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Saturday, July 27, 2013

Asher Loved Royal Dainties More Than Jesus


     For our bible study today we shall see how the people of Asher allowed worldly pleasures and dainties turn them away from serving our Lord Jesus. Pictured above we see the twelve spies giving a report to Moses about the promised land. In the front, Caleb and Joshua had a good report and believed they could possess the promised land, while a man from Asher named Sethur in the background frowning, who was one of the ten spies that had a bad report, told Moses to stay away from the promised land because of the giants that dwelt there called the sons of Anak.

     The story of the twelve spies is recorded at Numbers 13:30 and says And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. (Now look at what Sethur from Asher and the nine other doubting spies said at the next verse) But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel; saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. Lord Jesus I pray in Jesus name all my friends reading this will be like Caleb and Joshua walking by faith and not by sight, as they ignore the giant troubles before them, and receive from Jesus many promised blessings.

     Now lets study why Sethur from the tribe of Asher (whose name means hidden aptly describing his hidden sin) was one of the ten doubting spies who loved his royal dainties and worldly pleasures more than following Jesus into the promised land. Sethur from Asher is listed as one of the ten doubting spies at Numbers 13:13 that says Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur, the son of Michael. To understand why Sethur from Asher loved his worldly pleasures more than the Lord Jesus, let's study how the bible describes the tribe of Asher. Genesis 49:20 tells us Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Also, Deuteronomy 33:24 tells us And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children, let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil; Thy shoes shall be iron and brass, and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

     The above scriptures show us that the people of Asher were rich, wealthy, fat, and strong, who wasted all their time enjoying their royal dainties of this world. Also, we see that Asher was wealthy with a vast supply of oil that they could dip their foot into. Friend, don't be like the people of Asher and allow the world to turn you away from serving our Lord Jesus. When someone thinks on dainties, delicacies, trinkets, doodads, and gadgets that don't amount to a hill of beans, that person loves the world and becomes an enemy of God. James 4:4 warns us Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Friends, when you find yourself becoming more like the world, you are backsliding and going away from Jesus. But, when you don't fit into the world, as people and family members reject you for serving Jesus, rejoice because you are blessed and getting closer to Jesus.

     Take heed to the warning stated at Revelation 3:17 that says Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Let us all proclaim, I'd rather have the true reward of Jesus instead of this fading world, because Jesus said He was the reward at Revelation 22:12 that says And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

     The final lesson to learn from the picture above of Sethur and the spies is to not always listen to the majority opinion that rejects the truth about Jesus. Let us all follow the minority opinion that exalts Jesus as Lord and receive everlasting blessings. Even though the ten doubting spies were the majority with a bad report, the blessing was with the minority opinion from only two spies named Caleb and Joshua who received the promised blessing. Let us all say the small, strait, and narrow crowd is the crowd that I want to run with for Matthew 7:13 says Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Mark 10:31 says But many that are first shall be last; and the last first. Notice many that are in the majority who want to be first in this world without Jesus will end up last. But also note that it just says the last (who are few not many) that choose to bless the poor as they become servants for Jesus will be exalted to be first.


     For my next picture we see Jesus noticing a poor widow who only cast into the treasury two mites. Notice also in the background another person from the tribe of Asher named Pagiel who mocked the widow's offering as nothing compared to his thousand dollar offering. When a man who is a millionaire blows a trumpet and drops $1000 into an offering plate, everybody says wow did you see that, but when a poor widow drops only two pennies into the offering plate of all that she has, Jesus sees that and blesses that poor widow greatly.

     The scripture that talks about the picture above is at Mark 12:41 and says And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury; and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them, Verily, I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance,; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

     Now let's study another man in the background who was wealthy named Pagiel from Asher who loved worldly pleasures, money, and dainties more than Jesus.The bible tells us that Pagiel of Asher gave great offerings before people to obtain the praise of man and not of God. Numbers 7:72 speaks about the great offerings of Pagiel and says On the eleventh day Pagiel (defined as fortune of God for Pagiel loved money more than Jesus) son of Ocran (defined as trouble for Pagiel loved this troubled world more than Jesus), prince of the children of Asher offered; His offering was one silver charger, the weight whereof was 130 shekels, one silver bowl of 70 shekels after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering. One golden spoon of 10 shekels, full of incense; one young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the first year, for a burnt offering; one kid of the goats for a sin offering. And for a sacrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the first year, this was the offering of Pagiel the son of Ocran.

     Note that Pagiel's love of money and great offering was not noticed by Jesus. Pagiel gave his money to be praised and exalted by man. The widow gave her little offering to bless the poor and received a blessing from Jesus. The poor widow received the greater everlasting blessing of Jesus instead of perishing riches with the fading praise of man. Friend reading this, the bible tells you to choose today to serve either money or Jesus. Let's all say we love Jesus more than money that perishes away. Proverbs 23:5 warns us Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings,; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Choose to serve Jesus as Lord today instead of money for Matthew 6:24 warns us No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (defined as riches).

     Finally, look at what the prophet Isaiah thought about Pagiel's many great offerings praised by man. Isaiah 1:11 says To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord; I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. Now look at Isaiah 1:16 where Jesus stated that instead of Pagiel's great offerings and sacrifices Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes' Cease to do evil; Learn to do well, seek judgment; relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Remember James 1:27 tells us Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this. To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.


     Pictured above we see King Saul sitting down, who was like the people of Asher and loved the royal dainties and worldly pleasures of the Amalekites' sheep, oxen, and riches more than the Lord Jesus. The prophet Samuel had instructed King Saul to totally destroy all the worldly possessions of the Amalekites, and in the picture above Samuel questions Saul about why he spared the sheep and oxen of the Amalekites. 1 Samuel 15:14 says And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears,and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. As a result of Saul's love for the worldly Amalekites, Samuel told Saul that God rejected him as the king.

     And in the end, what Saul loved (the worldly pleasures of the Amalekites) ruined Saul because an Amalekite killed Saul. 2 Samuel 1:8 shows us that an Amalekite killed Saul because Saul failed to utterly destroy the Amalekites and says And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me; for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen; and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord. Friend, as you read this, take heed to the story of Saul and deny worldly pleasures and avoid death by choosing to follow Jesus as you become blessed with abundant life. Jesus said at John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

     Like Saul pictured above the people of Asher also chose to dwell among and enjoy the worldly pleasures of the Canaanites, failing to drive out the Canaanites from the land. Judges 1:32 says But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out. As a result we see that the people of Asher like Sethur and Pagiel failed to follow Jesus because of their love for the world. Another person in the bible like the people of Asher who waxed fat with the pleasures of the world and stopped serving Jesus was Jeshurun. Deuteronomy 32:15 says But Jeshurun (defined as a proud upright one) waxed fat, and kicked; thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.


     For my final picture today, we see Adam and Eve hiding from God because of their sin of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil which was forbidden by God. When God asked Adam and Eve why they sinned, Adam and Eve blamed others and did not confess their sins. The lesson I want you to learn from this picture is to not blame others for your sins like Adam and Eve.

     When God questioned Adam and Eve because of their sins, Adam blamed Eve for his sin, and Eve blamed the serpent devil for her sin. To receive mercy from Jesus, unlike Adam and Eve, confess your sins to Jesus and forsake (stop doing) your sins and the blood of Jesus will cleanse you from all sin as Jesus forgets your sins forevermore. Proverbs 28:13 tells us He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Note a lot of people confess their sins and keep sinning. But to receive mercy one must along with confession, forsake or stop sinning. Brother Bob says to all my friends reading this and to Brother Bob the words of our Lord Jesus, Go and sin no more.

     The story about the above picture can be found at Genesis 3:9 that says And the Lord called unto Adam and said unto him Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself. And he said Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat. And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. (Note Adam blamed Eve for his sin and failed to confess his sin). And the Lord said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. (Note Eve blamed the serpent devil for her sin and failed to confess her sin).

     Other examples in the bible where people sinned by blaming others for their own sin occurred when the Romans blamed the Jews for crucifying Jesus and the Jews blamed the Romans for crucifying Jesus. Look at how Pilate was sinful when he blamed the Jews for crucifying Jesus when Pilate could have set Jesus free. Matthew 27:24 says When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person; See ye to it.

     But in reality, we all are guilty of crucifying the Lord Jesus. Because of all our sins, Jesus died on the cross of Calvary. But remember, if we confess our sins to Jesus and not blame others for our sins, Jesus will be faithful and just to cleanse us from all our sins with His precious blood. 1 John 1:9 says If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Just a final thought Brother Bob heard this week from a backhills preacher who said I'm not for the elephant, I'm not for the donkey, I'm for the Lamb. I totally agree, Brother Bob doesn't vote Republican or Democrat. Brother Bob always votes for Jesus.

     I pray this bible study blesses all my friends in the many nations and feel free to email Brother Bob anytime at rz9tlm@gmail.com or write to Brother Bob Malkin, 2233 Pinetree Lane, Apt. N., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068. (614) 604-7133. Till we all meet again soon to lift up the Lord Jesus, everyone have a blessed day in Jesus name.    

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