Walk in the Spirit and make no room for the flesh
In reference to selecting one of the occurrence where the Israelites find fault with Moses and God, the following essay is the application of the five steps from chapter 13 of the book Grasping God’s Word. In completing the five steps, I will determine the message of the text, and how it applies to my real life situation. I have selected the occurrence found in Exodus 16:1-3 where the Israelites have found fault with Moses in the wilderness.
In step one, what the text meant to the Israelites was that they would rather die with their belly full. The fault that the Israelites found is in the leadership with Moses and Aaron. They are blaming Moses for leading them to the wilderness to die of hunger. They felt that they would be better off in Egypt to die in the hands of God because at least they have pots full of meat and bread. .
“They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they left the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, And said to them, Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger “(Biblegateway, Exo 16:1-3, amplified version).
The word “murmur” according to KJV Dictionary is defined as (1) To grumble; to complain; to utter complaints in a low,half articulated voice; to utter sullen discontent; with at, before the thing which is the cause of discontent; as, murmur not at sickness; or with at or against, before the active agent which produces the evil. and (2) complains, as one who constantly complains especially against God (Vine’s Dictionary)
In step two, the difference between them and us is that they were under law back then, but we are under grace today. They did not have Jesus Christ back then. We have Jesus Christ today.For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy] (Biblegateway, Romans 6:14, amplified version)
The word “law” according to the Godvine.com is defined as “the dispensation of terror and bondage, which only shows sin, without enabling you to conquer it” The word “grace” according to the Bible encyclopedia is defined as “favor, kindness.” The word “sin” according to the Touch Bible is defined as “an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.”
God has already delivered us from our sin when He sent Jesus to conquer sin on our behalf. But if we choose to continue in sin, we shall reap the devastating consequences of sin, which is death, beginning with spiritual death.
In step three, the theological principle is that we should not lust after evil things. If we operate in the flesh, we will get tempted to sin. The flesh has nothing to do with God. It will crave the things that are contrary to what God wants in our lives.
For I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, that our forefathers were all under and protected by the cloud [in which God’s Presence went before them], and every one of them passed safely through the [Red] Sea, And each one of them [allowed himself also] to be baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea [they were thus brought under obligation to the Law, to Moses, and to the covenant, consecrated and set apart to the service of God]; (Biblegateway, 1 Cor 10:1-2 amplified version)
Now these things are examples (warnings and admonitions) for us not to desire or crave or covet or lust after evil and carnal things as they did. Do not be worshipers of false gods as some of them were, as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink [the sacrifices offered to the golden calf at Horeb] and rose to sport (to dance and give way to jesting and hilarity) (Biblegateway, 1 Cor 10:6-7, amplified version)
In step four, how this theological principle fit in with the rest of the Bible is based on the following portion of Scripture:
“Brethren, together follow my example and observe those who live after the pattern we have set for you. 18 For there are many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, who walk (live) as enemies of the cross of Christ (the Anointed One). 19 They are doomed and their fate is eternal misery (perdition); their god is their stomach (their appetites, their sensuality) and they glory in their shame, siding with earthly things and being of their party.
But we are citizens of the state (commonwealth, homeland) which is in heaven, and from it also we earnestly and patiently await [the coming of] the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [as] Savior, Who will transform and fashion anew the body of our humiliation to conform to and be like the body of His glory and majesty, by exerting that power which enables Him even to subject everything to Himself.” (Biblegateway, Phil 3:17-21, amplified version)
There are many people who live to satisfy the desires of their flesh. They live for food, for pleasure, and for power. When a person lives for these things, they are walking in the flesh, not in the Spirit. And the more they go after these fleshly desires, the more they will want to fulfill it. It is a vicious, endless cycle. Thus, they are called enemies of the cross because they are submitted to the flesh, to their sin. They are not submitted to God. So their stomachs become their god.
“You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false” (Biblegateway, John 8:44, amplified version)
Those who choose to practice lust and gratify the desires of the flesh are of the devil, not of God. This is so because the devil, from the beginning, stands for falsehood, not for truth. So a person dead in sin, following the sinful desires of the flesh is really following the footsteps of the devil. He is partnered with the devil and a devil’s advocate. And will always see negative, judge and condemn, criticize and grumble because of the insatiable appetite. And so when a person hears the comment in general conversation “let me play the devil’s advocate” or “let me give you the benefit of the doubt”, these so call harmless comments are from the pits of hell. These people are speaking the will of the devil and are giving glory to the flesh. The flesh and the devil become partner. They become one. When a person operates in the flesh, he cannot please God because flesh equates to death and has nothing to do with God.
“ Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions.” (Biblegateway, Romans 6:12, amplified version) If Jesus is not king in a person’s life, sin will take over and become king of his life. It is one or the other. Either Jesus is king, or our flesh. If we live to please Jesus, then Jesus is our God. If we live to please the flesh, then we ourselves is god, not God. We are refusing to have Jesus as Lord to sit on the throne of our heart. Self is still in charge and want to rule and dominate his life. He is nothing but a strong man.
“ Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]; for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” (Biblegateway, Heb 13:5, amplified version) Here, God is saying to be content with all that He has provided for me and stop striving for the things of the flesh, and He will never fail me nor disappoint me. And He will never leave me without.
“But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions).” (Biblegateway, James 1:14, amplified version) A person only gets tempted because of his own evil desires. And evil desires are generated by the flesh. So if a person is operating in the flesh, he will tempt himself and thereby will yield to those desires and fall into sin because he had already set himself up by operating in the flesh.
“ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]. “(Biblegateway, 1 John 2:16, amplified version)
This is why God tells us to separate from the world. The world only cares about satisfying the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. This is because the flesh is their god. And God is saying have absolutely nothing to do with the world and the things of the flesh.
In step five, I learned that the theological principle must be applicable to the whole Bible. Also, it should accurately reflect the meaning of the Bible text and its relevance to contemporary life (Duvall). The theological principle that was uncovered through steps one to four is that I am to walk in the Spirit, so that I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). This theological principle is consistent throughout the whole Bible. If I live in the flesh, I will lust after evil and find fault with every little thing, just like the Israelites did. The flesh has nothing to do with God. According to Galatians 5:17 in the amplify version, it states “For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.” The flesh wants nothing to do with God. So when a person is walking in the flesh, he is choosing the way of sin. He is, in essence, making himself his god.
How does a person know if he is walking in the Spirit? According to Galatians 5:22-23, it states that “22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, 23 Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [[f]that can bring a charge]. “ Therefore, a person will know that he is walking in the spirit if the fruit of the spirit is present in his life.
How does a person know if he is walking in the flesh? According to Galatians 5:20-21, it shows the works of the flesh which is “20 Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), 21 Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The evidence of a person operating in the Spirit is that he cannot hide. The fruit will bear witness. His attitude, his words, and his actions will bear witness if he is in the spirit or the flesh. Liken unto the Israelites, the words and attitudes were not of the spirit. They were of the flesh because they lusted after evil. So the theological principle throughout the Bible warns against living for the flesh. If a person choose the flesh, it will end in death.
So, In reference to selecting an occurrence where the Israelites found fault with Moses,
according to Exodus 16:1-3, the Israelites found fault with Moses because they lusted after evil. They were flesh driven, not spirit driven. They rathered die in the hands of the Lord then be set free from bondage. If they were governed by the Spirit and not by the flesh, they would see virtue in Moses’ leadership, supported his guidance and not succome to the flesh. God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt into this new land. But because the condition of their hearts were evil, everything and anything that God did became meaningless to them. Nothing could satisfy them. They would complain even if God was blessing them. That is the reason why they found fault with Moses and God. So in conclusion, the message of this text is “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16, NKJV).
My personal application is that I am to separate myself from the world, avoid worldly friends, have a daily discipline of prayer, meditation and study, crucify the flesh, daily die to self, make no excuse for the flesh, regular fasting to abstain from any major reoccuring activity so that I can get closer to God, pray, meditate and study, work out my salvation with fear and trembling. I must walk in the Spirit daily and be committed to follow the straight and narrow. If not, I will find fault with everything and be discontent all the time, just like the Israelites. They found fault with Moses and murmured and complained to him because they are in the flesh and have yielded to the lust of the flesh, which is food, in this case. So the application of the theological principle is this: walk in the Spirit, so that I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16, NKJV).
Aldwin Naruse (Miyagi)
18 January 2014
Work Cited
Bible Gateway. Biblegateway.com. Web 19 Jan 2014
Duvall, J. Scott and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word, third edition. 2005. Print
Staggs, Brandon, ed. King James Bible Page. 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2014
Vine, W.E, Vines Expository Dictionary of New Old Testament Words and New Testament.
Words. United kingdom by Marshall, Morgan and Scot, Publication, ltd. Grand rapids,
1981. Print
