by: Dr. Allen Domelle
Numbers 2:34
“And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.”
Some things in life never change. For instance, love never changes. Once you choose to love someone, that love will never end. History never changes. The law of gravity never changes. As much as a person may try to change this law, they will fail because what goes up always comes down. These things that never change are timeless and unalterable.
God’s commands are also one of those things that are timeless and unalterable. Mankind has tried for centuries to change God’s commands, but as much as they try to redefine what God has commanded they have failed. The verse above shows us three of God’s timeless commands. Each of these commands can be defined in one word.
The first timeless command for the Christian is to be identifiable. You will notice that God commanded the children of Israel to pitch their tents “by their standard.” Their standard was their ensign. The standard is what identified each tribe. God still wants His children to be identifiable today. We must be careful that as Christians we don’t lose our identity because of our desire to reach the world. Many Christians today are no longer identifiable because they have morphed into worldly lifestyles. You will never please God as a Christian if you lose your identity. The Christian’s identity is to be distinctly associated with Christ and nothing else. If the Christian is associated with anything else, they have failed to follow God’s commands.
The second timeless command for the Christian is to be positional. The standard wasn’t only an identity; it was a position. You will never please God until you choose to stand where He wants you to stand, and not where you want to stand. Many Christians compromise because they don’t want to be controversial. Always remember, God’s commands are positional, and positional stands will always be controversial. Stop worrying about whether what God wants is controversial and start obeying by positionally standing where He wants you to stand.
The third timeless command for the Christian is directional. God told Israel to “set forward.” You will never please God if you are not going forward in your Christian life. You can always know whether or not something is right for you by which direction it takes you. If something doesn’t take you forward for Christ, it is something you are not to do. God’s will never takes you backwards; it always takes you forward.
There are two things about these commands, if obeyed, that will help you as a Christian. First, they will keep you from falling into sin. When a person makes their position clear and boldly identifies with Christ, they will find that the crowd who would try to influence them for wrong will want nothing to do with them. These commands are a safety net for the Christian. Second, these commands will keep you safe from changing. Your identifiable and positional stance puts the pressure on you to never change.
Friend, stop worrying about offending people with God’s commands. If you’ll make your identity and positions clear, your direction will always take care of itself. You will never please God with your life without obeying these three timeless commands.