The sin of presumption

In Numbers chapter 14, in the story of the 12 spies who went to spy out Canaan we see presumption practiced.  After their refusal to go up as God had commanded, several died by a plague as punishment for their lack of faith (this lack of faith was seen by their disobedience).  Then they decided on their own that they would go up and spy out the land.  The problem was, God had not commanded them to do so!  We pick up with the story in Numbers 14:39 and read thru v. 44 as follows: “And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.  And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.  And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.  Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.  For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you. But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.  Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.”

Notice in v.44 – they presumed to go up... why was it a presumption?  Because NO command from God existed; thus they did not go or act “in faith”.

Moses warned against presumption by a prophet in Deut. 18:20-22 as follows – “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.  And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”

God warned Jeremiah of prophets who would act presumptuously and prophesy of the deceits of their own hearts in Jer. 23:16-17, 25-26 as follows – “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.  They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you…I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.  How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart…”.

Peter said that false prophets in the church were presumptuous in their false teaching.  “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” (2 Pet. 2:10)

Notice the presumption of false teachers in Jude 1:8, 16-19: “Likewise also these filthy dreamers (they rely on their dreams) These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.  But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.  These be they who separate themselves (cause divisions), sensual, having not the Spirit.”

Our worship can be by faith or it can be by presumption.  If by faith, then we will have commands from God to do what we do in worship.  Our faith will be seen in our compliance to those commands.

Thus we find early Christians engaging in the observance of Christ’s death by partaking of the Lord’s Supper, EACH first day of the week; singing without the addition of instruments; giving as prospered rather than by tithing, prayers to God the Father in the name of Christ, and preaching/teaching of the gospel message.

All of these are by commands of Jesus thru the apostles.  Our respect for His authority will be seen in our adherence to these commands; thus we will worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

RDB