“For he established a testimony in Jacob” (God’s disregard of flesh)

Psa 78:39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
Psa 78:40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
Psa 78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
Psa 78:42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
Psa 78:43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
Psa 78:44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.
Psa 78:45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
Psa 78:46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
Psa 78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
Psa 78:48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
Psa 78:49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.
Psa 78:50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
Psa 78:51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:
Psa 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
Psa 78:53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
Psa 78:54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

Our subtitle for this week’s study is “God’s disregard of flesh” as this part of the Psalm demonstrates that point very clearly. The Lord is showing us again and again if are given eyes to see (Christ’s eyes not ours Mat 6:22-23) how our growth in Christ comes at the destruction of the old man, or putting off of the carnal side of our thinking that leans on it’s own understanding.

Pro 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pro 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Pro 3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

It can be said many different ways, but at the end of the day we cannot call ourselves a body unless we are all being directed by the same head ‘Jesus Christ’ and following each other as we follow Christ (1Co 11:1), and so we see what it means to have bowels of mercy in God’s mind.

Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Php 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
Php 2:2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

With these verses in mind we come to understand the positive use of flesh in the bible where the word of God instructs us to not hide our flesh from one another, and that no man ever yet hated his own flesh.

Isa 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

These are both true statements that must be understood from the context that the flesh is the veil and the veil is the body of Christ (Exo 26:31), and spiritually is talking about our care for one another and the singleness of mind that God has given us as His kind of first fruits. That singleness comes by being of the same one mind as the body of Christ having the same single light entering into the body of Christ which you are.

2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Mat 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Mat 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Christ prophesied that there would be many great earthquakes in diverse places as we have experienced spiritually this past week, and when these earthquakes happen to Christ’s body, they shake us and bring us to look more closely at our foundations which is the flesh or word of God.

Luk 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Luk 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
Luk 21:10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
Luk 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

At the same time we are fasting the fast that God has ordained for us, spoken of in Isa 58:6, we are blessed to break every yoke and “deal thy bread to the hungry”, which God makes possible by bringing us to no longer slumber and sleep but rather ‘wake up’ and examine more carefully through these trials what the condition is of our hearts (2Co 13:5).

These trials motivate us to cry out to our Lord with strong tears that He would show mercy to us and keep us awake and alert with every breath of our life, as we grow in being able to bring every thought into subjection unto Christ learning to not think above what is written.

Heb 5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Mat 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.
Mat 25:2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
Mat 25:3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
Mat 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
Mat 25:6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
Mat 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
Mat 25:8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
Mat 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

Without haughtiness of spirit or any conceit of heart (Rom 11:25), God’s elect are called to witness in this age that we are the redeemed of the Lord who ought to say we are (Psa 107:2), and that we are Jesus Christ (Act 9:5). Therefore to deny that Christ’s spirit was in Paul is nothing short of a spirit of anti-Christ (2Jn 1:7). We are supported by each other today in this day of the Lord by the root in each of us, which is Christ, even as others are not given to discern the Lord’s body and as such are cut off because they are not nor cannot be nourished by the root within each of us (1Co 11:29).

Rom 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
Rom 11:19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.
Rom 11:20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
Rom 11:21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.
Rom 11:22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

God’s elect are that light of the world (Mat 5:14), because we have this treasure in earthen vessels (2Co 4:7), this hope of glory (Col 1:27), that is being purified through the fiery trials (1Pe 1:7); trials that keep us humble so that when those greater earthquakes come (Rev 11:13) they bring us to examine ourselves, as all these things happen within us to the glory of God “the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory [obedience – Heb 5:8] to the God of heaven.”

God’s elect know that we are only where we are by the grace of God, and need to therefore beseech God to continue to give us eyes to see, and the right spirit to discern we are what we are solely by the grace and faith of Christ and therefore boasting is excluded by that faith given.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Rom 11:18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Our walk, if not accompanied with “much tribulation” (Act 14:22) or a “thorn in the flesh” (2Co 12:7) or being “hated of all for [His] name’s sake” (Mat 10:22), would just serve to demonstrate that God is not working with us in this age. Even still, there is a counterfeit of even this suffering as well and our suffering must be for His name’s sake or that suffering will be in vain, unless the Lord build the house (1Co 13:3, Psa 127:1). Christ and His body will learn obedience by the things we suffer for His name’s sake, and it is precious in His sight because He has called and chosen us to be His workmanship that is being built up and prepared as a living sacrifice that will nourish all the world in due time.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What does this all have to do with our sub title: “God’s disregard of flesh”? Everything!

When we present ourselves a living sacrifice it is an act of mercy that is leading to the completion of this body of Christ, this bride of Christ who is going to not have any spot or wrinkle, or fleshly thinking, but rather the bowels of mercy that we looked at earlier that pour forth from those who are of ‘one mind in Christ‘.

The Lord shows us over and over that He has no regard for the flesh of man, and yet he nourishes us and our families as a shadow of how He will nourish and take care of our spiritual family both today and for all eternity. Regardless, the time will come when all flesh will be put off, and that demonstrates the mercy of God to do this, because where there is flesh, there is unrest and sin.

Mat 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Eph 5:28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
Eph 5:29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Eph 5:30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Isa 43:16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

2Sa 14:14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

Psa 78:39 For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.
Psa 78:40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!
Psa 78:41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.

We have done all of this in our appointed time: “limited the Holy One of Israel” and even gloried in that which was given to us, and not properly discerned the body of Christ in doing this, making ourselves weak and ineffectual in our prayers and in our love and service to the body of Christ.

What we learn in these verses is that God wants us to know that our life is a vapour to Him, and passing and “cometh not again” and so we pray that we do not “provoke in the wilderness” any longer or “grieve him in the desert” which are places of testing (Mat 4:1-4). This was Christ’s buying of gold and having it tried in the fire, as he was “led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” and to be victorious because he was not leaning on his own understanding but telling us all “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God“.

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Mat 4:3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Here we see our Lord demonstrating to us the right priority supernaturally given from our Father to desire His word above all else and not the bread of this world. Christ and His body will be enabled through that word to endure the tribulations we must go through symbolized by the forty days fasting that brought Christ to this point of being tempted of the devil.

Mat 8:21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
Mat 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Joh 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Joh 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
Joh 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Psa 78:42 They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy.
Psa 78:43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan:
Psa 78:44 And had turned their rivers into blood; and their floods, that they could not drink.

This part of scripture, like last week’ scriptures, says the same thing: that God creates this fertile ground of deception in our hearts when we don’t remember “the day when he delivered them from the enemy” within us.

2Pe 1:8 For if these things be in you (2Pe 1:4-7), and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Christ has wrought all these “signs in Egypt” for our sakes and these “wonders in the field of Zoan”, which means within the foolish flesh that we all possess.

Even after having been brought to repentance by God’s goodness that led us there we are prone to despise God’s goodness after time, even having seeing rivers turned into blood and floods that we could not drink. When we can’t drink, we die, and that dying to the flesh is a good thing if we are being baptized into Christ’s death, through that process of being weakened and seeing the need to die daily, to put off our bread and water and receive his stay of bread and water. (For more on this, see Steven’s study Awesome Hands, Part 48 – The Magicians of Egypt)

Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

1Co 15:30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
1Co 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1Co 15:32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

Isa 3:1 For, behold, the Lord, the LORD of hosts, doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,

Psa 78:45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
Psa 78:46 He gave also their increase unto the caterpiller, and their labour unto the locust.
Psa 78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
Psa 78:48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
Psa 78:49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

“He sent”, “he gave”, “he destroyed”, “he gave up”, “he cast upon” – all these actions talk about what God does to our flesh for which He has no regard!

In fact the flesh is the wilderness, the world within us, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that God clearly sees within all men’s hearts and knows cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The only way to create a new vessel of honour is to bring in these plagues, these “divers sorts of flies among them, which devour them” and “frogs, which destroyed them”.

Joh 2:24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

He also allows the caterpillar to eat our increase, which represents what we think we have done by our own efforts and therefore the Lord destroys this in love. Both the caterpillar and the locust are used to accomplish this.

Pete has a great section on the purpose of the locust and caterpillar in part 10 of the Nahum study: The Book of Nahum – Part 10, and Steven also in his Awesome Hands study: Awesome Hands, Part 53 – Not Able To See The Earth

When God destroys our vines with hail, He is in fact wiping away the refuge of lies, and a parallel thought to this destruction is the destruction of the “sycamore trees with frost”. Those trees would be harder to destroy than the vines and should therefore represent idols of our hearts that have grown and matured over the years.

Isa 28:17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Eze 14:3 Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be enquired of at all by them?

The theme continues as God shows us that everything we do in our flesh is corrupt and our thoughts only continually evil until he chastens and scourges us as sons who are being received through that process. The cattle represent that which we bring to the altar of God but without a pure heart and so they have to be destroyed as well by hail which represents God’s undefiled word. The flocks are destroyed by “hot thunderbolts” demonstrating that it takes great power to burn these idols out of our hearts.

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

Luk 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Finally, the scriptures talk at this progressive point about “the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble” against our carnal self willed minds which are being destroyed “by sending evil angels” who we will either stand up against or not depending on where the Lord has purposed us to be in our walk.

Eze 14:9 And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Psa 78:50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;
Psa 78:51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham:

God gives our lives “over to the pestilence” and once again shows us His intention all along was to eventually not have to deal with flesh any longer, and to graphically show us how we must not take sin (leaven) lightly. This whole verse is talking about what God is going to do with the negative seed of the serpent who we all are at first.

What does he do to the first Adam, to Pharaoh whom He created to show His power and purpose? “He made a way to his anger: he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence;” It is God showing His disregard for flesh and demonstrating to us that He will put off this seed.

He “smote all the firstborn in Egypt” and this section of scripture – “the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham” – reminds us that the major portion of His wrath is preserved for our religious beast who sits in the temple or tabernacle claiming himself to be God with free will and no need for Christ as a head.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Psa 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
Psa 78:53 And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
Psa 78:54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary, even to this mountain, which his right hand had purchased.

Finally, some good news, right? Well, we know that without the first part comprised mostly of how God judges our flesh, that this second part would never manifest, so it is all just a matter of God’s timing and direction that He is leading his elect fold and the other fold also.

Joh 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

This Psalm goes on to show God’s purpose for the elect to make “his own people to go forth like sheep” and to guide them in the wilderness.

When God leads us, we are blessed to be yielded unto His purpose for us where we will have no fear because of the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts, but the sea “overwhelmed their enemies”.

Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Just because God has no regard for flesh and is not a respecter of persons does not mean that He will leave us comfortless, because we know that he won’t. We all must experience this prodigal son experience along with the profound sadness of being betrayed by the man of perdition both within and without. God shows us who we are by our denial of him, or by us trying to save ourselves without the aid of the body of Christ, and if it were not for His power working in us giving us the power to die daily and be on that cross with our Lord, we would cave in to our desire to coddle Ishmael along for the journey.

Deu 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Mar 14:50 And they all forsook him, and fled.

Joh 18:9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

Mat 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Gen 17:18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

It is these events spoken of throughout this section of Psalm 78 that everyone that God is bringing unto perfection in this age must live as he brings us to clearly see and be convinced that there is no good thing within us and that flesh which is to be laid down at the altar, which is the cross, is the place where this testimony unto God is established by His power and might. God will convince all men in time that He has no regard for corruptible flesh and that only Christ can be Christ, and only Christ can put off the sinful nature and cause us to cease from sinning.

Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
Joh 8:35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.