WWUTT 1914 Moab Refuses Mercy (Isaiah 16:1-14)

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The promise of judgment was made to Moab, and there was even an extension of mercy, but they did not receive it.

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They continued turning to their false gods, and judgment came upon them. Heed this warning when we understand the text.

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This is When We Understand The Text, teaching through a New Testament book on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, an

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Old Testament book on Thursday, and a Q &A on Friday. With our Old Testament study today, here's

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Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. In our study of the book of Isaiah, we're continuing with this oracle against Moab.

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We read about last week in Chapter 15, and it actually continues on into Chapter 16. So I'm going to begin with reading these 14 verses out of the

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Legacy Standard Bible. Hear the word of the Lord. Send the tribute lamb to the ruler of the land, from Sila by the way of the wilderness to the mountains of the daughter of Zion.

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Then, like fleeing birds or scattering nestlings, the daughters of Moab will be at the fords of the

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Arnon. Bring us counsel. Make a decision. Cast your shadow like night at high noon.

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Hide those banished. Do not reveal the one who flees. Let the banished of Moab sojourn with you.

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Be a hiding place to them from the destroyer. For the extortioner has come to an end.

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Destruction has ceased. Oppressors have completely disappeared from the land. And a throne will be established in lovingkindness, and a judge will sit on it in truth in the tent of David.

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Moreover, he will seek justice and be prompt in righteousness. We have heard of the pride of Moab, an excessive pride, even on his lofty pride, pride and fury.

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His idle boasts are false. Therefore Moab will wail. Every one of Moab will wail.

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You will moan for the raisin cakes of Kir Hereseth as those who are utterly stricken.

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For the fields of Heshbon have languished, the vines of Sibwell. The lords of the nations have trampled down its choice clusters, which reached as far as Jaser and wandered to the deserts.

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Its tendrils spread themselves out and passed over the sea. Therefore I will weep bitterly for Jaser, for the vine of Sibma.

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I will drench you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elialah, for the shouting over your summer fruits and your harvest has fallen away.

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Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruitful orchard. In the vineyards also there will be no cries of joy or shouts of jubilation.

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No treader treads out wine in the presses, for I have made the shouting to cease.

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Therefore my inner being moans like a harp for Moab and my inner feelings for Kir Hereseth.

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So it will be when Moab appears, when he wearies himself upon his high place and comes to his sanctuary to pray, that he will not prevail.

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This is the word which Yahweh spoke earlier concerning Moab. But now Yahweh speaks, saying,

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Within three years, as a hired man would count them, the glory of Moab will be dishonored, along with all his great population, and his remnant will be very small and not mighty.

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So we can divide this particular section up into three parts. We have verses one through five, where the

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Lord really shows mercy to Moab. The previous section that we read, all of chapter 15 last week, there really wasn't an out that was given to Moab.

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There wasn't an opportunity for them to turn from the promised destruction that was coming upon them due to their paganism, their reviling

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God, their worshiping idols. But here there is something that is being given to them that they may follow and therefore be spared.

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I'll come back to that here in a moment. The second part is verses six through 12, where it becomes evident that Moab doesn't receive this kindness, this opportunity to repent and be reconciled back to God.

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And so what God has promised, the destruction that will come upon them, indeed comes. And then finally, verses 13 and 14 close it out with the

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Lord sealing this oracle that has come against Moab. So let's come to the start of this once again.

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Remember, everything that we read last week was very dark, nothing but gloom, that the

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Assyrians coming against Moab will so utterly destroy the land, that the people will pull out their hair, they will dress in sackcloth and ashes, they will just walk about moaning and weeping, starving and famine, because there is nothing for them.

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And the famine will be so great that even their neighbors won't be able to help them. Isaiah even talks about how he will weep over Moab.

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These were wicked people. They were pagan people. But to see this kind of brutality come against a people, even those who had done so wickedly against God, it's still really troubling of heart to see any group of people have to suffer that way.

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So it made Isaiah even weep. And we saw that again in chapter 16 also, since they do not receive the hand of the

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Lord, so God's hand comes against them, and it vexes Isaiah's spirit to have to see them in this way, but knowing they could have turned from their sin and been spared, and they did not.

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So it just compounds the grief all the more. You could have escaped, but you didn't escape.

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And so the judgment that has come upon you is just, but yet it's so great. I mean, what man could look at it and not be moved in heart?

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There's this destruction, this judgment that comes against Moab. They know it's by the hand of the Lord because Isaiah has spoken it to them.

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And yet they turn to their false gods to try to be spared. But if they want to escape that is coming against the land, here's what said at the beginning of chapter 16, verse one, send the tribute lamb to the ruler of the land from Sila by way of the wilderness to the mountain of the daughter of Zion.

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So what is being said there? Send the tribute lamb where? You're going to send it to Zion.

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What's at Zion? That's where the temple of God is. That's where God dwells with his people.

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So you want to make things right with God? You want to be able to escape the judgment that is going to come upon you?

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Send a tribute lamb. And they don't even have to come with massive flocks. Israel and Judah and all they would sacrifice hundreds of thousands, if not millions of animals per year.

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Moab doesn't even have to do that. You just have to send the tribute lamb sit to Zion to be sacrificed on the altar of God in the temple.

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And this will make things right between you and the Lord. Then repentance will sweep the land.

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There will be revival and God's hand will spare Moab. So in his mercy, he gives them an opportunity for repentance.

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But once again, we know that they did not take it. Verse two, then, like fleeing birds or scattering nestlings, the daughters of Moab will be at the fords of the

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Arnon. Bring us counsel. Make a decision. Cast your shadow like night at high noon.

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Hide those banished. Do not reveal the one who flees. Let the banished of Moab sojourn with you.

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Be a hiding place to them from the destroyer for the extortioner has come to an end.

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Destruction has ceased. Oppressors have completely disappeared from the land. So in order to escape the enemy that's coming against them, they need to go to a place of refuge.

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It's not that the Lord is going to keep back the Assyrians because they are still going to come through the land.

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There's still going to be punishment for what Moab has done. But the people can be spared if they seek refuge and a throne will be established in loving kindness.

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It says in five and a judge will sit on it in truth in the tent of David. Moreover, he will seek justice and be prompt in righteousness.

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Now, this is a prophecy concerning the throne of Hezekiah, but in a much higher sense, we know that it also refers to Jesus Christ for a judge will sit on it in truth.

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A judge will sit on this throne in the tent of David, and we know which kings in the line of David.

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But Jesus Christ, he will seek justice prompt in righteousness. So Hezekiah, this prophecy is fulfilled on the throne of Hezekiah.

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But we also know that it points to, in a greater sense, Christ, the judge who will sit on it in truth in the tent of David.

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And when Christ sits on his throne, the people of God are at refuge.

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We are at peace and safety for we take refuge in him. Though in this world, we will have enemies that come against us.

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We are struck down, but we are not destroyed, as the apostle Paul said in second Corinthians. And as we read in Romans eight, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

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Though there are people that will attempt to afflict us, yet that affliction turns into praise and joy unto our king.

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For we know that he will deliver us out of this, and he will have the final say over his enemies.

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He will issue justice against those who came against his people.

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And so we continue on here in verse six. We have heard of the pride of Moab, an excessive pride, even of his lofty pride, pride and fury, said over and over again.

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The pride of Moab, excessive pride, lofty pride, pride and fury. His idol boasts are false.

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All of this pride that he has in himself, this confidence that Moab has in itself is for nothing.

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These enemies are going to come against you and they are going to destroy you. So the pride is also demonstrated in the fact that God has given them an opportunity to escape or be delivered, to turn to him and be forgiven.

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But they don't take it. They think, hey, we can just do this on our own. And so, therefore, continuing in their pride and depending upon themselves, yet they will fall at the hands of their enemies.

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And how often does that happen with so many people who think, I don't need

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God, I can handle this by myself. I've sat down and talked with a number of people who have said to me,

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I need to be able to make myself right before I go back to church or I read my

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Bible again or I pray to God. God doesn't want me in this condition. So let me fix all of this and then

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I'll come back to the Lord again. That's not the way that it works. That's prideful. That's thinking that you can't actually do something to make yourself worthy to stand in the presence of God and you can't.

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It is Christ who cleanses. It is Christ who makes worthy. You come to him and he will make you new.

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Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and at the proper time, he will exalt you.

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But we don't make ourselves right before God. And so many people in their pride, they continue in their sin, they think they're fine, that they won't perish in judgment, yada, yada, yada, whatever excuses they make.

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But in their pride, they will fall and their idol boasts are false. They are really not as safe and as protected and as certain to be delivered as they think they are.

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And so in verse seven, therefore Moab will wail. Every one of Moab will wail.

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You will moan for the raisin cakes of Kir Hereseth as those who are utterly stricken.

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Raisin cakes. In other words, they're going to remember the time when things are good and they're going to long for that again, but they will never find them.

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They will never again taste when things were good. For the fields of Heshbon have languished the vines of Sibma as well.

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The Lords of the nations have trampled down its choice clusters, which reached as far as Jaser and wandered to the deserts.

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Its tendrils spread themselves out and passed over the sea. Once again, recalling the time when

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Moab was, it was indeed a good and desirable land. It was fruitful.

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It was flourishing. But they will be so utterly destroyed that these things will not be found in the land anymore.

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It won't even look like a shadow of its former self. Verse nine.

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Therefore, I will weep bitterly for Jaser for the vine of Sibma. I will drench you with my tears for the shouting over your summer fruits and your harvest has fallen away.

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So there's a mourning here over the people when the people were good and were flourishing, but the land was so abundant.

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There were people from even the surrounding lands that benefited. And so other lands will even suffer because the harvest of Moab will not be coming out from there anymore.

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There will be a famine in the land. It's a common result of war is that there's famine.

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You can't find food. There's too many mouths, not enough food. And so even the crops that were grown there in Moab, which other lands that surrounded

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Moab benefited from, they're not going to receive anymore. All the people are going to feel the effects of this judgment that is coming against Moab.

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Verse 10. Gladness and joy are taken away from the fruitful orchard in the vineyards.

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Also, there will be no cries of joy nor shouts of jubilation. No treader treads out wine in the presses for I have made the shouting to cease.

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Wine was always symbolic of abundance, so they're not receiving any crops.

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There's no abundance in their land either. There's nothing for anybody to tread out in the presses.

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So you could walk past the wine vats and there wouldn't be anybody there. There was no crop to grow, no grapes to press.

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Verse 11. Therefore, my inner being moans like a harp for Moab and my inward feelings for Kir Hereseth.

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So it will be when Moab appears, when he wearies himself upon his high place and comes to his sanctuary to pray, that he will not prevail.

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So what's said there again in verse 12, just like we saw in chapter 15 last week, though this promise, though this oracle has been given about destruction that's going to come upon Moab, they will not listen to it.

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They won't turn to the Lord. They will instead turn to their false gods. And that's what's said right here.

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He's going to weary himself at his high place. He's going to be so mourning over the destruction that's come against them that the

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Moabites are going to go to the high places. That was where they worship their gods. And they're going to weary themselves, calling out to their gods, but their gods will not answer because their gods are not real.

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This was just like when Elijah challenged the priests of Baal to a cook -off, to sacrificing a bull on their respective altars, and whichever god responded from heaven with fire, he was the true

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God of Israel. And you had the hundreds of priests of Baal that would march around their altar, and they would shout, and they would cry, and they would cut on themselves, and they would wail, and they would mourn for Baal to hear them and respond from heaven with fire.

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And of course, Baal never does. No fire ever comes from heaven, for Baal is not a god, and he does not exist.

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But these priests wailing and cutting on one another, they wore themselves out, so sure that their false god was there, and he could respond with power.

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And so just like those priests of Baal, so these people of Moab, they weary themselves, calling out to these false gods, but there's no one to hear them.

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The Moabite will not prevail. They will perish. They will languish in the judgment that comes upon them.

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So that's the end of the second part of this oracle in chapter 16. The final part is verses 13 and 14, which really seals the conclusion of the oracle.

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This is the word which Yahweh spoke earlier concerning Moab, but now

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Yahweh speaks saying, within three years, as a hired man would count them, the glory of Moab will be dishonored along with all his great population.

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So within three years as the hired man would count them means it's not going to be to the day.

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I'm not going to tell you exactly which day all of these things are going to take place, but you will know the season. So the hired man, he counts the seasons.

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Spring is here again, time to go plant. It's the fall, now it's time to go harvest.

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So this is how the hired man counts the days, and so it will be with regards to the judgment that comes upon Moab.

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Three years from now, roughly estimated amount of time. This many number of seasons, and then the destruction by the hands of the

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Assyrians will come. Moab will be dishonored along with his great population and his remnant will be very small and not mighty.

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In other words, hardly any of them will be left, but we know of those that will be left. They don't come into Judah to seek refuge.

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They go to their high places and they weary themselves, but to receive no answer.

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My friends, when trouble strikes, when trouble comes upon you, to whom do you turn when you are afflicted?

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When times get hard, when people betray you, when the future is uncertain, when illness comes, when tragedy takes place, whatever it might happen to be, where do you go?

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Do you weary yourself in hopeless mourning? Do you turn to pop psychology?

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Do you turn to philosophy or very worldly songs with hopeless lyrics?

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Do you turn to substance abuse? People in this world, there is no meaning or purpose in any suffering or hardship that they have to go through.

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It's just times are bad. You know, what good is there in any difficult time for those who do not know the

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Lord? These are hopeless times. Where do you turn when things get hard?

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The world grieves with no hope. We grieve. We certainly experience hardship.

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We go through difficulties, but where do we turn when things get hard? Don't just moan and groan in those things without taking them to the

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Lord. Turn to Christ. Especially if you have sinned, turn to the

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Lord. Ask for his forgiveness and he will make you new. Don't be like Moab and refuse the kind hand of God.

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Whether it is a hardship that you are dealing with or sin that needs to be confessed, turn to Christ.

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1 Peter 5, verse 5, God is opposed to the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.

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Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

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Notice that it says humble yourself and cast your anxiety on him.

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When you don't give the Lord your anxieties and you just mourn through it on your own or you just try to take care of it yourself, that's prideful.

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That's thinking you can do this on your own. You don't need God. God is only when I know I can't do it anymore by myself.

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My friends, you need God all the time. We need the mercies of the Lord every second of every day.

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His mercies are new every morning. And so turn to the

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Lord. When the apostle Paul talks about the hardships and the grief that he went through, the persecutions he faced being out there sharing the gospel.

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He said in 2 Corinthians 1, 9, these things happen to us. These afflictions came upon us to teach us to rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead.

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So turn to the Lord and rely upon him. Seek his forgiveness, confess your sins, whatever pain or hardship you go through, give it to God and at the proper time, he will exalt you.

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Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we come to the conclusion of this, we see that there is a promise of judgment that is coming upon the world.

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Those who do wickedly, those who do not seek the Lord, they will be afflicted when judgment comes on them and there will be no one to rescue.

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They will clamor. They will go after their false hopes, their false deliverances. They'll turn to substances.

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They'll turn to worldly philosophy. They'll turn to horrible music, whatever it might happen to be.

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But they will not find deliverance. They just find more and more hopelessness. So we pray,

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Lord, that hearts will be convicted. They will turn from their sin to the Lord Jesus Christ and be delivered. May we not be prideful and arrogant in our ways.

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But when we are afflicted, we turn to Christ. When we are in good times, we turn to Christ, giving all things to you, for you deserve all things.

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You alone are worthy of our worship. And so teach us to worship you, even in grief, knowing that the

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Lord will deliver on that day. It's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. This has been

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When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabriel Hughes. For all of our podcasts, episodes, videos, books, and more, visit our website at www .utt

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And let your friends know about our ministry. Join us again tomorrow as we grow together in the study of God's Word, when we understand the text.