Scripture: Numbers 11:1–15; Deuteronomy 9:11–24
The Prospect of so weighty a Work brought me very low; and such were the Conflicts of my Soul, that I had a near Sympathy with the Prophet, in the Time of his Weakness, when he said, “If thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, if I have found Favour in thy Sight,” Numb. xi. 15. But I soon saw that this proceeded from the Want of a full Resignation to the divine Will. Many were the Afflictions which attended me; and in great Abasement, with many Tears, my Cries were to the Almighty, for his gracious and Fatherly Assistance; and then, after a Time of deep Trial, I was favoured to understand the State mentioned by the Psalmist, more clearly than ever I had before; to wit: “My Soul is even as a weaned Child.” Psalm cxxxi. 2. Being thus helped to sink down into Resignation, I felt a Deliverance from that Tempest in which I had been sorely exercised, and in Calmness of Mind went forward, trusting that the Lord Jesus Christ, as I faithfully attended to him, would be a Counsellor to me in all Difficulties. —John Woolman
Questions: What do you think makes something a legitimate lament rather than a troublesome complaint? When have you experienced God in ways that are powerful and at the same time frightening? Take a moment to reflect on how you are feeling regarding whether your needs are being met—from physical needs of food and shelter to emotional and spiritual needs of love and community. Which of these do you feel most anxious about? In what ways is it difficult to put your trust in God that you will receive what you need?
“You shall not make for yourself an idol. . . .You shall not bow down to them or worship them” (Deuteronomy 5:8–9).
In our modern minds, the word idolatry may conjure up images of ancient statuary, suggesting that this was a dangerous temptation only in the far distant past. But think again: what competes with God in our hearts and our outward behavior? Do we sigh over imaginary or might-once-have-been lovers? Does a personal-success god, or idealized self-image, have an altar in our hearts? How about the collective- success idol, who would give victory and prosperity to “our kind of people” but disadvantage others? Is there a bully in our lives whom we’d obey, rather than God, if it came to a showdown? What part of creation is our soul worshiping when it’s not focused on the Creator? “Whatever ye are addicted to,” wrote George Fox, “the Tempter will come in that thing” (Epistle 10, 1652). That is the idol we must pull down—and if we can’t, we must ask Christ’s help to pull it down, for down it must come.
Until we’ve surrendered our will to God’s will, unconditionally and for all time, we remain in danger, and even then we are called to warfare. Paul warns us, it is a warfare not “human,” against “every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5). Our will may be firmly leashed to God’s will, but until we learn to love all creation and each creature as God loves them, sometimes with tenderness and sometimes with severity, we have a rebellious heart capable of pulling away from God and straining the leash. Rebellion against God is virtual idolatry, a bowing down to serve something we’ve put in place of God. The prophet Samuel, stripping Saul of his kingship, explicitly linked idolatry with rebellion: “For rebellion is no less a sin than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king” (1 Samuel 15:23).
–John Jeremiah Edminster in “Friendly Perspective” from Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: Following God Together