What You Do Know Can Hurt You

Many people have heard about the Hebrew people spoken about in the Bible in the Old Testament. The Hebrews were God's chosen people from all the other ancient pagan societies at that time. God had done many miraculous things for the Hebrews. He had freed them after 400 years of harsh slavery (from which they had cried out to God for). He protected them from being slaughtered by an angry pharaoh. He fed them while they wondered around the wilderness. And yet, over and over and over again, they rejected God. They turned to lesser, powerless other gods. They made up their own rules to govern their lives, and they complained, a lot. Like in Numbers Chapter 11. God had been leading them through the wilderness as a cloud by day and fire at night and He was giving them manna to eat, but some of the people were not happy. They wanted meat.  But did they go to Moses or the other priests to ask God to give them meat? No. They murmured and said, "Who will give us meat to eat?" Yes, Who indeed is the question. This word, 'who' is a loaded word. In essence, it is a slap in the face of God. God responds with a facetious statement in verse 18, "..Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat: for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying "Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore the Lord will give you meat,and you shall eat."  The people thought being slaves in Egypt was better than being free with the Lord? Really? The Hebrews were completely discounting, ignoring, disrespecting, and dishonoring God. The God who they cried out to to save them from slavery.  Oh, how easily we forget what God has done for us.  The audacity to say, 'who', it's basically saying, "Well, God is of no use to us, so who else can help us? God did not find their statement amusing or correct; as they were eating their meat, He sent a great plague among them. 

I am just overly struck and humbled before the awesome power of God. I don't understand why He just doesn't completely obliterate everyone, but what I do know is that His mercy and forgiveness and love transcends all understanding. 

So what does this story have to with 'what you know can hurt you'? The Hebrews didn't know any better, They did not have the completed Bible or histories.  Today, we have all of their written stories, we have the Bible, we have all the history since the Bible.  I believe, we today, are going to be held to a much higher standard. Jesus confirms this in His messages to the Israelites in the New Testament.  The more you know, the more your are accountable for. By the time that Jesus came to earth, the Hebrew people had all the preceding information from the generations before them, they knew of all the prophecies about the coming Messiah. Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the prophecies about Himself. After He died on the cross and arose from the grace and ascended back into heaven, His Apostles completed the revelation of scripture this side of life.  There is no other revelations needed. We have all that we need to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God. We have all the histories, we have the Bible. WE ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE.  We know how the Hebrews acted toward God and how God's righteous wrath and judgement fell on them repeatedly.  They never learned their lesson, and the sad truth is we don't either. Jesus has a warning for those who reject His offer of life everlasting in a kingdom more amazing and beautiful beyond our imagination. The Hebrews, knowing what they knew of their history of their people, their constant sins and turning from God and God continually saving and rescuing and forgiving them; and when God finally came down in the flesh with the keys to eternal glory, instead of accepting this undeserved offer to become sons and daughters in His kingdom, they spit in His face, basically saying, "We don't want what you are offering, we want to do things our way".  Many are still saying the same thing today. 

Jesus said and is still warning those who reject Him, those who deny Him, those who claim they are Christians but live a life contrary to the Word, Jesus says, "Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in The Day of Judgement, than those who will not receive the words of God."

We have more knowledge than we ever had before.  The good news of the Gospel is greater than all other knowledge.  God does not want ANY to perish. His love and mercy are still at work today.  Don't miss out on the best and most wonderful future. All roads don't lead to heaven. There is only one road, one way, one door and that is Jesus Christ, Lord of All Lords, King of all Kings, the Lamb Who was slain but Lives and will Return one day. And oh what a glorious day that will be!

1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave.
2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus.
3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God
4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ.


The Good News is there is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. Believing in Jesus saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.


Bible verses related to this post: Numbers Chapter 11; Luke 11:31-54, Matthew 10:15