Choose Wisely*

Our choices have consequences. Some of those consequences are immediate, and some come later, but they will come. A choice made in the beginning of man brought consequences to all of mankind. After Eve and Adam had eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, from which God had forbidden them to eat, their whole perception changed. Their relationship with God changed, and other consequences followed their choice: "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." (Gen. 3:7-8). As the LORD spoke to Adam and Eve, He knew immediately that they had eaten of the Tree which had been forbidden to them. In their explanation to the LORD, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent saying that it had beguilted her. (v. 9-13). Having chosen man's understanding and ways over God's understanding and ways by eating of that forbidden tree, Adam would have to labor for everything, rather than receiving his provision directly from the Garden of God, from which he was to be expelled. The very ground became cursed because of Adam's choice, becoming an adversary against man, making man toil and sweat to bring forth food. Instead of an eternal life of glory, eating of the fruit of the garden's Tree of Life, and living by the knowledge of God, man would eventually return to the dust from which he had been created. (v. 17-19). As for the woman, the consequence of her choice would be that instead of conception and birth being an easy process as it is for the animals and plants, Eve, so named as the mother of all living by her husband (v. 20), would suffer and sorrow as she brought forth life. Her husband would now rule over her, and her desire would be for her husband (v. 16). The serpent also suffered consequences for his choice to serve Satan rather than God and man, who had been given dominion over all living creatures. As we saw with the man and the woman, the serpent's place among creation, and its physical nature were changed as a result of its choice: "And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." (v. 14). Not only did this consequence come upon the serpent, but the LORD created an eternal enmity between the serpent and the woman and her seed, thereby prophesying the virgin conception and birth of the Messiah, Jesus: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (v. 15). Man's knowledge of "good" came from the wrong tree. This continues to be a problem with man today also. "Good" is not defined by the outward appearance, or what it seems to be to man (Gen. 3:6), but it is based upon the character and Word of God. Later, as the Israelites in the wilderness were told to send spies into the Promised Land, Moses selected leaders from each tribe to carry out this mission (Num. 13:1-3). They were spying in the Promised Land for forty days and came back with samples of the abundance waiting for God's people in their new land (v. 25-27). However, ten of the spies also brought back a report about giants in the land, and saying that the land devours its inhabitants (28-33). Caleb, one of the spies, spoke up and encouraged the people of God to go into the new land: "Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." (v. 30). Hoshea (meaning salvation), whose name was changed to Joshua (meaning YHWY, the LORD, is salvation) by Moses, another of the twelve spies, agreed with Caleb, and mourned as the people believed the negative report of men rather than the promise of God, and refused to go into the land. The congregation cried that it would have been better if God had just let them die in Egypt (Num. 14:1-2). The people even wanted to choose another leader to take them back to Egypt! (v. 3). Again, Caleb and Joshua tried to convince the people to proceed into the Land: "If the LORD delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us.: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not." (v. 8-9). However, the people continued in their choice to reject the Promised Land that was their inheritance from God, and to refuse to go into it. They even wanted to stone those who recommended that they go into the land. As a result, there were consequences to suffer because of that choice. The LORD was angry that these people, who had seen His great signs and wonders that He had done on their behalf, did not believe Him (v. 11). The LORD saaid that none of that generation of the Israelites would go into the Promised Land, but would die in the wilderness. For forty years, one year for every day that the spies had been in the new land, they would wander in the wilderness until that generation died. Only Joshua and Caleb, the LORD said, would survive to go into the Promised Land with the children of that generation of Israelites. (v. 27-34). The ten spies that had brought back the evil report of the land died in a plague before the LORD (v. 37). The people, hearing this Word of the LORD decreeing the forty years of wandering and death, tried to change their minds and go into the land, but Moses warned them that God would not be with them. Moses and the Ark of the Covenant remained in the camp, and the Israelites that went into the land against the Word of the LORD were attacked and killed or driven back by the Amalekites and Canaanites (v. 40-45). In the same way that the Israelites had wanted to choose a new leader to take them back to Egypt, many Christians today think that a political leader, chosen by men, will give them what they want. However, the LORD says to listen to Him. There are consequences for our choices. Many years lter, this same Joshua, who had encouraged the people to accept the good report of the LORD, and who wold be chosen to eventually lead the next generation of Israelites into the Promised Land, again exhorted God's people to choose wisely. After all that Israel had experienced with God, and after He indeed had brought them into their land of inheritance after forty years, Joshua, in his old age, had to tell these people to put away the foreign gods from among them that their fathers had served before they ever came to the land of Canaan, of those gods that they had served while in Egypt, or those that they accepted that were worshipped by the Amorites of the land (Josh. 24:14-15). Joshua had to tell the people of God to serve the LORD (v. 14). Joshua went on to say: "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house we will serve the LORD...If ye forsake the LORD, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good." (v. 15, 20). The people answered Joshua, "Nay; but we will serve the LORD." (21). It is a serious choice to make, to choose the LORD. The LORD does not take this choice lightly when it is made. Joshua again said: "Now therefore put away...the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.' And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey." (v. 23-24). At Shechem, where this took place, Joshua placed a great stone to mark the covenant the people had entered into that day with the LORD, and wrote the words in the book of the law of God. He said, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God." (v. 26-27). Sounds are recorded by inanimate objects, and if the proper technology for retrieval existed, those sounds could be played back to be heard again. It is the same God today. He hears the sounds of witness recorded in the stones. In Isaiah, we see a mournful God lamenting over the idolatry of His people, as they choose the knowledge of evil over Him: "I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face...Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not...Behold, my serants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit." (Isa. 65:1-16, excerpt). Even considering all of this sorrow caused by evil choices, God leaves His people with a promise that we see in the New Testament also: "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." (v. 17). The Body of Christ has also made or tolerated ungodly choices: abortion for convenience sake rather than medical necessity, country club mentality that chooses and values prosperity, programs and popularity over righteousness, and for the sake of a fake unity, chooses tolerance of iniquity and agendas promoting sin over holiness, and choosing to preach salvation without repentance. The Word of God does not promote choices made based upon man's own understanding or upon outward appearances: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil...Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret (sod/yasad - intimacy, counsel, conversing, close deliberation/lay a foundation) is with the (aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega/identity of Christ) righteous." (Prov. 3:5-32, excerpt). Regarding the choices we make, the Book of Hebrews tells us: "Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years...But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?" (Heb. 3: 7-9, 15-19). Like Israel, we have seen signs, and we have seen witneses, like the Shroud of Turin, yet there is unbelief. Our choices should not reflect unbelief, but trust in the LORD, and in His Word. *Based upon the 8/6/23 message of Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson to the Church. To hear the full message, look for Dr. Stevenson's Facebook page. You can contact this ministry at PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. God bless you.