it quickly threw cold water on the faith of the Israelite community.

That is so true of negativity—it can spread with the ferocity of a wildfire.

In spite of all that God had miraculously done up to this point, the people focused on how difficult things were in front of them rather than on how awesome the Power was behind them. The people got down, then they got mad, then they complained about their leader. Then, unbelievably, they complained about God. Then, incredibly, they whined about going back to a life of slavery in Egypt.

In essence, they were saying, “God, we don’t trust your sovereign plan, nor in your power to pull it off. We don’t think you know what you’re doing and we don’t like one bit this mess you’ve gotten us into.” Though they didn’t say it quite that directly, that was the underlying spirit of their complaint.

The underlying spirit in all complaint is that we don’t trust God’s sovereign plan that has allowed us to be in the undesirable state about which we are complaining. Likewise, our complaining indicates that we don’t trust his power to see us through it and accomplish his purposes by it. That is why complaint, even if it is directed at another person or a situation, is really a complaint against the Sovereign Lord; it is a sin. Worse yet, complaining spreads like a wildfire, leaving the ashes of doubt and distrust throughout our the spiritual community. At all times and in every circumstance, we must reject spiritual temper-tantrums for tempered trust in the One who does all things well.

There is no greater gift that we offer to God than our trust—even when, or more accurately, especially when circumstances are difficult, enemies are great, and resources are few. In contrast, nothing disappoints God more than when his children complain, since it is in essence the worst form of distrust in the Lord’s goodness, wisdom, power and love. And this is precisely why God judges so harshly the deep and persistent complaints of the ones who should deeply and persistently lean into him.

As a friend of mine says, you are either a lean in-er or a lean out-er. I hope you are the former!

Going Deeper: Are you a lean-inner or a lean-outer? Do you trust or do you complain? Do you worship or do you whine? Re-read Numbers 13 and 14, then determine to offer yourself to God in complete, unshakeable trust.

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Mandatory Retirement?

Amazing Opportunities As You Grow Older

What? Retire at fifty! That both attracts and repulses me. So why would God force the Levites who worked as Tabernacle caretakers to retire when they were still able bodied men? And what does that say about God’s view of retirement and the potential contribution of the retiree in our world today? Well, we will ultimately find that 100% of the Bible’s regulations tell us that God cares about us, even though our present understanding may be, “as through a glass darkly.” His commands are never grievous and are always for our good. As we trustingly embrace them, nothing but God’s abundant goodness will come our way. In the case of mandatory retirement in Numbers 8, even if that grates against your modern sensibilities, as John Newton put it, “God often takes a course for accomplishing His purposes directly contrary to what our narrow views would prescribe. He brings a death upon our feelings, wishes and prospects when He is about to give us the desire of our hearts.” And what is the desire of your heart as you grow older? Hopefully, it is to have greater impact. And may God give it to you!

The Journey // Focus: Numbers 8:23-26

The Lord also instructed Moses, “This is the rule the Levites must follow: They must begin serving in the Tabernacle at the age of twenty-five,  and they must retire at the age of fifty. After retirement they may assist their fellow Levites by serving as guards at the Tabernacle, but they may not officiate in the service. This is how you must assign duties to the Levites.”

What? Retire at fifty! That both attracts me and repulses me at the same time.

So why would God force the Levites who worked in the care of the Tabernacle to retire from their ministry when they were still able bodied men? And what does that say about God’s view of the retirement age and the potential contribution of those who are aging in our world today?

To begin with, no matter how we in the modern world may feel about the fairness, relevance and the wisdom of the decrees and regulations God laid down in the Pentateuch, or anywhere in Scripture for that matter, my belief is that as sincere God-followers we must forever embrace as settled law that God is all-knowing, all-wise, and always benevolent. The problem with God’s law is never with God, it is with us. We just don’t fully understand, and we can’t. Not now, anyway. We are finite and his is infinite. The Apostle Paul said it this way in Romans 11:33-36,

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?
Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

As someone wisely put it, “God is too wise to make a mistake, too kind to be cruel, and too deep to explain himself.” We would do well with trying to understand and explain God if we would accept that little piece of wisdom.

Beyond that, what we know about service in the Tabernacle was that it was hard work. It involved tedious attention to detail, careful planning and energy draining effort to tear down, pack up and haul the thousands of pieces of God’s house, pieces big and small, for miles and miles, through the Sinai desert. In an act of compassion, God knew that because of the strenuous effort and the raw brawn that it would require, this work would need to be carried out by the able-bodied men within a younger age group. This decree was, therefore, a grace.

We also know that it was a grace of God that he invited men who were above the age of retirement to continue in assisting in the work of his house. He wasn’t forcing capable people out of service or lessening their contribution, he was making a way for them to contribute in a different way. Their work wasn’t downgraded, it was just different.

And finally, what this decree, along with 100 percent of the other laws, regulations and rulings we find in the Bible, even though our understanding of them may be, at the end of the day, “as through a glass darkly,” tells us is that God cares about us. His commands are never grievous and are always for our good. As we trustingly embrace them, nothing but the abundant goodness of God will come our way.

Talk about great retirement benefits!

Going Deeper: Are there any decrees and commands, rules and regulations, from the Bible that you wrestle with, or are angry about, or that embarrass you as a believer? Don’t feel bad about not understanding them. I don’t — at least some of them. Even it you don’t, I would suggest that you offer up an expression of trust to the God who had good reason to give us his law.