Conquer!

by Shannon Tillman | Jan 15, 2024 | Bible Study

My idea of a workout is sitting on the beach.  I would rather perspire lounging by a beautiful body of water than sweating during aerobics or weight training.  I want to be healthy without any effort on my part.  Yet, we all know that this is not how it works (sadly).

The same is true in our spiritual lives.  It is the difficulties, sovereignly orchestrated by God for our benefit, that foster spiritual growth.  The nation of Israel experienced this truth in the wilderness on their journey toward the Promised Land.  They were on their way to the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams.  However, a hostile king blocked them:

But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done. The LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.” (Deuteronomy 2:30-31)

A closed “road” may signal a spiritual fight to gain new territory.  We want the Lord to make the path easy but He allows the fight.  In fact, God divinely orchestrated the fight to benefit the Israelites.  They wanted to pass “safely through” but God wanted them to take the enemy’s ground by His power.

The word Sihon in Hebrew means “warrior”.  The word “Heshbon” in Hebrew means “stronghold”.  The enemy we fight is a warrior who resides in a stronghold.  This is not an easy fight!  We must pull down the strongholds that the enemy has set up.  We are called to fight instead of allowing the enemy to settle in our territory.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete. (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)

We must not back down. A stronghold is any lie that is against the truth of God. Unless we dislodge the enemy with truth, he will stay settled in our lives. We must go into combat against the lies to dislodge the enemy. This is war!

The enemy told Israel “you can’t pass through.” But God told the Israelites “this is your land, go get it.” The enemy was telling a lie as if he was already victorious and the land was his. God was showing Israel that He alone is in charge.

Often our difficult circumstances will manifest the lies we believe about ourselves, others, our situations, and even God. These lies come up and are set up to block our victory. The Lord sovereignly allows this so we can experience even greater victory and freedom in our lives.

Deadly Complaints

by Shannon Tillman | Jan 8, 2024 | Bible Study

I always carry food around with me. I hate being hungry. Also, I do not want to subject others to my attitude when I want to eat but food is not available. I keep snacks in my bag for the safety of everyone. I plan for my need.

God has a plan for our needs as well.  He is not surprised when problems arise.  His provision for the needs is in place before we even become aware of the needs.  His ways to solve the situations involve creative and surprising outcomes.  All we must do is to acknowledge the need and ask for God for His supply.  Unfortunately, many of us do not respond by asking, instead we resort to complaining.

The nation of Israel was known for her complaints, especially when living in the wilderness. They had been miraculously rescued from Egypt, yet in a short amount of time they complained about the conditions in the desert. Forgetting their rescue, their hearts turned bitter and they murmured amongst themselves. Their need was legitimate. The community had no food. However, their complaints grew to obscure their view of the Lord, forgetting what God had done for them in the past and His promise to care for them in the future. Eventually the murmuring led them to grumble against leadership and to desire to return to the land of their captivity.

In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (Exodus 16:2-3)

They believed the lie that “God rescued us to kill us”. They did not understand the heart of God. In their twisted misconceptions, they grumbled and complained instead of asking the Lord for help, as if He did not want to be there for them. God already had a plan. The Lord had “snacks on hand” to give to them. God was waiting for them to ask so He could send His miracle.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. (Exodus 16:4)

God’s plan for food in the wilderness was to rain down manna, bread from heaven. The Lord was not blindsided by the need or trying to quickly form a plan at the last minute. He already knew what He wanted to do. However, the Lord waited for His people to ask. Sadly, they never did cry out to the Lord for help. Instead of asking, they complained, grumbled, and murmured.

If they had asked and then received, faith would have been built. They would trust God with the next set of overwhelming circumstances. They would learn His heart towards them which would encourage them to persevere. By complaining, however, they created a pattern of being alienated from God through their grumbling. This separated them from their source of Help. God was merciful. He still took care of them. Unfortunately, a complaining pattern emerged. This often led to dire consequences. Often, we treat complaining as not a big deal, but that is not how God views it.

And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. (1 Corinthians 10:10)

Yikes! Grumbling involves the death penalty! Why is this such a big deal? Complaining proves a lack of confidence of who God is and what He can do. To complain is saying “God is not God, He cannot handle my situation.” Complaining is blasphemy. When we grumble, we are showcasing our lack of faith.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Complaining is the opposite of faith, thus it does not please God. When we choose faith, we please the Lord. God is who He says He is. God can do what He says He can do. God has a plan. We can trust Him. We must seek Him through asking, not by complaining. When we do, miraculous answers will come our way. By asking and then receiving from God, we build faith for the next set of circumstances. And we can know that God will meet our need because He is God so we can trust Him to ask for His provision.

Faith is built through asking, trusting, and then receiving. God is faithful. He will take care of you. Remember what He has done in the past and bring the need to Him in the present and watch the miraculous answer in the future!

The Meaning Behind Simeon and Anna

by Shannon Tillman | Dec 25, 2023 | Bible Study

Names are so important. Parents take time to choose a name for their baby because they understand the value of a name. Names are a gift. As I read Scripture, I like to look up the meaning of names to see if there are interesting lessons to glean from this insight.

Two names are mentioned in Luke 2, the only place in the Bible where we learn about two old and righteous believers. Both Simeon and Anna had proved a lifetime of faithfulness to their Lord. In their advanced years, they finally receive the gift they had waited on for decades.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praise God… (Luke 2: 25-28a)

As a baby, Jesus was brought to the temple. When Simeon saw the child, he immediately knew that this baby was the Messiah. Simeon’s name means “harken” which is our word for “listen”. At this moment, Simeon gives a prophetic word for all to hear that still speaks to us today. If we “harken” to the message we will hear that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God saying,
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:28b-32)

Simeon not only spoke a message proclaiming who Jesus is to the world, he also gave a message to Mary about the future ministry of Jesus. The Messiah would create an uproar in Israel and the events would be devastating for Mary as well. Simeon warned her of the pain to come.

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:33-35)

I wonder if Mary thought about these words as she stood at the foot of the cross. She “harkened” to the message of Simeon and three decades later she saw the fulfillment of his prophetic word.

Another prophet came upon the scene at the very moment Simeon was finishing his message to Mary.

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:25-38)

This old, precious woman of God walked up and immediately gave thanks to God. She then began her own evangelism crusade telling others about that precious baby. The child would grow up and bring the long-awaited redemption. Anna’s name means “grace”. Grace is the unmerited favor of God to His people. She is letting them know that the unmerited favor of God has been shown in a baby. God gave us Jesus, the picture of grace, showing how He wants to be in relationship with us, to grant us divine favor, to bless us in a relationship with the Lord through Jesus. Not only that, Jesus will the one who will bring the future redemption of Jerusalem. However, the redemption of Jerusalem would be at a later date. We are still waiting for that promise today. Jesus came and saved us from our sins in His first coming, as Simeon prophesied. However, Jesus will return again and redeem the earth and rule and reign over us! Jerusalem will be at peace as Jesus sits on the throne as King! That is what Anna proclaims to the people.

The two people who testified about Jesus first and second coming in the temple that day were Simeon and Anna. Simeon spoke the prophetic word about the Messiah and then Anna walked up to them testifying to the redemption to come. Once again, their names have significant meaning. Simeon means “harken/listen” and Anna means “grace”. Combining their names, we discover this: If we will listen to the truth declared about Jesus, we will receive grace! That grace is for now and forevermore! Just as Simeon and Anna proclaimed the glorious news, we should celebrate what Jesus did for us to save us and rejoice for the future of how He will return to earth again! We have heard the truth, we have received grace, and now we are to share the glorious message that Jesus came and will return! Halleluiah!

Judah Still Gives to Simeon

by Shannon Tillman | Dec 18, 2023 | Bible Study

I love how the bible weaves together the central message of Jesus. A book written over 1500 years by different authors with various styles still all point to the Messiah, to Jesus. It is absolutely amazing!

Recently, I read this verse in the book of Joshua:

The inheritance of the Simeonites was taken from the share of Judah, because Judah’s portion was more than they needed. So the Simeonites received their inheritance within the territory of Judah. (Joshua 19:9)

When I saw this verse, my mind went immediately to the second chapter of Luke. These verses are separated over a thousand years, yet come together in a surprising way. In the book of Luke, a man named Simeon is mentioned.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God… (Luke 2:25-28a)

Jesus was from the tribe of Judah (as recorded in Matthew chapter 1 as well as Luke chapter 3). Therefore, this man named Simeon also received his inheritance from the tribe of Judah this day in the temple! The tribe of Judah had more than enough land to share. In the same way, Jesus is never depleted as He gives to us. The tribe of Simeon received physical land on earth. The man Simeon received a spiritual inheritance of heaven. The land from Judah served the Simeonites for generations. The gift of life from Jesus lasts for eternity!

We must be like Simeon and follow the Spirit’s leading to come to the Messiah. We will receive a heavenly inheritance that will never fade away! This can only lead us to marvel at the gift of salvation for us, just as Simeon did as he held Jesus in his arms.

For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2:30-32)

Praise be to Jesus, the Messiah from the tribe of Judah who gives generously the gift of salvation to all nations! The tribe of Simeon dwelled with the tribe of Judah. We can dwell with Jesus for all of eternity. Glory be to His Name!