I have a special guest writer today – my great grandmother, Anna Reinhart. Anna was a Bible teacher who traveled through the south until she was killed in a car accident in 1939. Although I never met her in person, her legacy lives on in me.
I am fortunate to have Anna’s Bible
and a very few of her teachings typed out on fragile paper. But the real blessing is that Anna lives on in me. As I share her teaching with you I pray it honors her and testifies to the ongoing, unchanging love of the Father for His people.
TURN THOU ME
ALWAYS, we see Israel “Looking at things from the “NATURAL Viewpoint”, but God has given them “HIS VIEWPOINT”.
But Israel looked at VISIBLE RESOURCES and at their own “SEEMING LACK” of Resources – so they always made alliances with the Gentile Nations – when God had CALLED them to be a SEPARATED PEOPLE DEPENDENT upon Him for EVERYTHING.
We know from Scripture that God was ALWAYS SUFFICIENT for EVERYTHING to Israel as long as Israel was Obedient and Dependent. God fought their battles for them – God delivered them from their ENEMIES. But Israel would ALWAYS make alliance with some Gentile nation. Israel wanted to be LIKE OTHER NATIONS – Israel did not want to be a SEPARATED PECULIAR PEOPLE.
There are many People of Christ the same way – TODAY. They may “Love the Lord’ and “Really desire to do His will” but they are unwilling to separate themselves from other who are NOT doing the will of God as made known in His Word – as His way for His people. So many people HAVE NOT THE COURAGE to be DIFFERENT FROM THE MAJORITY.
The Old Testament must furnish us with the Entrance to the Truths in Matthew – if we use the KEY. Always, in the Old Testament prophecies we see the Immediate and NEAR fulfillment of the prophecies – they actually happened to Israel, God’s nation at the TIME the prophet SPOKE; but we must be sure that we study until we also see the FAR VIEW – the complete fulfillment of the prophecies.
Jeremiah 31:1 “At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel and they shall be my people.”
In Jeremiah chapters 30, 31, 32, and 33, are a great number of Messianic prophecies.
Jeremiah 31:18, “I have suddenly heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke; turn Thou me and I shall be turned; for Thou art the Lord my God.”
Ephraim is really saying: “I was DISCIPLINED” (Hebrews 12:3-16 the”Discipline of our Age”)
Ephraim says – “TURN THOU ME”
We see this expression, “turn Thou me and I shall be turned” many times in the Old Testament in regards to Israel. The prophets called upon Israel to TURN but usually Israel did not OBEY this Warning of the prophet but Turned the way their earthly king wanted them to turn..”
In the End Time, under the Fires of Tribulation Judgments the Remnant will say – “TURN THOU ME” – AND I SHALL BE TURNED”
In Isaiah 56:3, we read – “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.”
As the people of Christ our prayer should be – Lord, turn Thou me, and I SHALL BE TURNED.
Our prayer should always be that “We may be TURNED to HIS WAY – and turned from our OWN way.
And pray for ‘Divine Enablement’ that after He has TURNED us we “MAY STAY TURNED IN HIS WAY”.
Lamentations 5:21 “Turn Thou us unto Thee and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old”
Psalm 80:3,7,19 “Turn us again O God and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.” “Turn us again O Lord God of hosts, cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
…to be continued
until next time –
we have a lot to chew on!