Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear people.

I was just in the house and beheld some biscuits and egg gravy in the works. I’m sure I’ll get a call soon to say it’s on the table. Then I need to go like crazy.

If I had more time to think, I’d probably be doing more editing to the composition below. There’s no doubt about it being hard work. I did a round of very difficult work yesterday, using the sawmill and track hoe, jockeying a huge Sequoia half-log on the mill so I could cut it apart. I had a terrible time of trial and error. But I think this cranial exercise is more difficult than that.

I guess we all have another opportunity today to exercise a HEART AFTER GOD. Don’t be duped by counterfeits or substitutes.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Let’s give some attention to the governmental arrangement for Israel as presented in this Biblical record. In doing so, it prompts an examination of our own philosophies of government. My thoughts here are impromptu and entirely my own as I sit here and ponder. First of all, it seems important to establish that government is important. Mankind has never done well in a void of government. History proves that without any social mechanism for regulating the Jeremiah 17:9 condition of human hearts (NATURAL SIN NATURE), social chaos always kicks in. In fact, recognition of this general human condition needs to be the beginning point of any successful form of government. Failure to make this recognition causes every form of government to fall apart—from communism to democracy—even including the theocracy here demonstrated.

God was clearly the RULER/LEADER of Israel at this time. And He clearly chose one man to be His vice-RULER/LEADER—Moses. God gave orders to Moses, and Moses gave those orders to delegated leaders in an organized chain of command. Here we see orders for geographical boundaries, selection of tribal representatives, towns for the Levites, setting up of cities of refuge, etc. This governmental system was both a wonderful success—as well as a colossal failure. The success can only be accounted for in God’s over-arching covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that through their line a solution for the core problem of the entire human race would emerge. The failure is accounted for by the fact that the core problem remains and the solution had not yet fully emerged—and even when it did, there would be no way to legislate the universal acceptance of that solution.

I’m amused with what I have just done—I have once again convinced myself of the absolute essential of a personal HEART AFTER GOD in order to have any hope whatsoever for complying with God’s government. I reason that this is clearly the one and only means for gaining personal FREEDOM from the enemy governments of sin, self, and Satan.

I think this is what I think. What do you think you think?