Hello and welcome to another broadcast. We call it Plain and Simple. We're looking at understanding the times in which we live. An important series of broadcasts. Stay tuned, we'll try to make it plain and simple. Well, in our last broadcast, we saw that Israel wanted to do things the way they wanted to do things, rather than the way God wanted to do things. We read in Psalm 78, 55, that God made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents. Well, they didn't want tribes anymore, and they didn't want tents anymore. 1 Samuel 8 and 4 says, Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel and said unto him, Make us a king to judge us, like all the nations. We want to do it like the nations are doing it. Well, God said he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents, and he also said in Numbers 24, How goodly are thy tents, O Israel. You see, God's plan for Israel was plain, and it was very simple. Israel was divided into 12 tribes. God ordained priests to teach, and then in turn the parents were simply to go home and teach their families. And so in Deuteronomy 6 and 4 we read, And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children." The priests teach the scriptures, the fathers particularly go home and make sure that their children are understanding what they need to understand, and it was in this context that we read, "...how goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel." Well, 1 Samuel 7 and 3, God said through Samuel, "...prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, And he will deliver you from the Philistines. God said, I'll take care of the Philistines. Don't worry about the Philistines. Well, they decided they wanted to do things their own way. They would rather trust their own plan. And so they came to Samuel and said, make us a king to judge us like all the nations. It was God's purpose to show himself powerful through his tribes. And in our age, it's God's purpose to show himself powerful through his local churches. But like Israel, we've changed that plan. We said, well, we'd rather have a movement. Well, 1 Corinthians 1.27 says, God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty. And that no flesh, he said, should glory in his presence. Well, we got lots of glory in his presence today with our kings. We said, no, we'll have our kings. We have our fundamental kings. Well, we're paying a price for that. We just don't seem to learn from history. God did not need his people in Israel to take things into their own hands and fight their battles like all the nations. And neither do we need to form a movement in our day to fight the enemies that would come against the Lord. When God's people trust God, he takes care of his people. Israel should have trusted God in Samuel's day and claimed the promise, I will seek to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem. Zechariah 12, verse 9. They should have just trusted God with that promise. Well, Samuel pleaded with the people to do things God's way, 1 Samuel 8, 19. Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel and said nay. but we will have a king over us." Well, Samuel continued to warn them, but they refused to listen. And finally, Samuel said in 1 Samuel 10 19, And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saves you out of the hand of all your adversities and your tribulations. And ye have said unto him, Nay, but we will have a king over us. Well, the plan looked good at the beginning. Israel's first king was Saul. His first focus was to conduct a confrontation against the Philistines. Israel's new organization appeared to be much better than the plan, than just having a group of insignificant tribes without a central leader. And so we read in 1 Samuel 14 and 52, there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong men or any valiant man, he took him unto him. Yeah, God had warned him, you don't want to have your tents, you don't want to have your tribe, you don't want to rejoice in just doing it my way with your families at home. Well Saul, he'll take your kids, he'll take them and put them in the army. Well, 1 Samuel 13, verse 4 says, And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines. Well, look good, wow, this is great, see, this King thing is working a lot better. But then Saul overstepped his God-given boundaries in offering a burnt offering. In 1 Samuel 13, 11 we read, And Samuel said, What hast thou done? Thou hast done foolishly. Thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee. For now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever, but now thy kingdom shall not continue. We always become like those we associate with. David's reign was regarded in Israel's day then as the Golden Age. However, he began to go away from the way of God and go the way of the kings and the way of all the nations. David was influenced to ignore God's command in Deuteronomy 17. We read a king in Israel was not to multiply wives unto himself. Second Samuel 3 and 2, we read a list of six of David's wives. Then following the way of the kings who were noted for how large a harem they had, we read that David took unto him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem. When David was a shepherd with his few sheep, we read he was a man after God's own heart. When David was a sovereign, he chose to follow the examples of the kings of all the nations, and he became a man after another man's wife, Uriah's wife. 1 Samuel 27 tells us of two of David's wives. There was Abigail, and then he took Uriah's wife, and had Uriah and his men slaughtered so that he could have her. God is not mocked by unsafe sinners. He's not mocked by born again sinners either. David paid dearly for his sin. Israel also paid dearly for her disobedience in rejecting God's plan and choosing a king in the first place. Well, we read in 1 Samuel 8 and 7, the Lord said unto Samuel, they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should reign over them. Following King Saul and King David and then King Solomon, God's Word declares that about 80% of Israel's kings did evil in the sight of the Lord. How did their plan to battle the Philistines turn out? God is not mocked. We read in Judges 13 and 1, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines 40 years. There's a price tag on disobeying God. And there's a price tag also on refusing our God-given responsibilities. One of the earlier problems that led to Israel's downfall was Moses shirking his God-given responsibilities. At the burning bush, Moses complained that he could not handle Pharaoh by himself. He kept on about it and in Exodus 4, 14, we read the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. That's not a good place to be. Well, God allowed Moses to get help from his brother. And although it appeared to work well at the beginning, before long Moses realized it would have been better to listen to God. Exodus 32 one says the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron. He should have just left Aaron out of the picture in the first place. But no, he had to have them. What did Aaron do? He led the people into idolatry. We read in Exodus 32 that he told the people, break off your golden earrings. And they brought them to Aaron and he made a cap. And he says, these be the gods of Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation that said, tomorrow is a feast under the Lord. Can you imagine? Built a cap and said it was a feast under the Lord. Aaron did it all in the name of the Lord. Again, we find Moses not wanting to carry his God-given responsibility. And so he received the advice of Jethro this time. When he asked, why sittest thou thyself alone in Exodus 18 and 14, Jethro said, this thing is too heavy for thee. Thou art not able to perform it by thyself. Exodus 18 and 18. Jethro advised Moses to share his responsibilities with other men. Again, when we reject God's simple plan for one of our own, it never turns out well. Moses soon regretted what he did. He found his authority was challenged. In verse 21, Moses said, Behold, the Lord thy God has set the land before thee. Go up and possess it as the Lord God of thy fathers has said unto thee. Fear not, neither be discouraged. What did they do? They refused to follow the sayings. We read in verses 22 to 27, We will send men before us, and they shall search out the land. We read that they rebelled and they murdered in their tents. Well, we read in Numbers 11 verse number 1, when the people complained, it displeased the Lord, and the Lord heard it, and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burnt among them and consumed them that were in the uttermost part of the camp. The plan was so ineffective, Moses finally cried out in Numbers 11 verse 15, kill me, I pray, the out of hand, if I have found favor in thy sight, and let me not see my wretchedness. There is always a price tag on rejecting God's will and there's always a price tag on rejecting God's way. Deuteronomy 4 and 21, Moses said to the people, furthermore, the Lord was angry with me for your sake and swear that I should not go over Jordan and that I should not go in under the land which the Lord thy God giveth for an inheritance. There's always a price tag on rejecting God's will and rejecting God's way. If Moses had only waited on God, For a few more months, he would have met with God on the mountain. God spent 40 days and nights giving details concerning how he wanted things done. Moses listened to the counsel of Jethro, which only lasted a few hours, and like David, Moses paid dearly for his mistake. Moses rejected his responsibility as God's spokesman. The result was Aaron leading people into idolatry. Moses rejected his responsibility in judging for God, and we read, the fire of the Lord burnt among them and consumed them that were in the uttermost part of the camp. and the rest of them wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, there is always a price tag on rejecting God's will and rejecting God's way. Moses also rejected his responsibility as God's chosen leader. We read in Numbers 11, 11-17, and Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? And wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou hast burdened all this people upon me? I am not able to bear this people alone. It is too heavy for me. Well, what happened was God allowed Moses to have 70 helpers. In verse 16 we read, The Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me 70 men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be elders of the people, and officers over them, and bring them into the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee, and I will come down and talk with thee there, and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone." And so what happened? Rejecting responsibility resulted in Moses losing some of his power with God. He said, I will take the Spirit which is upon thee, and I will put it upon them. That didn't have to happen, but Moses let it happen. Moses also lost power with men, not only with God, with men. His leadership was challenged by his own brother and sister. The ten spies challenged his authority, and there was anarchy among the leaders. It just went from bad to worse. And how did it all turn out? That group of 70 turned out to be the organization that voted to crucify the Son of God. Israel did not like God's plan. They refused to stay with it. And as a result, they paid a serious price. Well, the only thing we learn from history is we don't learn from history. We learn the same thing. The word church or churches is in the Bible over 100 times. God's program for today is local churches. But like Israel, we have refused to stay with this program. We got a better plan. And as a result, we are paying a serious price. The founders of fundamentalism like Israel rejected God's way for what they thought was their own better way. Our new way looked good at the beginning like it did in Israel, but we too have ended up in a mess and you would have to be spiritually blind not to see that we are in a mess today. Why? Because we have followed our fundamental kings instead of just sticking with our local church like God said we do. We made a mistake when we said nay, but we will have our kings. We have rejected his perfect will for his permissive will, and we are paying dearly for it today. One would need to be blind, as I said, not to understand that. God's plan for our age is plain, and it is simple. For Israel, it was priests teaching the people, and the parents training their families concerning what they had learned from the priests. God's plan for today is a local church. Acts 15 and 5 says, and so were the churches established. The word of God said God gave pastors who were to teach faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. The plan was plain and the plan was simple. God wanted pastors teaching the Word of God and parents teaching their children to follow the Word of God. Ephesians 6, for you fathers, bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It's very simple. I don't know why we couldn't just stick with it, but no, we had a better way. We had to have our movement and now we are paying the price. Well, be with us again tomorrow. have our next in this series on understanding the times in which we live. you