A few years back, a nephew of mine was growing weary of an uphill climb. He complained about being too tired and started to separate himself from the rest of the group. As he lagged a good deal behind, I called out to him saying, “Do you know that cougars attack anyone not with the group?” Needless to say, he ran to the front of our group with seemingly no aches or pain.
Do you lag behind in your spiritual life? What would be your motivation to change?
After spying out Canaan, the sons of Israel were afraid of the giants who resided there. And in their fear, they held back from taking the land. But, it wasn’t the giants who destroyed Israel. It was the ones who had always waited for the stragglers (Duet. 25:17-18). And in this week’s Torah portion we find out that not only did the Sons of Israel doubt, but they divided themselves away from YHWH as well as God’s appointed leadership. In short, due to their regret, they fought the enemy without an anointing.
Moses warned Israel not to attempt a battle without YHWH, he said to them, “Do not go up, for the LORD is not among you, to prevent you from being defeated by your enemies. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there to confront you, and you will fall by the sword, since you have turned back from following the LORD. And the LORD will not be with you.” 44 But they foolishly dared to go up to the ridge of the hill country; neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses left the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and scattered them as far as Hormah.”
“What does this text have to do with the original question?” The answer has to do with intention.
- Israel not only lacked desire, but they allowed personal weakness to interfere with giant fighting.
- When Israel faced judgment from YHWH, they made a plan to move forward on their own. They left the ark, God, and Moses behind.
- Israel’s actions were so noticeable that the Giants didn’t even bother with them. Instead, an army known for killing off the sluggish ones easily defeated them.
From my point of view, I see unbelief intertwined with our spiritual intentionality. I believe our intentions are a reflection of our walk with YHWH. Though in saying this, I am grateful for Yahweh’s mercy and grace when we are ignorant in our belief or our intentions.
The Church of Corinth had grown lazy in their Godly intentions. So much so, that Paul had to intervene. In I Corinthians 6-7, Paul points out the necessity of being personally intentional with our brother, our marriages, and when dealing with earthly courts.
Many might say, “I want to trust God, but I just don’t know how.” If this is the case, then let’s decide to be intentional. If you were dancing with a partner, I guarantee you wouldn’t want to be unintentional very long. If so, your dance partner might say enough! Go take some lessons, then we will try again.
The opposite of intention is “unintentional” meaning unaware or ignorant. Who wants to be ignorant?
There is a man in this week’s study that intentionally broke the Sabbath. What caused this to happen? I can imagine that this man saw the same miracles everyone else saw, but yet he rejected YHWH”s command. Maybe this was due to his feelings of self-sufficiency? I am sure you have witnessed a person or two who do not like to submit to any authority, even God’s authority. Maybe you are the person who is “self-sufficient” not needing help from anyone. This can lead us to unbelief.
In Hebrews chapter three, we are reminded about the danger of unbelief. In fact, the writer points out that it was unbelief that stopped Israel from entering into God’s land. He then follows this with a warning, “Do not harden your hearts.”
In my mind, unbelief is an intentional act. Pharoah’s heart was hardened to not let Israel leave Egypt. Why? He only believed in his own kingship. He didn’t need another authority in his life.
You are looking for a way to increase your spiritual walk, I believe you must start with the intentional act of being humble. Submit to the King of Kings and stay open to the Word. Be intentional in seeking the face of Messiah. Let the Holy Spirit flood over you and be humble in His Sight. Stay clear of fear, doubt, arrogance, human superiority, and the traditions of men. BE INTENTIONAL FOR YAHWEH!
See you this Sabbath,
Rollyn